Nutcrackers are marching, tree's going up!

And I’m giving you a wave this morning. How’s your weekend going?

Like so many other people, I decided this year that Christmas was going to start early and stay for a long time. If a virus can do it, Christmas can, too — so there.

And that brings me to a principle I wrote about in The 10 Minute Fix. When life hands me something rotten, I respond with a tiny, good thing I can control.

Covid. Early Christmas.

We’re going all out around here this holiday season—not with the expense, but with the joy. I’m hauling out every decoration we own and re-appreciating it. I’m planning to make my husband’s favourite 1980s appetiser for tree decorating this afternoon: Ham & Cheese Puffs. (Even that name makes me laugh because it’s so 80s). Here they are — what do you think?

My friends, I’ve collected nutcrackers for 25 years and there’s a special reason why. It’s because my life was in the toilet.

I had literally imploded everything in my world through a combination of stupidity, passion, a thoroughly broken heart, a cowardly man and my own immaturity. And pride. And love.

True story.

But I had a girlfriend who appeared to be a lot like Olivia Newton John at the beginning of Grease—kind of perfect and shiny. I was more like Olivia at the end, or at least that’s how it all appeared to the world about the two of us.

Anyway, this beautiful friend collected nutcrackers.

I felt like if I could somehow emulate some part of her life, I could be a shiny Olivia Newton John too. I’m laughing at my young self, but honestly…I bought a nutcracker.

Fast forward a few years.

Life gave me some lucky breaks after all that misery. I married an officer and a gentleman, immigrated to Australia from Canada, had two beautiful kids…and collected a lot more nutcrackers.

Then I just started to like them. I loved how our little boys loved them, too.

Every year when we bring them out we make each other happy.

The skateboarding teens who slept over last night walked into the living room at 11pm after feasting on nachos and collectively said wow.

Now I’m heading way down memory lane, but the lesson for myself is this.

I’m proud of how far I’ve come.

I don’t hate my past and I’m not ashamed of it. I love the young woman who made all those big mistakes. She wore her heart on her sleeve, and was a champion for trying, failing, trying, learning. She held her head up and kept working at a job when every man around her fell apart like a baby. She did the only thing you can ever do—she kept going.

My sweet Olivia Newton John friend (the nutcracker inspirer!) is still a friend, 30 years later.

And my beautiful family has our own nutcrackers.

We’re doing okay. I’m doing okay. I’ve learned so much and come so far.

And as for you and yours, I hope you’re okay, too. I hope you can do the little fix from my book: if life is crappy right now, lob something really good back at it. It can be a tiny thing—anything you have control over—to make yourself feel a little better. And please, keep going.

Whew! Time to make breakfast for all those teens.

Happy Sunday, and I really truly am sending all of you love.

Catherine x

PS.