12 Days of Creating: Day 3

On the third day of the 12 Days of Creating, I lovingly gave my home: a family candlelight dinner for absolutely no reason at all.

Last week, I made a dream come true in cooking a beautiful Christmas Eve dinner by candlelight for my little family. It’s something I’ve envisioned doing 

But I think I opened Pandora’s box.

The soft glow of the candles, the sweet conversation, my family lingering at the table. My goodness, the beauty of that evening pushed me to consider that maybe we don’t need an actual reason for candlelight dinners. 

Maybe it’s important to have them for those “just because” days, too.

You know the ones. The days where parenting requires battles after never-ending battles, and you need some peace to salvage some part of the 24-hour span. The days where work demands everything, and you feel this deep need to be nourished by both food and atmosphere to feel centered again. The days where darkness seems to be closing in, and you desperately need a tangible reminder that Light has already pierced the darkness.

I decided that this week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, where we’re all trying to find our new normal after the glitz and glamor of the last two months’ worth of holidays was the perfect excuse to gather around the candles over a bowl of my homemade corn chowder. No paper plates or paper towels hurriedly ripped off to use as napkins. But real dishes, cloth napkins, and the warm glow emanating from the center of the table. 

It was pure joy. Also, my corn chowder is amazing. After the 12 Days of Creating blog series is over, I’ll share my recipe. For real. It’s Knee-Slappin’ Good.

My table wasn’t fancy. It probably would never grace the cover of a magazine. But I created a slow, comfortable, cozy evening with my people. I’m thinking we might need to make this a once-a-week ritual in 2021.

How is #12daysofcreatingwithColleen coming along? Share your creations in the comments below or over on my Facebook or Instagram pages. I can’t wait to hear from you.

Cheers from the cottage,

Colleen