It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” Or so my brother insisted as he honked up a storm at my gate early Saturday morning…I’m sure to the annoyance of my neighbours. Are you feeling Christmas this year? Or nah?

I’m definitely feeling some excitement this year…and even more so that it’s Monday!!!

…every Monday, we post seven positives from the previous seven days of the week as a reminder of what we have so that the week starts out on an upswing. There is much truth in the belief that happy people attract good things, so it is important to start the week out right. Sometimes it’s the more grand, but other times, it’s the simple things.~ Key + Arrow

7 for Seven originated at Key + Arrow and now let’s get into my 7 for this week:

Christmas family traditions. My sister, brother and I continued our family tradition of making pastelles for Christmas. For the uninitiated, pastelle is a local Christmas favourite (although I have them year-round) made of minced meat well seasoned with olives, capers and raisins wrapped in a cornmeal dough which is steamed. Every year we get together and make our own for the season and beyond. This year, our pastelles are a tad on the spicy side, since there was a hot chilli pepper masquerading as a pimento pepper in our seasoning. But’s all good and they will be enjoyed regardless.

Christmas spirit. I am finally beginning to feel the excitement of the season!

Coffee with my hippie friends. Coffee with friends is always so much better isn’t it?

Vacation approved. Because vacay b*tches!!!

My brother and sister. Family is everything. I am so thankful for them. Deepak said it best, “If you want to do really important things in life and big things in life, you can’t do anything by yourself. And your best teams are your friends and your siblings.”

Prayer, Faith and Action. In that order. Let go of the outcome and then repeat. This pretty much sums up my life last week. And I have been counting my blessings!

Classic movies. As I type this, The Sound of Music is on TV. There is just something about the season that makes you want to curl up with your loved ones and drink something warm and chocolatey and watch an old favourite. This week I’m sure I will watch Love Actually, Home Alone and Elf.

And there you have it. My hope is that by turning my focus to all that I have to be grateful for at the start of my work week, by sowing my own seeds of faith and gratitude, I can carry with me and reap the rewards of “positivity + balance + bliss” throughout the days ahead.

Christmas is here and the days are getting shorter. But thankfully we still get the same 86,400 seconds to manifest our best life. If you’re reading this, this is me blowing some glitter and confetti on you because you’re super blessed to have received the gift of another 86,400 seconds today, to spend any way you desire. What made you happy today? What are you grateful for? I would love to hear from you.