There’s no denying that Christmas is the busiest time of year for the retail industry, with the few months leading up to Christmas often netting more profit for some retailers than the entire rest of the year in total.
But what’s it all for?
In her new book, Festive Season Reimagined, author, artist and ‘Everyday Alchemist’ Pia Jane Bijkerk questions the intentions of the throngs of shoppers who fill shopping bags and homes with stuff, only to turn around to empty bank accounts and empty hearts too.
On the pages of her book, Pia has created an anthology of ideas and inspiration for us to find ways to connect more deeply with ourselves and one another during the festive season - including an honest account of her own journey away from over-consumption and stress and into a sense of joy and renewal.
Her festive wreath is a great example of this philosophy at work – seen here as an excerpt from her book, Pia tracks the changing face of this key seasonal decoration over the years in her home - a concept easily embraced.
“It’s become an ever-evolving wreath which I eagerly recreate each year as part of the journey toward the end of the year”
Pia Jane Bijkerk
An evolving wreath….
“I have a wreath I hang on my front door in early December. I made it 6 years ago when we first moved back to Australia from Europe. Using an old embroidery hoop and botanicals found in my backyard and neighbourhood, I created the wreath by simply looping the branches around the hoop and tying with pieces of string, building up layers of greenery and then finishing with lilac-hued hydrangeas from our garden. It faded so beautifully over the weeks, aligning with my thoughts as I reflected on the passing year. Once the new year began, I took the dried wreath inside and hung it in my kitchen nook, bringing it back out the following year, removing a few pieces of the dried flora and building up new layers over the dried stems still attached. It’s become an ever-evolving wreath which I eagerly recreate each year as part of the journey toward the end of the year, and I’ve since understood it to be one of the gentle end-of-year activities I do that stimulates the openness to reflect on my journey and connect with my surroundings. I love how the circular shape symbolises the circular journey of life.”
Pia's thought-provoking view of the festive season shows that it is possible to celebrate all that is special in life without spending a cent.
Images and words published with the permission of Pia Jane Bijkerk from Festive Season Reimagined”. With the presale of the first printing selling out in less than 24 hours, Pia is about to reprint. Go here to preorder a copy or follow the continued passage of Pia’s discoveries on her online journal.
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