It can feel like an easy trap to feel hopeless this year but something I was thinking about the other day is, when the question of “where is the hope here?” arrives the answer can be found right in our own two hands. If this year has taught us anything (and trust me…it’s taught us a lot) it’s that there is so much magic and hope around us whether we can initially see it or not is a different question but it is there, swirling around unexpected laughter, a beach sunset, the first swirl of snow or the bliss of a slow saturday morning brunch. 

This year has heard us ask after disappointment, after grief, after hardship, “where is the magic here? Where is the hope here?” And every time there is a subtle whisper in return as it speaks back to us, “everywhere.”

It’s more important than ever now to get creative with how we spread hope and create magic. As I am sitting preparing my christmas list to give to loved ones, I am making sure that magic moments and intentional decisions are all throughout them. I want to give the gift of little glimpses of hope, so that the sparkle can return in the eyes of my friends and family… even if just for a moment.

The expression of gift giving takes a whole new meaning this year as we are learning how to have moments that matter with distance and phone calls. The Alex and Ani Jewelry collection gave me my own little magic glimpse while capturing these retro glam shots but they will also be the keepsakes that I give to the women in my family, to remind them of their own magic.

There’s nothing like opening a box of charmed bracelets that sing with you while you dance, reminding us of the magic in our footsteps and the music that we can only hear. Or jewelry that represents life’s gentle gifts that align with your purpose and direction, like star-like earrings that match all the ways you shine and a Joyful, Merry, Blessed set of dangles to remind you of all the good that still surrounds us. Because it’s not just about the gift but the impact the gift makes, the hope that the gift brings and the person who takes it with them all year long.

This year a lot of traditions and systems were uprooted and dismantled, some of them for the best and others just for the sake of beginning a new chapter, a fresh start. One of lots of hope and sprinkles of magic, that is what I hope this holiday season brings for you all, no matter what it may look like!

Photo Credit: Karen Marie Photography