Enchanted forests & Festive sparkles

Mid December. Christmas is back in town. Some people are crunching Excel sheets to find the needle in the financial haystack for the year-end closing, others are counting the lights on the pine tree before going on an apparently well-deserved holiday. In the evening, everyone rushes out of the office to go present hunting, or to spend some heartwarming moments in the chalets of a Christmas market. While dipping a speculoos in my hot chocolate, I am smiling at the idea of all those people that will be running and rushing around. I left a week before the rest of the office crew, to start this special period in a laid back way. This is: after some days of warm-up, and the belonging after thoughts Since a couple of weeks, invitations for important -although usually very unofficial - celebrations with colleagues and friends had been whirling down into my Outlook agenda. A quite exciting mix of moments blended into a 48 hour train ride-like journey. A kind of Polar Express trip towards Xmas. As such, the program was quite varied: Work on Friday afternoon. Extremely efficient meetings before the winter break: Check. Friday evening, Discovery Night of one of the most vibrating cities of Belgium with a large group of colleagues and friends. A brilliantly organized evening made of fun moments, relaxed dining and partying till the wee hours. Great. Festive. Celebrating as we like it: Check. Saturday noon onwards, a visit in the hilly countryside for the other extreme. Catching up with cousins, chatting and killing toxins during a walk out with a close group of friends. Simple. Cozy. Deep. A bowl of fresh air: Check. In the evening, black tie diner in an enchanted forest, followed by a birthday. Personal treats: Check.

When thinking back about it now, it is surprisingly enough not the concentration of celebrations or the time spent with buddies that made it such an exceptional weekend. Not on itself. No. Right now, the sparks in my eyes come from the encountered atmospheres and mindsets, from the variety of rooted moments everyone seems to find during nights out. Some recharge their batteries by sharing their city with friends, others simply by spending time with family. Some regenerate by relaxing in a bar and some chats, others are like a phoenix and aim at reviving after every crash. Sometimes, the sole goal is an escape from a stressful world. No mind boggles, no heavy weight to carry, nothing. Only fun, feast and fairly well thought out excuses to go on. At other moments, it is precisely that inner voice that counts: remembering the richness from the good old times, revived by a scent, a place or a bite of those tasteful Proustian madeleines. Smiling at the past, while empowering the present Obviously, some events or invitations require a stricter attitude. Black tie or sexy high heels. Moments amongst the elite chic. Magnificent tables and succulent conversations. But isnt fine dining in the midst of mushroom shaped chairs, gingerbread houses and silver colored pine trees filled with stockings also a great way to, sometimes, dive back into childhood based pleasures? Truly enjoyable, this mix of festive mindsets and special touches... Smiling at a text message. Seeing a dear friend deeply happy on his birthday. Sharing, partying. Dining, dancing, chatting All different but, just as picking decorations for your Christmas tree, a quite potent muse

Enjoy refilling your mug with warm inspiration. Enjoy this heavenly Christmas period

Jrgen Janssens | 2009

janssensjurgen@gmail.com