Woman in Real Life

I received an unexpected email in my inbox four years back, asking if I'd like to film an Organic Panic Christmas special with my family. It took some thinking and discussion - it was a little outside our comfort zones for all four of us: me, my husband and our two young kids. But we decided to be brave - after all, it could be a lot of fun. And it was.

The special focuses on the divide between decorating and shopping for Christmas the conventional way, and taking a more "organic" approach, with reusable wrapping, a farm-fresh Christmas tree and a bit less consumption. At our house, we are somewhere between the two, but with definitely more consumption than I feel proud to admit.

Now that a few years have passed and my two children have quickly sprouted up into teenagers (with all those highs and lows), it's fun (and more than a bit cringey) to look back at the Organic Panic Christmas special and see how we have all changed since then. I have never officially shared a link to the TV show here because, after we filmed it, the production company found it was too close to Christmas and they decided to put off airing the special until the following year. To be honest, I didn't think it was going to happen.

So, have a watch if you have a few moments. Is there a time when you did something outside your comfort zone? Were you happy you did?

Happy Christmas Eve! I hope you all have a joyous holiday season!