Remember to Play in 2023

Just before Christmas, I hosted my 2nd annual Gingerbread House Decorating Party with the goal of playing more. You can read about my first party by clicking here.  Why do we reserve this activity for the holidays? It should be done all year in my opinion!

Let me begin by saying that “play” looks different for everyone…what may be play for one might be work/dread for another. For me, I love decorating and creating, so this version of play was fun to put together.

I started with the color scheme and wanted to do something different this year. Last year was beautiful with primarily pink and red along with my eclectic colorful chairs. I used a block-print table cloth from India and embellished with red ribbon and greenery.

This year, I changed up the art in the room, which meant a new color scheme!

I move my art around the house as a way to refreshing each space. This original painting by Carrie Schmitt is one of my favorites.

The art and new color scheme led me to use my Frances Valentine chairs…focusing on green, orange, and yellow (and a tiny bit of pink).

Each house got a green ribbon to start with.

My previous blog shows the details of how to create these houses using tips from @pizzazzerie on Instagram.

Everyone got a gift from me inside cute green polka-dotted bags.

I host the party for a couple of my friends and their daughters (all young adults now).

To force our creativity the second time around, I chose to use a few different candies than last year.

The goal of this party is just to cut loose and have fun…something that’s hard to do for some of us, including yours truly.

So, setting the stage to do that and giving yourself time to have fun is important. It’s not going to happen on its own for many of us. The idea is to be kid again. Get messy. And don’t worry about the outcome.

As we decorated, I asked each person how they planned to play more in 2023. For most of us, it took a few moments to think about what that means.  For my friends and I, we know our daughters are listening. We are the examples for them to remember to have more fun in life when possible.

Our answers ranged from cooking more new dishes to traveling to motorcycling, etc. Some of these involved learning new skills, others were rekindling hobbies we used to enjoy but have put them to the wayside.

If you don’t try to plan for more play in your life, it’s most-likely not going to happen. At our age, we have to be conscious of it and deliberately set time aside to do it. Play should be fun and should leave you with the desire to do it again. So, with that mind, what are you planning to do to play more in 2023?

You can watch my Youtube on this very topic by clicking here!

Wendy

I'm Wendy Conklin, The Chair Stylist.

What brings me joy is helping others live more creatively. I design antique-inspired, boutique chairs, and I teach others how to do what I do. Check out my shop, services, and courses to bring more whimsy into your home and life!

Check out my online courses to spark your creativity and upgrade your joy, starting today!

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