Finding Calm In The Beautiful Wonderful Chaos Of The Holidays. Friday Harbor Winterfest.

It's late evening, my house is peaceful and quiet, with the 3 people that make up a huge chunk of my world safe and sound asleep.  The house might be picked up, or it might not, but it doesn't matter because it's dark.  And quiet.  And peaceful.

As I prepare this post, I am scrolling through photos from a trip to the San Juan Islands this past February.  So darn dreamy.  Right?

and I am already breathing deeper.  

Some of our fondest family memories have been created in the San Juan Islands year round.  We are so incredibly lucky to have this PNW wonderland basically in our backyard.  We even had snowfall once, it was magical.  The thing that surprised us most in February was all the sunshine, as you can see it was glorious.

As I am thinking about the upcoming holiday season, the anticipation of so many fun traditions and events filling our calendar, I find myself already craving that calm in the midst of the beautiful wonderful chaos.  This is why I am so excited for our next trip to San Juan Island for the Island Lights Festival and Friday Harbor Winterfest - it really is the best of both worlds, the less hectic slower paced island life AND holiday magic and wonder.  side note:  why do I keep flipping all my vowels as a type tonight...did it there too and had to correct.  maybe it's actually time for bed.  But before I do, here's the details...perhaps you need a trip too....

Holiday Tree Lighting at Friday Harbor House.

Friday Harbor Winterfest.  And if you are planning a trip to San Juan Island, our two favorite spots to stay are the Island Inn and Roche Harbor.

Lopez Village Holiday Lighting and Gathering.

Orcas Island Eastsound Holiday Celebration and Tree Lighting

For more specific events read more here.  If you are new to the San Juan Islands, a wonderful place to start is VisitSanJuans.com

This December we will be staying here at Roche Harbor in one of these historic cottages.  Right?  Stay tuned!

My hope is to find space to soak up this holiday season, the magic and wonder of it all.  My boys are growing up so fast, and it's amazing how we all settle down and breathe deeper when we leave the city life we love so much.  Wish me luck!  My hope is that you all can find this space too.

thank you for reading.

best,
Kirsty

Thank you San Juan Visitors Bureau for partnering with me on this post.