The first time I set foot in Florence, I too felt the weight of giants. As a self-professed history lover, borderline nerd, I love going to cities that have extensive pasts. Whether they be good or bad. I think that history is our best teacher - you can learn so much from the scholars and artists that came centuries before you or I were even a dream in our parents' minds.
And of course, with the Christmas season comes Christmas wishes - and there's no better place to aggregate all of the Christmas wishes you gather during the year than on a very special list.
Have you ever smelled sap oozing from a balsam fir or white pine in the crisp air of early winter or late fall? It's chilling, revitalizing, enthralling and it makes you feel like you're using your lungs to the fullest capacity with every breath. I can't even begin to describe just how much this exact smell has made me want to ditch city life and move up to a pine grove in Northern Minnesota.
Whether it's a pattern that puts you in the holiday mood, or it's a pattern you grew up with because of family tradition - it's one that is well recognized world-wide and one that people are often on the hunt for.
Sometimes, especially when life gets busy, it's easy to put the process of getting to know yourself and your evolving desires on the back burner. Bringing them back to the forefront can feel selfish - but I'll argue that it's one of the best things you could ever do.
