Happy holidays from our swell house to yours! I want to personally thank ALL of you for your support during this challenging year. From your online orders to sharing on social media, from cheering me on to working by my side—thank YOU! Maybe I sound like a broken record, but it truly means the world to our family because Swell Made Co. is a big part of our little world. To see this business thrive and grow and to deliver joy in an uncertain year, where at times it didn’t seem possible, is humbling.

While our little world changed forever, so did the big wide world around us. In profound and permanent ways. Our hope for the new year and long after is that our new normal is better and more human than before. While the road is still long, I truly believe that the world can be better as we look back at our faults, but also our resiliency. 2020 will be the year we learned to truly open our eyes and hearts and be more compassionate and understanding. It will be the year that we learned community will get us much further ahead than competition ever will—even when we’re apart. It will be the year that we realized we had all we need (and more) right in front of us.

I hope Swell Made Co. helped change your worlds in some small way through simple acts of giving and connecting through our stationery and gifts. While our business has always valued the simple things in life, 2020 is the year where that message was more poignant than ever. Thank you for being here. I am incredibly grateful for all of the lessons learned in 2020 including:

Community is everything

From building a team to grow my business to seeing our personal support networks with fresh eyes—our communities (no matter how big or small) mean everything and will see us through tough times. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, and be sure to offer help to those in need. Simple acts of love and kindness make the world better.

Heartbreak can be healed

2020 broke our hearts in a million ways and the only way to heal from the heartbreak of racism, inequities for far too many, shattered dreams and parenting a generation of kids who have already experienced so much crisis (just to name a few) is to listen, learn and act with compassion in ways that empower ourselves and others over time. Over a lifetime to be precise.

There is a lesson in everything

In tough times, it can be hard to find silver linings; but there are always lessons to be learned and ways to grow. And, in time, those hard lessons become sources of gratitude, strength and wisdom. Be open to lessons and learning even when it feels like you have nothing left.

Getting outside is underrated

Getting outside is the most underrated way to lift our spirits. Whether it was a day spent in the woods or taking a walk around the block—getting outside this year has been a constant form of self-care for me this year. Moving our bodies and breathing is simple and powerful.

Staying connected is personal

We LOVE happy mail and have seen you stay connected through our stationery this year in ways that would make your heart explode. That said, we know staying connected is personal. People will find many unexpected ways to stay connected in tough times to cultivate relationships they care deeply about. Cards are one way, but so are Zoom chats, going for socially distant walks, picking up the phone, dropping off care packages and connecting to ourselves through journaling and self-love.

We can do hard things

We are resilient, we are strong, we can use our privilege for good, we can mobilize and make a collective change, we can learn and adapt quickly, we can speak up, we can love deeply. We can do HARD things we have been complacent about in the past. We need to give ourselves and humanity more credit and continue to do hard things to make the world better.

What lessons did you learn this year? I’m still processing all that 2020 was and what the future will be, but thanks for reading my holiday wishes (and lessons). At this time, I am still riding the ebbs and flows of the year, like you.

Happy holidays to you and your loved ones! May you have time to enjoy the simple gifts of time and love. Be well and stay hopeful.

From Our Swell House To Yours