A few days ago, I was talking with my best friend and she let out that familiar holiday sigh. Christmas was just around the corner and once again she had not made it to a market, driven around to see the lights, taken in a Christmas concert, or escaped on even a simple Christmas weekend getaway. Life got in the way, as it always does, and now she was running errands and ticking off lists to make sure Christmas felt magical for everyone else.

As she talked, I could hear the resentment creeping in. Not because she doesn’t love Christmas, but because it always falls on us. And when you hit a certain age, ahem over 50, you have decades (I know that’s painful to read, stay with me here) of making Christmas magic behind you. The holidays arrive, rush past, and before you know it, they are gone. We tell ourselves maybe next year. We even draw a line in the sand and promise that next year will be different.

So let me say this now. Next year will be different.

Because you are going to join me for Christmas in the Valley, and here is why.

Why I Created Christmas in the Valley

I curated this Christmas weekend getaway for you. And yes, selfishly, I curated it for myself too.

There are very few women I know at this stage of life who cannot relate to the feeling that Christmas has slowly turned into a chore. Something we go through the motions of. We love the season, but we are also resigned to it. And if we are being honest, a little resentful too. A time of year that is supposed to be full of magic somehow leaves us with none of it for ourselves.

I wanted to change that.

For more than 20 years, I have been making Christmas magic. I am not an outlier, I am the norm. All you need to do is look at Christmas movies to see how women are so often portrayed at this time of year, as unhinged lunatics, instead of what we actually are, the ones holding the entire season together.

Shopping, planning, coordinating, hosting, remembering everything and everyone. I have been the one behind the scenes making sure the holidays feel special for everyone else.

And I am tired. And I know I am not alone.

Christmas in the Valley was my way of drawing a line and saying we deserve to enjoy the season too. Not someday. Not when things slow down. Now.

This weekend is about carving out space early in December to do the things we always say we want to do, before the month runs away from us. And I will let you in on a little secret. It worked exactly the way I hoped it would.

Starting Small and Doing It Anyway

I opened up twelve spots for the first Christmas in the Valley and filled seven. And honestly, I am proud of that.

This Christmas weekend getaway is the start of a new tradition. I am determined to keep doing this until we have collectively trained ourselves, yes trained ourselves, to take care of ourselves at Christmas. Especially women over 50 who have been doing the heavy lifting of the holidays for decades.

We have done this long enough. We have been the magic makers.
It is time to enjoy the magic too.

The Pushback and Why I’m Still Standing Firm

I heard a few familiar refrains while planning this weekend.

It is too close to Christmas.
December is already too busy.
It is just Perth. It is just Almonte.

Here’s how I’ll answer each hesitation.

Early December is the sweet spot. Any earlier and it feels too soon. Any later and the chaos takes over. This is when the lights are up, the markets are running, and the season still feels joyful instead of frantic.

Another thing I heard more than once was that December is just too busy. And here is where I am going to push back a little.

It will always be busy unless you carve out the time. There will always be errands, commitments, expectations, and people who need you. Another year will pass, and then another. You know it and I know it.

And as for it being “just” Perth or “just” Almonte, excuse me, but Almonte alone has been the backdrop for more than two dozen Hallmark movies. These are postcard towns. People travel from all over the world to experience places like this in Canada. We do not need to get on a plane to feel Christmas magic.

Sometimes we need to snap out of the idea that special has to be far away. Special exists in our backyard.

A Reset I Didn’t Know I Needed

What surprised me most about Christmas in the Valley was how restorative the weekend was for all of us.

Even though I was the one planning it, I did not come home exhausted, and neither did the women who joined me. Time felt slower. We were present in a way December rarely allows.

Instead of resenting the season because we had missed out yet again, we actually did the things we always say we want to do. We wandered cute towns. We saw the lights. We soaked in the atmosphere. We even got some Christmas shopping done without feeling rushed or irritated.

That shift mattered. It changed how we showed up for the rest of December.

Because we took that time for ourselves, we went home ready to pour ourselves back into making Christmas special for the people we love, without the burnout that usually creeps in halfway through the month.

I don’t want to overplay this, but I truly feel that this weekend is more than getaway. It’s about changing a pattern so many of us have been stuck in for years.

What We Did During Christmas in the Valley

We eased into our mornings with gentle yoga around the Christmas tree, followed by lingering breakfasts that were not rushed or interrupted. No alarms blaring. No schedules to chase. Just time to wake up slowly, move our bodies, and ease into the day together before heading out to explore.

For this first Christmas in the Valley, we stayed at Clyde Hall Bed and Breakfast, which was a beautiful backdrop for the weekend. The house looks like it belongs on a postcard any time of year, but at Christmas especially, it’s brimming with warmth and charm. Robert and Liisa are genuinely kind hosts, the food was great, and the whole place felt welcoming and festive from the moment we arrived.

Over the weekend, we explored Almonte and Perth, wandering the shops, enjoying lunch, and soaking up that small-town Christmas feeling that is hard to beat. We attended Light Up the Night in Almonte and spent time doing exactly what we so often skip in December, slowing down with no one putting demands on our time.

Saturday night brought one of my favourite moments. Mr. and Mrs. Claus joined us. I will admit I was a little unsure about this part, wondering if it might make people uncomfortable. Instead, every single woman leaned into the whimsy. It was joyful, funny, and surprisingly touching.

We wrapped up the night with a Christmas Santa stealing game and everyone left with great gifts and, I hope, even better stories to share with friends and family.

This Is Your Sign for Next Year

So here it is. Your sign.

So mark your calendar for this Christmas weekend getaway on the first weekend in December 2026.

Christmas in the Valley will be back, and I’m already plotting. The location may change, and I already have ideas brewing on how to make the weekend even better. What I do not want are the same old excuses.

You have spent enough years making the magic.
It is time to enjoy it.

If you want a Christmas that leaves you feeling restored instead of resentful, this is where it starts. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!