This Christmas feels different.
Not in a dramatic way — simply more pared back. Softer. Less driven by expectation and more shaped by what’s actually needed.
This year has asked me to slow down in ways I didn’t choose. To listen more closely to my body. To rest when I would normally push. To let Christmas be simpler than usual. And while that hasn’t always been easy, it has been revealing.
Because when life slows you down, it has a way of showing you what truly matters.
So this season, I’m less interested in getting everything right and more interested in being present. Less focused on how things should look, and more focused on how they actually feel — with the people I love, in a body that’s recovering, and in the midst of a world that feels uncertain for so many.
Maybe that’s what this time of year asks of us anyway.
Keeping the faith when things don’t go to plan
This year also tested faith in very practical ways.
For weeks — stretching from Halloween right through December — our balm sat in customs. No clear answers. No certainty. Just waiting. And trusting. And choosing not to force what couldn’t be forced.
Just days before Christmas, our balm finally made its way through — returning to the U.S. for the first time in a long while, now carrying a new look that reflects the care that went into every step.
Many of you wrote to say it felt like a Christmas miracle. And in its own way, it did.
Not because everything suddenly became easy — but because it was a reminder that faith isn’t loud. It isn’t about guarantees. It’s about continuing to move forward with integrity when the outcome isn’t clear.
Sometimes faith looks like patience. Sometimes it looks like staying the course.
Gratitude that goes deeper than words
What carried me through this year — more than I can properly express — was you.
Our customers. Our community. The people who stayed the course with us through delays, uncertainty, and long stretches of waiting. Some of you waited months. Some of you waited years. And you did so with understanding, encouragement, and trust.
Knowing that so many of you were waiting patiently — not just for a product, but because you believed in what we’re building — mattered more than you might realise. It kept me steady on days when it would have been easier to rush, compromise, or walk away.
We didn’t do that.
We stayed true to what matters. We held the course. And we did it because of the people on the other side of every order, every email, every message of support.
I am deeply grateful for that.
A Christmas wish
So this Christmas, my wish for you is simple.
May you allow this season to be what it is — not what it’s meant to be.
May you keep the faith even when things aren’t unfolding the way you hoped.
May you trust that care, patience, and integrity always matter — even when progress feels slow.
Thank you for being here. Thank you for your trust. Thank you for staying the course with us.
Wishing you a meaningful Christmas and a steady close to the year.
