First, let me start by saying no artefacts were hurt in the writing of today’s blog and no disrespect to anyone personally, but screw you Marie Kondo.

Marie Kondo is the Japanese organizing expert and author of the best selling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up whose craze of decluttering and minimalist philosophy swept North America a few years ago. People started throwing items they didn’t need or were just collecting dust in the spirit of simplifying their life.

If you Marie Kondo’d your house, and it made you happy, good for you. I happen to like my stuff and embrace clutter.

It’s not the things themselves, although I find them all beautiful and make my house feel like a home, it’s the memories they represent.

The two stained glass cardinals that sparkle in the sunlight in my living room window remind me of Dave’s mom and his Dad.

The original watercolour of a fish hovering over a lake by local artist Alana Kapell has a spiritual quality and reminds me how lucky I am to live on a lake, and the fish are calling.

A framed handpainted feather of a tropical bird reminds me of the trip Dave and I took to Costa Rica before the kids were born.

The beautiful hand carved wooden mirror with a rose made locally in Perth Ontario and given to us by my best friend for a wedding present reminds me of Leslie and our wedding day.

The hand carved loons and bold beautiful native fish carving above our entertainment unit reminds me of trips to the St. Lawrence River and Vancouver Island.

These are all my favourite things and I love them. So screw you, Marie Kondo. In the spirit of the holiday gift giving season, embrace your favourite things, find that perfect gift and memory for someone and enjoy.