I just watched again a favourite movie from my teenage years “Little Women” based on Louisa May Alcott novel. And just like fifteen years ago the story of the March sisters moved me and inspired me. I felt this urge inside that I need to dip my quill in the ink and to write something – here and now, while the emotion is still so vivid. And although I do not have a quill and an ink but I am typing this on my laptop, it still doesn’t change the idea, does it? I remember how as a teenage I admired Joe March and hoped to grow up like her – brave, daring, not afraid to follow her dreams and her heart. Then during the years I happened to lose my tracks sometimes, to base my choices and decisions on my reasoning rather than on my senses, to follow events rather than making them. Re-watching the movie today reminded me once again how important it is to stay your own ground, to reach for the sky without losing your touch to the ground (your roots – your family), to get over the difficult moments, to stand up after you have fallen down and to move on. But the movie also made me feel thankful. Thankful for all the choices that I had (even for the wrong ones from which I have hopefully learnt), thankful for having a home and a family, for meeting great friends, for encountering more and more inspiring people every year; thankful for the small things around me – the picture on the wall, the burning candles, the steaming cup of tea on my desk – all the small things that go unnoticed in our daily routine but which absence would make our lives bleak and uncolourful. I felt thankful for having the chance to share these thoughts with you – people most of whom I do not know personally but whom I feel close to my heart because when we share emotions, we share energy and that connects us. In these pre-Christmas days I will feel even more thankful and encouraged to know that what I write and share here have inspired some of you to think more about your health, about the eco-print of our daily activities, about loving each one and each other. And because I cannot give each of you a personal Christmas present as I wish to do, I will give you another Christmas recipe and will wish you all to fill your hearts and your homes with love and light for Christmas and for the days to come.

Nuts baskets with pumpkin mousse

For the baskets (approximately 20):

• ¾ cup (100 gm) raw almonds
• ½ cup (60 gm) raw hazelnuts
• ¼ cup (20 gm) coconut shreds
• 1 ½ cup (150 gm) pitted dates
• a pinch of salt

Put all nuts in the food processor and pulse a few times to chop them. Add the shreds, dates and the salt and turn on the processor until all ingredients are combined into a mixture that you can model with your hands. If the mixture is too dry and falls apart, add a tablespoon of water. Take a piece of the dough and shape it into a ball in your hands – it should be the size of a walnut. Then press it to the walls of a cupcake tray to form a basket. Proceed like this until the dough is over. Preheat the oven to 120C and bake the baskets for 20-25 minutes until they turn golden-brown. Leave them to cool and take out of the tray. They should easily go out without breaking. For the mousse:

• 2 cups baked, boiled or steamed pumpkin (Hokaido works best)
• 4 tbs coconut butter
• 4-6 tbs honey
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Mix all ingredients in the food processor until you have a fluffy mousse. Fill the baskets with the mouse and decorate with nuts, pomegranate or dark chocolate. Store in the fridge.