Tag: winter (page 1 of 14)

We Need A Little Twinkle & Glow

Although, I find setting goals both personally and professionally, important. I feel that this is the time of year where it is equally important to simply be. To let things wash over you, to move with the season. Winter in the natural world is a time of rest, a season that supports rebirth in the spring.

Our current working culture does not allow for this to easily happen. It’s head first, jump in and just keep swimming. It’s not a straightforward road to walk, to find the balance between “being” and “doing”.

This is a season where we need to consciously make time to rest, to move a little slower, to breathe. And so, we shall continue to have the glow of our twinkle lights for awhile longer and linger at the table after dinner while a record spins and take opportunities as they present themselves to simply be still. Because we are now within the darkest part of the year, the part where we need the most light, the most twinkle and glow; where we need to be cozy, where we need to relish in the season that we are in and look forward to the season that is yet to come.

Last Tuesday, I had to walk past my first dumped Christmas tree of winter. I thought my heart was going to break, I know there will be more to come as I’ve already witnessed it. After all the warmth and twinkling lights, it’s so sad to see nothing but darkened windows. So for a little while longer, I’m going to share a few more moments of sparkle and glow before all of that disappears with the yule log ashes.

{A quick snap of an adorable snowman on top of one of the Christmas trees at Lamb House. | This year the theme was a 1970s Christmas based on the time period that Rumer Godden lived within those walls. It was a delicious step back in time!}

Happy New Year

🥂🍾 Happy New Year!! 🍾🥂

May this year lay an abundance of blessings, love and light at your door. 

{Midnight Toast – As the clock strikes twelve to usher in the year 1951, one of Hollywood’s happiest couples, Anne Baxter and John Hodiak, are prepared for a New Year’s toast. Both are enjoying top honors in Hollywood, Miss Baxter’s newest success being her brilliant performance in the 20th Century-Fox production, “All About Eve.” | Pinned HERE}

Happy New Year’s Eve

We stand on the cusp of one year slipping away and a new one about to dawn. 

So much has happened in these past 365 days. It’s somewhat bittersweet to say goodbye. But, we’re greeting this new year to come with open arms. 

May this coming year hold beauty for us all. 

Let the countdown begin…

{Nina Foch and dress designer Jean Louis sipping champagne at Samuel Spiegle’s New Year’s Eve party | 1949 | Peter Stackpole/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images}

The In-Between Days

And here we tread again, on this most hallowed of ground. These last few days to soak up what has been, what could have been and what is yet to come. 

After the hustle and bustle and merrymaking, these quiet days of reflecting and simply being are some of my most cherished. 

We move slowly and quietly, drinking it all in. Watching movies, playing games, working on the crossword puzzle together. Christmas records spin while we sit by the glow of the Christmas tree. We go for long strolls and cobble together sandwiches from the leftover turkey. 

We haven’t taken for granted that our refrigerator is full of food, that we are able to put our heating on and that we wake up safe and warm with a roof over our heads, when there are many who are not in this position.

All too soon, the days will move far too quickly for me and this treasured time of being together will vanish with a snap of fingers, like Cinderella’s coach turning back into a pumpkin. The spell will be broken and we will go back to our “normal” routines. But for now, I’m holding on tightly to the pleasure of being in the moment and I’m not wishing one second away. 

These “in-between” days still hold so much and so little. There is much magic in their offering and rhythm and so we are mindful of our steps as we move toward the bridge that will take us from one year into the next. 

{Christmas Tree | 1960 | Troy Bradberry’s Kodachrome & Vintage Color Collection | Pinned HERE}

HELLO, December

Hello, December! You’ve arrived with a nip to the air and Jack Frost on your heels. There are rumours of snow for next week and I’m relishing the thought.  

We’re ready for hot chocolate walks while we look at Christmas lights glowing. We’re ready to stay up late watching old movies and eating buttery popcorn. We’re ready to keep our Christmas albums spinning while we eat dinner by the glow of the Christmas tree. 

We’re ready for the adventures we have planned this month and the school break that allows us to soak up everything in this most resplendent of seasons. And the opportunity that the school holiday brings, to be able to breathe and drink in the world around us at our own pace. 

We’re ready for our holiday baking to begin and the house to be filled with the smell of sugar cookies, gingerbread, cinnamon and peppermint. We’re ready to linger over the breakfast table working on the crossword together with hot cups of coffee in hand. 

We’re ready for the reflective moments and the collective calm this season brings amongst the sparkle and glitter and glow. 

We’re ready for this most holy of seasons and pray that peace, light and love continue to shine through the darkness. 

Welcome, December, fill our hearts with good cheer. 

{Vintage East European Matchbox | Pinned HERE | Found HERE}

Happy Valentine’s Day

💗 Happy Valentine’s Day! 💗

To me, Valentine’s Day is a celebration of L-O-V-E in all its many shapes and forms, and although it’s highlighted on this day, there are 364 other days in the year when it should be celebrated too. 

May your day be filled with love in all its many shapes and forms. 

{American actress, singer and dancer Debbie Reynolds, circa 1955. Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images | Pinned HERE}

HELLO, February

Hello, February. We’re ready for the birthdays you bring this month and a day solely dedicated to the celebration of L-O-V-E in all its many shapes and forms. 

We’re ready to keep moving into this new year at a slow and steady rhythm; cherishing the peaceful calm of winter. No, we’re not done with Lady Winter yet and we hope that the she will blow us a snowy kiss from her frosted lips before spring dawns to pull us out of our cozy winter-hibernation.

We’re ready to feast on breakfast for dinner on wintry nights, with maple syrup running over tall stacks of pancakes, accompanied by crispy bacon and coffee. We’re ready to nestle, in the comfort of hot chocolate and popcorn, while watching much-loved old movies. And, we’re happy to continue warming ourselves with homemade soups and hearty stews.

We’re ready to spend the evening wrapped up in a good book. We’re ready to drink wine and indulge in deep conversations that somehow manifest on winter evenings and last until the wee small hours of the morning when you suddenly realise the time, and have to scurry to bed before the alarm goes off. We’re ready to listen to music by candlelight and dance in the kitchen while we’re cooking dinner together.

And we will be ready for the changes in light, both morning and night, as the days lengthen and spring signals its inevitable arrival. Albeit, far too soon for our liking.

{1950s Ski Girl Pin-Up by E.B. Segner | Found HERE | Pinned HERE}

{Ellen Barbara Segner (1901 – 2001) was an American Postwar and Contemporary artist and illustrator who is most well known for creating the artwork for the Little Miss Sunbeam ad campaign, as well as the Dick & Jane children’s book series. She was one of the few female pin-up and glamour artists working for numerous publications.}

A Clean Slate

All the little nisse have been tucked away until next Christmas. Every space has been dusted, swept up and mopped and there is now a bareness to our home. But that has been softened by greenery and twinkle lights still peeking out here and there. 

To me, we have now moved into the darkest time of winter and we need all the warmth and magic that we can bring to a space. 

But there is a beauty to sparseness, a beauty to stripping something back to the bone and enjoying it in its simplicity. There is a certain magic to this time of year not to let go unappreciated. Each season holds its own enchantment.