Tag: holidays (page 1 of 27)

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

šŸ€ Happy St. Patrickā€™s Day! šŸ€

May your day be fair and full of green. And may all the golden luck, rainbows and good wishes be with you today! šŸŒˆ

{Ann-Margret, Swedish-American actress, wearing turquoise blue woollen jumper in a studio portrait, against a blue background. | circa 1965 | Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images | Pinned HERE}

Happy Valentine’s Day!

šŸ’— Happy Valentineā€™s Day! šŸ’—

Although today specifically celebrates love, there are 364 (365 this year with the Leap Year) days in which to celebrate L-O-V-E in all its many shapes and forms. 

May today find you surrounded by love. Whether you are celebrating loving yourself, loving another, or being loved.  šŸ’‹

{Publicity still | Rita Hayworth from “Tonight and Every Night” by Robert Coburn | Columbia, 1945 | Pinned HERE}

HELLO, February

Hello, February. I donā€™t know how you got here so quickly? 

January had moments that felt like a whirlwind, as storms battered our island home. Yet at the same time, there were moments of stillness, punctuated by the glow of beautiful crisp morning sunrises. And weā€™re going to continue to welcome the changing light while savouring evenings still-made cozy by candlelight and cups of tea with honey and lemon.

Weā€™re ready for birthdays, the Lunar New Year, Valentineā€™s Day and the extra day you will gift us with this month on the 29th. Weā€™re ready for the confetti shower of red, white and pink that you will sprinkle over us in this season of L-O-V-E!

Weā€™re ready to spend those cold sunny mornings sitting on the beach, drinking coffee and watching the waves roll in. Weā€™re ready to don our walking boots over the winter school break and head out on our adventures. 

Weā€™re still holding out for the promise of snow and a day wrapped up under blankets, sipping hot chocolate while we watch the flakes gently fall. Weā€™re still manifesting all the hygge. Candlelight, good music and french toast casserole drizzled with maple syrup for dinner are all still on the cards, even if spring is starting to knock on the door.

Welcome, February, weā€™re ready for you. 

{Rhonda Fleming, US actress, wearing a red sleeveless top while looking into a red hand-held mirror as she applies make-up in a studio portrait, against a light blue background, circa 1955. A red heart-shaped mark on her chin. | Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images | Pinned HERE}

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. Itā€™s head first, jump in and just keep swimming. Itā€™s not a straightforward road to walk, to find the balance between ā€œbeingā€ and ā€œdoingā€.

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 Iā€™ve already witnessed it. After all the warmth and twinkling lights, itā€™s so sad to see nothing but darkened windows. So for a little while longer, Iā€™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

šŸ„‚šŸ¾ Happy New Year!! šŸ¾šŸ„‚

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.ā€ | 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. Itā€™s somewhat bittersweet to say goodbye. But, weā€™re greeting this new year to come with open arms. 

May this coming year hold beauty for us all. 

Let the countdown beginā€¦

{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 havenā€™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 Cinderellaā€™s coach turning back into a pumpkin. The spell will be broken and we will go back to our ā€œnormalā€ routines. But for now, Iā€™m holding on tightly to the pleasure of being in the moment and Iā€™m not wishing one second away. 

These ā€œin-betweenā€ 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}