Tag: home for the holidays (page 1 of 1)

A Bluesy Kinda Day

The weather forecast originally said that it would be a partly sunny and a little bit of a warmer weekend. That is not the case, Summer might be fighting to throw in a couple more days before Fall takes over for good, but for today, she has not succeeded, the sky is a powder steel grey, the air has a bite to it, the tree branches are swaying to the rhythm of the wind.

Mr. Michie has a lot of work to do this weekend, so he is staying tucked away, busily editing his thesis, I am staying cozy in sweatpants, sweaters, slippers and drinking copious amounts of tea. It is a day for soulful, bluesy, jazz and my music of choice at present is the Home for the Holidays soundtrack.

I love the organ keyboard shelling out those sweet notes. It always makes me think of this great little restaurant in my hometown, it started out in a much smaller venue when it first opened before moving to a bigger place across the street. I liked the new place, but there was something about that older joint, it had character. 

On Friday nights they would have a guy come in to play music, he was a bit eccentric for sure. He was normally half lit, he would sit at his keyboard, cigarette in his mouth,  eyes half closed and his upper body was bathed in a smoky haze from his cigarette, forming plumes of billowy white vapor around him. You could ask this guy to play just about anything, and he would know the notes.

I could see him playing parts of this soundtrack, bobbing his head and shoulders to the music as his fingers tickled the keys of his keyboard. It’s music for a staying in kinda day, for baking pies, for contemplating, for reading, for stirring the turkey potpie filling, I have simmering away on the stove, a day just for being. So, that is what my Saturday will be, a day just to be.

A Thanksgiving Sunday

The candles are lit, an old Christmas movie is on at the moment, we are going to dig out Home for the Holidays later (a must to watch!), a turkey is roasting in the oven, my stuffing is going in soon. We have a little spinach and artichoke dip to snack on this afternoon that I made last night and our pumpkin pie is ready. We are going to celebrate Thanksgiving today and enjoy every moment of it!

Baby Its Cold Outside

Brrr! I write my first post of the New Year in the twinkling glow of Christmas lights with a hot chocolate by my side to try and warm up.

We just arrived home this morning from visiting my family for the Holidays in the States.  We made it home just before Christmas in a blizzard and left in one as well! The weather is freezing here in England too, but sadly no snow!  So it looks like school is going to start back tomorrow! Poo! Where has the time gone, it seems like only yesterday we left, with the crunch of snow underfoot as our cab took us to the airport to go home?

I hope that everyone has had a wonderful, peaceful and magical filled Holiday season! Its not over yet, we still have Epiphany! My Mom always left her decorations up for “Little Christmas”, and somehow I always convinced her (wink! wink!) that if she kept them up a little longer it would help me do better on my exams if I could just see the happy glow of a Christmas light while I studied.

She always did! What a good Mom! I have a hard time taking mine down after January 6th and since I am always sad to have to say “Goodbye” to my family until the next time we say “Hello”, I think my decorations might be staying up a little bit longer too….

(Image by Belle & Boo)

Home for the Holidays

Unfortunately, we do not get to go “home” for Thanksgiving, but we celebrate with each other in our house. It doesn’t seem quite the same at times; no shuffling around in your pajamas, no breakfast casserole, no Macy’s Day Parade on TV and no parents in the kitchen laughing and talking while they make stuffing and get ready to roast the bird.

We make our own holiday memories here in England. I still prepare a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings and pumpkin pie for dessert of course! Some years we have had friends round to join in with the festivities, but, this year, it will be just the two of us, a romantic Thanksgiving.

macys parade float

It wouldn’t be the season if I didn’t get to watch Home for the Holidays. What a movie! My family and I love this movie! There are moments you can relate to, even if you, like me, are close with your family, you can relate it to other family members.

There is a great scene after the parents pick their daughter up from the airport and as they are driving home, with the mom chatting away in the back they pass another car with a fellow “kid”; his mom is leaning over the seat going on and on, and the two “kids” just stare at each other through the car windows, in this perfect moment of understanding. So much is said with that look.

I know this look. My husband and I have been with some people where that look between us gets used a lot. This movie sums up all the craziness of this one day. Days, that some people use not to be thankful for, or to see the blessings in, but as a forum for themselves to just act as nutty as a fruitcake.

So to everyone, who loves going home (I do!) and for those who are ready for Thanksgiving to be over with already and back in their own homes away from their families, this movie is for you!

home for the holidays portrait