Merry Christmas, Cookie!

Welcome to Christmas 2013...

Above are some of the wonderful cookies my friend Patty sends me every year.

Shown below is my little pink Christmas tree. I just love it! It's decorated with a mix of new & vintage baubles.

Every year, the Three Wise Men come callin'.

This is a wood block created by my talented dad. That would have been in the 60's.

Here's a picture of me, also from the 60's. Can you see the neat wrapping my dad created out of shiny paper? See the 2 silhouettes he cut out for the packages on the floor? And my name spelled out on the bigger package. I was Bethie back then.

This is me now at the beautiful Victoria Mansion in Portland, Maine. You can't see my lapel, but I'm wearing 2 of my vintage Christmas pins. I've got about a dozen, and I love getting them out at this time of year.

I had wanted to do a post on the Christmas windows I saw while in NYC last month. Here's Macy's, still under construction apparently.

ABC Carpet and Home always has gorgeous displays! Here's a sample of their holiday decorations this year. I guess there is still time for me to do a post on displays. I'll try to get that done before the end of the year.

Well, folks, whatever you've got planned for the 25th, I hope you have a very lovely day, whether you're with family and friends or simply enjoying some quiet time. Merry Christmas to all!! 

Seaside Saturday ~ December 14, 2013

It's Seaside Saturday, and I've dipped into the archives for some shots of Portland Head Light (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) in winter. I haven't been to the light for a few weeks, but typically at this time of year, they decorate it with Christmas wreaths. There probably isn't much snow there now, but all that will change tomorrow when a big storm comes through. It is expected to dump about a foot of snow on us!

Stay cozy! And if you're ready to wrap those Christmas gifts and want some ideas for unique and fun ways to do so, stop by Emily's blog for my guest post on creative gift wrapping.

Put the holiday preparations on pause for just a moment...

[store display, ABC Carpet and Home, NYC]

This is the hectic time of year, when many of us are rushing around buying, wrapping, and shipping gifts. Such is the case for me. Today I head out to a craft fair on the East End of Portland (Maine) to look for inexpensive gifties and support my friend Jenifer who has a booth there. I still have several people on my list to buy for, and then I need to get those gifts into the mail so they can reach their destinations before December 25th. But in the middle of all the hustle and bustle, let's take just a moment to reflect on what the holiday is about and what we each have to be grateful for.

It really doesn't matter if you are religious or not: Christmas is what you make of it. You can do it up big, or you can spend quiet time walking in the woods and appreciating the gifts of Mother Nature rather than those purchased at Macy's. I do think it's a perfect time for sharing, however. The best buy I made this season was finding a big, fluffy stuffed bear for $5 at Family Dollar that I could drop off to Toys for Tots. Tuesday when I go to the Y, I'll take along a canned good to put in the donation box for the food pantry. Total money spent? Probably less than $7. And yet the feeling of sharing with others? As they say on those AmEx commercials, Priceless!

So many, many people helped me during this last difficult year... I'll be writing a lot of thank notes inside my Christmas cards this season. And now more than ever, I want to do what I can for others. And maybe I can't do much -- living on a fixed income doesn't allow for lavish spending, that's for sure -- but maybe it's not about spending money. Maybe it's just about doing small things with great joy and appreciation.

So thank you for taking the time out of your hectic holidays today to read my blog. I hope you may be inspired to make some small gesture to help another this weekend. Maybe you'll decide to shovel your neighbor's walk or pick up some chocolates for your kid's teacher, donate money or canned food to your local food pantry or donate time to a charity in your area. Whatever it is, you will feel better for it (I promise), and your holidays will be even richer for your having shared something from the heart.

Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas!

How much thought do you put into the gifts you choose?

Emily at GCDSpa.com, a Maine-based business that offers hand-crafted bath and body products in unique fragrances and flavors, has a great posting on her blog about choosing thoughtful gifts. Go here to get some ideas for your gift giving this holiday season. I've found that certain people really have a knack for consistently choosing gifts that please and delight me. Although as the years go by, I more fully appreciate the sentiment that it's the thought that counts, I think if you are going to buy (or make) a gift for someone, why not make it something the recipient will truly treasure?

I also want to let you know that Emily asked me to do a guest posting about creative gift-wrapping ideas, and that'll be coming up soon so stay tuned!

Wordless Wednesday ~ December 4, 2013

Wordless Wednesday ~ November 27, 2013

Wordless Wednesday ~ November 20, 2013