“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime.”
― Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Archive for the ‘Holidays’ Category
Merry Merry
Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, inspiration, Thoughts on December 25, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Internet Is Down
Posted in Holidays, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, Thoughts, winter, writing on December 24, 2022| Leave a Comment »
One of the secrets, and pleasures, of [creating] is to learn to correct something if it goes awry; and one of the lessons is to grin and bear it if it cannot be fixed.
— Julia Child
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Light a Candle
Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, holidays, hope, inspiration, Thoughts, Ukraine on December 7, 2022| Leave a Comment »
It’s December and starting to feel like the holidays; I am behind on presents, and the tree we’ve had up since before Covid is finally seasonal again, so situation normal. I’m also planning my end-of-year donations, to food banks, animal welfare groups, medical and other help for those who need it, and more.
We are not here to curse the darkness, but to light a candle that can guide us through the darkness to a safe and sure future.
— John F. Kennedy
This video of the Children’s Choir of Ukraine is helping me get into the holiday spirit.
They also gave another performance in Grand Central: Ambassador Bridget A. Brink on Twitter: “Light amid darkness…
For more on the choir and the Ukrainian origins of the song itself, check out this article.
100 years ago, ‘Carol of the Bells’ came to America — from Ukraine : NPR
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Confession Time
Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, holidays, home, Thanksgiving, Thoughts on November 25, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Confession time: We did not celebrate Thanksgiving yesterday.
For scheduling and supply reasons, it’s often odd to celebrate the holidays of a country other than the one you are in. Mr Man was at the office all day yesterday, I was working too, and it all seemed like a bit much.
Today, however, it’s turkey time! Well, not actually turkey, because apparently it’s impossible to find fresh turkey outside of Canadian Thanksgiving (in October) and the frozen variety requires far too much planning. So, roast chicken. Also mashed potatoes and acorn squash and cranberry sauce and stuffing and other dishes that say Turkey Day to me.
Because I want to take time to be thankful, even if I can’t be thankful for turkey.
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Good Plan
Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, holidays, Thanksgiving, Thoughts on November 24, 2022| Leave a Comment »
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”
― Oprah Winfrey
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Many Ways to Fly
Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts on October 31, 2022| Leave a Comment »
I have moderately complicated feelings about Halloween. Do I enjoy the horror genre? I do not (so scary!). Did I rewatch Practical Magic the other day? I did. Do I like the concept of Halloween as a chance to try on other personas, other worlds, and to learn new ways to fly? I do!
If you’re dressing up tonight, go you. And if you’re frazzled from working on kiddie costumes, shepherding young ghosts door to door, and gaining eternal parenting credits for putting up with sugar-fueled children for a week? Your sacrifices will be remembered, always.
Thanks, Mom and Dad. Happy Halloween!
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Thanksgiving Moon
Posted in Holidays, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, Samin Nosrat, Thanksgiving, Thoughts on October 9, 2022| Leave a Comment »
I like October. Fall is well on its way, the sky’s blue a crisper, clearer shade, and any evening is improved with a hot beverage, a blanket and a good book.
That said, I could do without all the horror.
Yes, Halloween is this month, but be it in writing, games or movies, I am not a big fan of the horror genre. (Candy corn, yes. Knife-wielding murderers and zombie plagues? No thanks!) One of the first adult movies my father took us to was The Amityville Horror, and let’s just say it stuck with me.
Why Horror is Good for Your Mental Health (Sorry, still not convinced!)
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Tonight is a full moon, the Hunter’s Moon, and we’re also celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving. I’m testing a breast-only version of Samin Nosrat’s recipe for buttermilk-brined turkey and will also find some way to use the orange-walnut butterscotch I made today.
For that and much more, I am thankful.
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Whoosh!
Posted in Holidays, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, Thoughts on August 26, 2022| Leave a Comment »
And somehow the last bit of my break is over. What have I done? Not much and a lot. I originally considered setting some big dramatic goal, like writing a novel, but decided that I’d benefit much more by just… not. So I wrote some but read more, cooked some and ate more, hiked some and lounged more. Did I cross a lot off my list? Yes, but I decided not to worry too much about the remaining items.
I also had a little fun along the way. Here’s a birthday card I put together (with the relevant numbers removed to protect the innocent).
To Do…
Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, Thoughts on August 16, 2022| Leave a Comment »
A Marvelous Victory
Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, Howard Zinn, Thoughts on July 4, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Happy birthday, America! Here’s to remembering our hopes and building our dreams.
“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.
What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.
And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”
― Howard Zinn
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