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Such a beautiful seasonal wreath. You could easily make it yourself though with just a bit of training, inspiration and magic! I’m going to be sharing some of my seasonal tips and tricks in some online courses very soon! Are you ready to fall madly in love with your life? Stay tuned! #herbanlovespells #wintercheer #swags #wreathes🎄
The longest night of the year is upon us. What a year...Will it be the end of the world? Will there be more snow? Will I have enough food for all of the friends we're expecting? Enough Champagne to toast the New Year? Enough of Caron's Nuit de Noel to carry me through to the end of the year? I’m truly not sure about the whole “End of the World “ thing , but I’m definitely hoping that it’s the end of an era and the beginning of a new age of peace and love. You’d have to be tucked somewhere in the deep dark wilderness to have not been affected by all of the news these last 12 months. It seems that America is experiencing her own longest night and I must admit that it’s difficult to not give in to the sadness but I propose this! Lets spend the next year carrying out simple RANDOM acts of kindness and gratitude! These could be as simple as opening the door for an elderly person, or buying lunch for the homeless or a cup of coffee.....anything. Just remember more acts of kindness will only promote other people to want to do the same! The violence and strife in this country must to come to an end and the only way we can put a stop to that is by simply being kind to one another!
So, lets each have fun promoting RANDOM acts of Kindness in honor of us all.
It's such a simple thing to do. You don’t have to have a lot of money to perform a random act of kindness, just the desire to make a difference. Random acts of kindness can be well thought out or they can be spontaneous! They are precious in that they are gifts of yourself, something that this world seems to need now more than ever. So on this Solstice eve I propose that we think of things that we can do at least once or twice a week that doesn’t necessarily cost a dime yet would make all of the difference to the receiver. Half the fun of doing this is to perform these acts towards someone who has no clue who you are or if you’re going to do something for someone you know don’t let them see you. I love the idea of writing out holiday and putting them on anonymous car windshields.... who knows what you'll be inspired to do? The possibilities for kindness are endless and usually right in front of you! Please remember the difference that only you can make everyday in this world. What you can do to be powerful is unique to you.
Wake up every morning and before your feet hit the floor why don't you think of three things that you're grateful for everyday. Yes, I know somedays it will be a stretch, but even if you're only grateful for a hot cup of tea or a warm shower that's ok. Gratitude expands. Trust me. I promise that you’ll be very glad you did.
So my dear readers, once again we have reached that spoke of the wheel of the year where I get to tell you just how much I appreciate you all. This funny little world that we inhabit together, this place where gorgeous scents, magical adventures and yummy foods blend to make the most sublimely passionate prose is one of my happiest places. I always wish that you could be in my home on Solstice eve, where I would feed you cups of luxuriously boozy , spicy eggnog and platefuls of the most glorious desserts that you’ve ever seen, some fruit, some chocolate… all splendid.
Mostly I wish that I could just once wrap my arms around each of you and give back to you personally what you have given to me. As I light the fragrant Noel candles and the Yule fire this year I will be thinking of you all and making a wish for the most wonderful 2018 to come. As corny as it sounds, in the eternally sappy words of Jerry Maguire, ”You complete me”. The comments you leave and the emails I receive let me know that from my little desk in my little corner of the world that I’ve made a difference to you and that’s not a little thing for a wordsmith like me.
And now a lullaby for all of you from the ever lovely Mary Chapin Carpenter.....It's 9:00 pm here on the Northcoast. I'm wrapped in wind, the house smells like onions and sage and the snow is thinking about falling, but it looks like I'm still here and I'm glad that you are too.
Wishing all of you a Happy, Magical, Wonderful, Love filled, Peace filled Abundant and Extraordinary New Year....
I’ll see you all on the other side of 2017!
With love from Me (and my little cat Zoe..In the spirit world, yet always by my side)
The picture of the house belongs to Beth Schreibman Gehring
Mary Chapin Carpenter video created by John Norvell
I simply love the soft beauty of lit candles, (is there anyone who doesn't?) Brass candlesticks, sterling and pewter..I love them all and have a fairly large collection of them scattered around my home and on my dinner table ! We always ate by candlelight when I was growing up, indeed as far as my mother was concerned there was no other way. Dining by candlelight softens the mood, makes everything look even lovelier, slows down the world and smooths over the ragged edges of the day.
Several years ago, I got into a conversation with a friend who was asking about the etiquette of candle wicks, specifically whether they should be blackened before the guests arrive or not. She was surprised to learn that my mother was very strict about this. It was also the same rule that I learned at "finishing school" (Can you believe they called it that?) ; that you never were supposed to have your home decorated with unburnt candles or your table set with candles that hadn't been already blackened. My mother used to go around putting out new candles, lighting them for a few minutes and then snuffing out the wick. I remembered that when we'd give etiquette and entertaining talks people would ask her why this was so and that her answer had everything to do with being gracious and making others feel comfortable in her home. She had been raised by a very patrician mother who believed that a display of unlit candles was an ostentatious show of wealth. Mom also felt that unlit candles were very cold and just a bit too casual. After all, what else would you expect from a woman whose mantra was "make everyday a day for candles and wine!"
It's an old fashioned rule perhaps, and one that could be construed perhaps as silly, but I think that it's a good one just the same. Etiquette really has everything to do with making your guests feel comfortable, nothing else. I tend to feel that the world's become a little too uncivilized these days and we could all benefit quite a bit from applying these lessons from the past . I was very happy to find this article from The Charleston South Carolina School of Protocol and Etiquette that detailed my mothers rule of thumb. These days, anything that can make us all feel comfortable sitting down and breaking bread together in a civilized way is just fine with me.
From The Charleston School of Protocol and Etiquette:
"Have you ever heard people say, “you should burn the wicks on new candles when you put them on display”…do you know why?
As we all know, there was a time when people did not have electricity and everyone used candles to light their homes. Then with the invention of the light bulb, the people that had money and could afford electric power to light their homes, no longer used candles.
It has been said however, in order not to embarrass those who could not afford electricity; it was considered a polite gesture to burn the wicks of the candles on display so it was not known who had electricity…..and who did not.
Candle etiquette sheds a little light on the subject, by teaching us once again, the most important rule of etiquette…letting people save face and not embarrassing anyone."
My mother would definitely approve!