Tag Archives: Christmas

A Pebble Beach Christmas

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This Christmas, my husband and I decided to go with a friend and celebrate the holiday at Roy’s Restaurant at the Inn at Spanish Bay in Pebble Beach. It was one of those crystal clear, gorgeous days which I’m sure made the many tourists and golfers very happy.

I can remember as a child, Christmas day would be like a ghost town ~ all the stores, restaurants and more would be closed and if there was anything you needed, you were out of luck. Today, it’s quite a different scene. Pebble Beach was a hot spot with people actively playing golf, riding bikes, shopping, and patronizing the restaurants. Some families were decked out in their finest and others were comfortably in their jeans…anything goes.

We decided to take the 17 Mile Drive, and no matter how many times I have done this, I am still in awe when I drive by these enormous homes on huge lots with stunning ocean views. Who are these people? And what do they do for a living? And what do the inside of these homes look like? How I’d love to knock on one of these doors and ask for a home tour.

One of the more modest appearing homes ~ albeit this is a side entrance ~ but doesn't it look like when you pass through that gate, you're walking into an enchanted forest.

As we drove through, I had to capture all these gates that, I can only imagine, lead into a wonderland of beauty.

After an incredible meal at Roy’s, we lingered around for a short time enjoying everyone’s cheerful holiday spirit.

And for the grande finale to the day, we witnessed this incredible sky at sunset. What a beautiful end to a beautiful day and wonderful Christmas celebration.

Stunning sky at sunset.

How Do You Entertain a “Martha Stewart” for Christmas?

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Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a…..SCREEEECHHH…..wait…whose house is this? Because it’s certainly not mine! We’re wrapping last minute gifts, prepping food, scrubbing toilets and cleaning the house for family arrival. There’s lots of stirring going on around here.

For goodness sake, I have Vicki Petulla of The Creeping Fig fame coming over for Christmas Eve dinner. I should have urns filled with white hydrangeas with holly berries draped over the edges and placed strategically on top of vintage books. I need to write up my “menu board”, cut up my select cheeses for my antique wooden cheese board, make lemon-cucumber-mint water so it can properly steep, I need a burlap something somewhere…oh, who am I kidding?!? I’m tired from just writing all of that.

Let’s be real, I’ll be lucky if the poinsettias on my front porch are still hanging on for their dear lives. “Menu board”, ha! I’m not even sure what I’m serving yet, hopefully I have some crackers in my cupboards and some old cheese in the fridge drawer. And let’s face it, if you’re not wearing dog hair within the first 2 minutes of arrival, then you haven’t been properly greeted.

Dinner will be ready when the smoke alarm goes off, dessert will be the highlight of the evening because it will be some creation from Icing On The Cake (if I remember to pick it up) and then we’ll open our presents ~ exchange gift receipts ~ and only after all of that will we be able to exhale.

Of course, I jest…somewhat. But I can tell you this, with every imperfection throughout the evening, there will have been double the love behind the intention. The evening will be filled with laughter, shared memories of Christmas’s past, maybe a tear or two in memory of my mother and our first Christmas without her, conversations of army men and WWII (nephew and the hubby) and the room will be filled with abiding love. By all accounts, it will be another perfect family holiday. My wish for you this holiday season is that your Christmas is as perfect as our Christmas…imperfections and all!

Okay, gotta go…have to go lay down some pea gravel and plant some succulents before Miss Vicki arrives. Happy Holidays to all !

Christmas Countdown: Besties, Ornaments and Fondue

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Last night was my annual Christmas ornament exchange with my besties. We’ve had this ornament exchange tradition for probably close to 20 years now, but the truth is, it’s just another great excuse for us to get together.

The tradition is always the same, each year we will either hit our favorite go-to restaurant, The Wine Cellar, or one of us will host it at our home. This year, Sabina offered to host it at her beautiful house.

The not-so-shabby view from Sabina's house.

We loaded the table with our always-standard fare of salad, cheese fondue, veggies and our favorite libations….and let the conversation roll.

Sabina served the fondue goodies on a platter she purchased on a trip to Positano, Italy earlier in the year.

Conversation is the one thing that is never lacking when you get together with your best friends. We never know where our conversations are going to lead us. There are times where we’re just silly and laugh, there are times where emotions are high and tears may flow ~ we talk about nothing and we talk about the most important things in our lives.

Sabina's wine cellar.

Last night, feeling nostalgic reminiscing over all the Christmas‘s we’ve spent together..and a few bottles of wine later, we started talking about how much we all meant to one another. How, when you’ve been friends for as long as we have, you become a part of the fabric of one’s life.

These women are without a doubt strongly woven into my life and a part of my foundation. They make me laugh when I’m down, they listen when I need to vent, they support me when I get a hair-brained idea (which is often), and they have made me a stronger, more confident woman knowing that they have my back.

This may be sounding trite, but if you have this type of deep-seeded relationship in your life you understand what I’m saying. Relationships of any nature take some effort, and friendships are no different. We make it a point to get together on a regular basis so we don’t lose touch and it is well worth the effort.

So, here we are at another annual ornament exchange. We pick our numbers to see who goes in what order, the lucky high-numbered person steals the best ornament and we laugh and say we can’t wait to do it all over again next year.

Today’s ornament is my newest acquisition from last night. This proud little bird will join my flock of ornaments and will become a reminder of this wonderful evening and the subject of conversation for years to come.

To my best friends, Dana, Michelle and Sabina, my sister, Vicki and my husband ~ I thank you for all the love and support you consistently give me. I am one lucky girl!!!

Susan, Michelle and Sabina (Dana is taking the picture)

And to the rest of you I say, take the time and effort to nurture your relationships by showing your gratitude and appreciation because you will be the one who will reap the benefits in the end.

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

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I’m starting to feel the holiday spirit! I managed to wrap a few presents today….

…and bake some cookies. Wish I could say this was some secret family recipe but it’s just Pillsbury Peppermint Sugar cookies. Quick and easy, keeps life simple.

My husband, the Tominator, managed to devour them all and the plate is now empty. :)

 

Holiday Traditions

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I love the holidays. I have my parents to thank for this holiday amour. My mother was an interior designer and each year she would have the entire house elegantly adorned right down to the grande finale of the Angel Hair on our tree. “Don’t touch it, it will cut your hands”, I’m still not sure if she was really referring to the fact that Angel Hair is made of fiber glass or if it was just her way of keeping our grubby little hands off of the tree.

My dad would sit in his lazy boy style chair with his scotch and water, that I had probably prepared for him, and gaze at the tree for hours. I don’t know where he went off to as he sat there day dreaming but wherever it was, he was extremely content. We were that house in the neighborhood where an impromptu gathering would happen at any moment so I have many memories of our home being filled with people having a good time. It’s recollections like these that make me so fond of the holidays.

Goodies adorn my kitchen counter in pretty apothecary jars.

Over the years, I have established my own traditions for this wonderful time of the year.

First, I always buy my tree, haul out and set up my Christmas paraphernalia the day after Thanksgiving. This is always such an exciting time for me….until about the 7th box being handed down to me by my husband ~ hanging out of the attic opening shouting expletives asking why I have so much holiday crap. It takes almost the whole weekend to set it all up between the inside and the outside of the house but when it’s done, I take a moment, and like my father, I just sit and stare at the beauty of it all.

Antique ornament from my husband's grandfathers tree.

Ornament from my trip to the Space Shuttle launch earlier this year with my nephew.

Another tradition I have is that I collect ornaments as keepsakes. I always purchase an ornament from anywhere I travel throughout the year as a reminder of my visit. Over the years, I have collected ornaments ranging from California, throughout the US to Europe and beyond. It’s always such a pleasant surprise to pull out the ornament and be reminded of the trip I took to that location. A likewise tradition, is an annual ornament exchange with my girlfriends. It’s always a fondue dinner, wine, good conversation and the exchange of the ornament. There are funny stories to be told of these exchanges but, better yet, loving memories of shared times with my dearest friends.

My antique Santos collection ~ this stays out all year.

Another love of mine, my Santa collection.

This year, I have to admit, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about the holidays since my mother passed away in May. As I unwrapped all my ornaments and goodies, I didn’t realize how many my mother had given me over the years. Each one made me smile as it made me think of her. She is with me here this Christmas as always, only this time instead of sitting in my living room, she is embedded in my heart and is reflected in each item she hand picked for me. The angel on top of my tree this year represents her presence.

Enjoy your holiday season. I would love to hear what some of your holiday traditions are or favorite memories.