“Generosity is never out of season.” — Janet Morris “The best gifts come from the heart, not the store.” — Sarah Dessen * * * Store-bought Beauties ~ Cellophane-wrapped tulip bouquets translate into packages of joy. • Photograph by Mary O’Connor © 2019
“Holidays – any holiday – are such a great opportunity to focus on bringing the family together.” — Lidia Bastianich “There is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps.” … More Welcoming
“Elves seldom give unguarded advice, for advice is a dangerous gift…” — J. R. R. Tolkien “It’s not real belief if you don’t feel it in your heart. You can’t see Christmas magic, you have to feel it.” — Snowflake, elfontheshelf.com * * * Chippy takes to the skies in his ELF Air plane in … More ELF Air Winner
“Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark. Begin at the beginning. Tell Gregory a story. Make some light.” — Kate DiCamillo “When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things – not the great occasions – give off the greatest glow of happiness.” – Bob Hope * * … More Storytime Enchantment
“A mutt is couture— it’s the only one like it in the world, made especially for you.” — Isaac Mizrahi “It’s an interesting inversion of status, the reigning breed in the dog park these days is the really-oddball-unidentifiable-mixed-breed-mutt-found-wandering-the-street or its equivalent. The stranger the mutt the better; the more peculiar the circumstance of it coming … More Rescue Dog
“Christmas isn’t a season. It’s a feeling.” — Edna Ferber “I believe… I believe… It’s silly, but I believe.” — Susan, “Miracle on 34th Street” * * * Holiday Faces ~ Seen along the way • Photo by Jan Logozzo © 2019
“I say love, and the world populates itself with doves.” — Pablo Neruda “When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.” — Jimi Hendrix * * * Florence Griswold Museum guest artist Carole Maynard complements the peaceful beauty of Childe Hassam’s Isles of Shoals painting with symbolic holiday … More Power of Love
“Thanks for this day, for all birds safe in their nest, for whatever this is, for life.” —Barbara Kingsolver “Some Christmas tree ornaments do more than glitter and glow, they represent a gift of love given a long time ago.” — Tom Baker “Luxury must be comfortable. Otherwise it is not luxury.” — Coco Chanel … More Nesting Places
“I pray this winter be gentle and kind— a season of rest from the wheel of the mind.” — John Geddes “December’s wintery breath is already clouding the pond, frosting the pane, obscuring summer’s memory…” — John Geddes * * * And the season begins ~ Cardinal’s scarlet feathers add burst of beauty to snowy … More The season begins
“Yesterday ended last night. Today is a brand-new day.” — Zig Ziglar “You can’t have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time.” — Charles Kettering * * * Autumn’s last gasp — Fallen Leaves, photo by Mary O’Connor © 2019
Life Is Full of Sweet Spots 