Innehållsförteckning för Holiday Bliss 2010 från Victoria

’Tis the season for giving—packages wrapped in colorful papers and tied with bows surround our Christmas trees, cookies baked with love are exchanged in tins and boxes, and pots of poinsettias and fragrant evergreens are delivered to the surprise and delight of the receivers. The kinship of the holidays brings out the best in all of us—we feel a touch more generous, a bit more openhearted. Christmas is the perfect occasion to show our friends and family how much they mean to us with little (or large) tokens of affection. We all can recall the first time we found a present from Santa Claus. A brand-new bicycle with tassels on the handle, a baby doll in a lacy dress, or maybe a puppy with a floppy red bow around its…

Autumn is a season suffused with warmth and beauty—from the rich hues of the changing leaves to the golden glow of afternoon sunlight that gives way to striking amber sunsets. Traditionally, the harvest period has included many celebrations and parties to give thanks for the bounty gathered for the long winter ahead. Today, we honor this ephemeral time of year that offers a lovely respite between the stifling days of summer and the biting winds of winter. These few months bring with them the desire to spend more time outdoors in the brisk, cool air, meandering along a lakeshore or hiking through a forest to admire the brilliant foliage. Take a cue from Mother Nature’s autumnal palette, and fill your home with the vivid hues and textures of the world…

Is there any sight more evocative of fond holiday memories than a tall fir tree adorned top to bottom with brightly colored garlands and delicate ornaments, and crowned with a sparkling star or a beatific angel? We smile to ourselves as we pull out the treasured decorations that were carefully wrapped and packed away last December. It seems as though everything has a memory tied to it: the glittered star, handmade by a child from Popsicle sticks and glue; the porcelain bell, inscribed with a momentous year; the feathered white dove, suspended by a tiny gold thread. Each ornament is special, and each one has a story. Some branches might get a smattering of silver or gold tinsel, or maybe you’ll wind hand-strung strands of cranberries or walnuts around the…

When the bracing winds of winter blow the few remaining leaves from the tree branches, the days grow shorter and the pull of our homes grows stronger. A crackling fire and a steaming bowlful of soup, a knit blanket and an overstuffed armchair, a cup of peppermint tea and a slice of warm gingerbread— these are the joys of being indoors when the world outside is settled beneath a blanket of clean, white snow. Hearthside, we find comfort and immense pleasure in both quiet solitude and fellowship with friends. There is a special kind of contentment in watching the world go by from the warmth and coziness of our own space, as the snow falls and the wind whistles just beyond the windowpane. It calls to mind words from the…

The holiday meal is one of the most fulfilling and uplifting traditions of the entire Christmas season. Friends and family gather in the dining room, with extra chairs squeezed in here and there to make a place for everyone. The tabletop overflows with flickering candles, heirloom china, and sparkling glassware and is filled to the edges with platters and bowls heaped with lovingly prepared foods. Conversation is cheery, inspired by the bliss of the occasion, and the happy mood lingers well into the evening, after the empty dessert plates have been cleared. We sit, chatting over cups of coffee and mugs of spiced cider, reliving Christmas memories and speculating about what the New Year has in store. Setting the stage for such a joyous celebration is easy when you have…