by Roxanne -

My Mother’s Sewing Machine

Last fall I took a course in memoir writing. Memoirs are not a recount of history, nor are they necessarily chronological. They are more like vignettes of memory from our life experiences – “word snapshots” if you will. Below is a brief vignette I wrote about my mother’s sewing machine.

Photo Antique Singer

I remember my mother’s sewing machine from my early childhood. It was antique even then. I think she got it from my grandmother. It was black; a Singer with a heavy, metal floor pedal and a hand-turned wheel. It smelled of old metal and oil. It was mounted on a dark base, but the motor ran smoothly, “whirring” without fail. I hated sewing with it. The bobbin thread always tangled. More often than not I would have to use the big, black handled scissors to untangle the bobbin thread  rather than to cut fabric.

When I was perhaps seven years old I first used the machine to make a cloth pocket to keep my spare buttons in. The pocket was kept closed with another large black button. The fabric I used was a small piece of shiny, blue, floral rayon fabric from my Grandma Marie. She wore a dress from the same fabric. I sewed a number of projects at that old machine. But curiously, I don’t remember my mother ever sewing!

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by Roxanne -

What’s in a Word?

"A rose by any other name . . ."

Last year I chose a word to meditate and focus on. That word was abundance. Reflecting on that one word helped me see how much abundance I have in my life – in many places that I had overlooked. I could see how abundance was present in my life in so many unexpected ways.

The new year calls for a new word. What will it be? I will watch for a few days and see if a word presents itself . . .

by Roxanne -

After-Christmas Tree Hangover

Photo Apartment Therapy, Elle Interior

Real Christmas trees were a great idea back in the day when people heated their homes with log fireplaces. But I’m wondering if they make much sense  for the world today. It takes 10-12 years to grow a pine tree to the size needed for a Christmas tree. Trees help conserve the soil and put good things into the atmosphere. Then we cut them down by the millions to use in our homes for a month of decoration. The week after Christmas most of these trees will be wrapped in a large trash bag and set out at the curb. Hopefully some will be composted but in large urban areas most are destined for the landfill or an incinerator (ugh!). Although one study insists real trees are less damaging, why not change the paradigm completely and be kind to the environment instead?  I think we are imaginative enough to find even better options. Find some inspiration at Apartment Therapy here.

On another holiday note, we spend most of the year conserving electricity, turning down the thermostat, turning off lights and appliances when not in use. Then in December we plug in lots of lights? Just wondering . . .

Maybe we can consider new ways of thinking about Christmas trees, ornaments, holiday reminders and how we might enjoy them, beyond just getting an artificial tree.

by Roxanne -

Christmas Craziness or Christmas Spirit?

The crazy consumerism around Christmas is a recent development in our society that you can read more about if you like. A century ago no one could have imagined that frantic shopping, “Hallmark” expectations or decorating frenzy that now surrounds this holiday.

And yet, we need a respite from the dark, cold, dreary days of winter.  The pagan mid-winter celebrations that ultimately became Christmas did just that.  At mid-winter Christmas offers us a chance to gather with friend and family and take time to reflect. But more and more people are finding other ways to do this that do not involve shopping, decorating or frantic activity as Leo Babuata creatively explains in his thoughtful article “The Case Against Buying Christmas Presents.”

But Christmas is not merely another pagan winter solstice holiday. Christmas is the celebration of the Christian belief that God is not like the Greek god Zeus – distant and impersonal. In Christmas, Christianity makes an astounding claim. The ancient Greek worldview insisted that the Infinite (God) could not fit in the finite, meaning in this world which was finite. Christianity’s claim that God entered the world in the person of Jesus blatantly rejects that worldview. The Infinite or God could fit in the finite. God became a human person in the person of Jesus, truly God and truly human.

This belief made a profound claim about who we are as persons. We each have the capacity to contain divinity or God within ourselves because we are truly human too. The world is a fundamentally good place fit to be inhabited by God and we are fundamentally good at our core. Certainly God shone through more clearly in someone like Mother Theresa than in someone like Hitler whose ego ran the show. Nevertheless God lived in both of them. This Christian claim insists that God is within the world and within us even though God is also beyond what we can know or understand. So the world is sacred and God is deeply personal. What a shocking thing to declare! Christmas reminds us of this declaration. Emmanual, meaning God with us and within us.

So how to celebrate this amazing understanding? Last year I gathered with close friends three times. Each time we learned how to make something easy, new and delicious. The first time we learned how to make wonderful, buttery soft caramels. The second time we tried our hand at no-knead, crusty artisan bread and an authentic Italian tiramisu. The third time we took advantage of our many hands to make dozens of tamales with corn husks, masa, jalepanos, various meats and cheese. Soup, wine and music rounded out the afternoon. Each time we gathered we talked, shared, and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon. We left with something delicious we could share with others and enjoy easily as leftovers. The Christmas season seemed to gently flow from Thanksgiving through to January. No frantic shopping or frenzied activity. All of those activities I simply let go of. Just fun and enjoyment with friends and family.

Other years I have done holiday baking as a way to serve homeless families or hosted a Christmas Tea to help raise money for ESPERA Funds, transformative community lending funds for women caught in  the cycle of poverty.

These are some different ways to experience the spirit of Christmas. To deeply experience the sacred in our lives sometimes we need to consider what really adds substance to our lives rather than activities our culture, society or families expect. How do you experience the spirit of Christmas revealing itself in your life? How could you help others do the same?

Merry Christmas!

by Roxanne -

Holiday Decorating Without a Tree

Photo A. Meshar

Tapping into my retail background I have made some progress in coming up with fun Christmas decor ideas that are inexpensive, fast, but elegant. Happily, none of them involves a tree, ornaments or lights – yeah! It’s my pleasure to pass them on to you. If any attract you feel free to duplicate or better yet – improve upon it!

A few years back I decided I liked the smell of evergreens, but not all the expense, care and mess of a real tree. That year I gathered various evergreen branches (long & short needle, different textures like Juniper and Spruce) and placed them in a large glass hurricane vase with water and wrapped with a red velvet bow. On a server, mantel, counter or table it looked beautiful and smelled great.

One year I filled the same hurricane vase with tangerines and foil-wrapped Christmas hard candies. Wrapped with a bow and rimmed with candy canes, this too, smelled good and looked great. Also it didn’t need watering, the needles didn’t fall off and the tangerines could be offered to guests.

Last year I came across giant cinnamon sticks (about 12 inches each) and giant pine cones at the florist. I decided these would be great stuffed in the hurricane and accented with branches of bright berries. Again, great cinnamon smell and even better – no watering!

This year the cinnamon sticks and pine cones are on the mantel. A large velvet runner drapes the server. Gathering up the silver and glass candlesticks, glass bowls and votives that we almost never use, I arranged them on the runner. A menorah and a string of gold beads complete the display. It twinkles, sparkles and the tea lights are pine scented. Greeting cards are placed on a large platter on the dining table and a basket of berries on the door greets visitors. All of this took about 20 minutes and required no tree cutting. We reused and enjoy what we already have with minimal use of space. This is important in a small townhouse.

Fast, easy and festive. What will next year bring?

Photo A. Meshar

“You have your brush, you have your colors, you paint your paradise, then – in you go.” Nikos Kazantzakis