Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and your family all of the happiness of the Christmas Season!

xoxo,

Meg & Connor

Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols

One of the most important parts of my preparation for Christmas is listening to the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve morning as I am preparing for the festivities later on in the day. This is a quiet contemplation of what Christmas is all about, and comes from the spectacular King's College Chapel in Cambridge, England.

The BBC's weekly radio newsletter puts it beautifully:

As the winter evening shadows lengthen, a solo chorister sings the first verse of “Once in Royal David's City” in the expectant stillness of King's College Chapel, Cambridge. The experience we have here is shared with millions around the world...

The solo chorister is chosen minutes before the service begins so that he won't have time to get nervous. Every time I hear the opening notes of "Once in Royal David's City", I just burst into tears. There's just something so moving about this.

The Festival was something that my father and I both loved deeply and I was lucky enough to spend a summer afternoon at King's College Chapel with him and my mother. I have an abiding image in my mind of my father and his sister as children in England listening to the service on their old radio while their father prepared their Christmas dinner. There's also a lovely line in the service about remembering "all those who rejoice with us, but on another shore and in a greater light", which was a reference to those lost during the Second World War, although I used to think it referred to my grandfather in England.

The Nine Lessons tradition began in 1928 and has only not happened once, in 1930. The service continued during WWII even though the magnificent stained glass windows of the chapel had been removed for safekeeping.

You can listen to this service on BBC World Service or on public radio stations in the US. It is usually repeated on Christmas Day.

Reprinted from Pigtown Design, December 2007

The Kindness of Strangers

At Woodbourne, we have been overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers this week. Truly awed by the generosity of people whom we do not know. The response to our video, posted at the end of last week has generated more than $3,500 in on-line contributions, plus nearly $2,000 more through the mail.

Today, we received a shipment from a new and very generous donor of a huge assortment of board and card games from Amazon.

I also received another wonderful package, but unfortunately, I can’t read the name on the card, and there’s no return address. If you sent this package, please e-mail me!

Another donor stopped by with more than 130 fleece pillows and blankets that she’d made. This is a great present for the kids, since they frequently arrive with nothing at all, and having a blanket or pillow of their own can be a great comfort to them. We have also gotten lots of art supplies, including coloured pens and markers, art pads and paints. A lot of the boys wanted journals and we got a few of the magnificent Moleskine notebooks! Another friend made cookies and a cake and also sent over a crate of Clementines for the kids. You can also see a carton of binders, which some of the boys also requested. They have school binders, but they like to write down their thoughts as part of their therapy.Everyone has joined together to help Woodbourne make this a holiday season that our children will remember forever!

The Eyebrow Dance

Have you seen this? It’s hilarious!!!

Weekend Update

The final tally was 21 inches of snow in less than 24 hours! Technically, we are in the South here in Baltimore, so when we get a snowfall of this magnitude, it throws us into a tizzy! Stores were closed yesterday, public transport stopped running and everyone hunkered down at home.

I managed to get my car cleared off today after about an hour of digging. Here’s the before and after shot.

It was such fun walking around today in the beautiful clear weather and seeing how gorgeous everything looked with a coating of brilliant white snow. Here’s a house we saw that was perfectly decorated for Christmas. We saw this little darling sitting next to a wee snowman her mother had made. There’s nothing more fun that watching a child play in the snow for the first time. I am in awe of how incredible the response has been to our video! We have been getting on-line donations from you all and from Joni’s Cote de Texas readers. My friend Maxminimus has also added the link to his blog, which has a great readership. If you’d like to add it to your blog, please feel free to spread the word! Thank you all so much from me, and from the children in our care at Woodbourne.

SNOW! (and even more snow!)

It’s snowing here. It started late last night and is supposed to continue though until Sunday morning. It’s an official blizzard, with the amount of snow falling, the wind levels and the temperatures, right now, about 22 degrees. I understand that it’s coming down at almost a half an inch an hour.Connor and I have taken a few walks today, but it’s pretty cold, so they’re short walks. Baltimore’s Ravens have a big football game tomorrow against the Chicago Bears. Lots of my Baltimore and Chicago friends are coming. Since the stadium is open-air, there are a lot of logistics getting involved in clearing out the stands and the field. Of course, Chicago hasn’t flown into Baltimore yet, so who knows what will happen tomorrow?Most of all, who knows how much snow we will get before it finally ends?

*** We are at 15+ inches now (9 p.m) and it’s still snowing, although it’s lightened up a bit. This is the largest December snowfall recorded in Baltimore, and it’s sweeping its way up the mid-Atlantic coast and then out to sea.

My neighbourhood looks like a winter wonderland. I managed to get an ace parking spot, so it will just be a matter of clearing the car, doing a little shoveling and then off I go! My boxwood topiary in front of my house has been mashed by the snow, but hopefully, it will spring back up once the snow’s gone. Connor is still loving the snow, although he’s not as bouncy as his puppy friend Hal!

Thank You, Joni

In a spare five minutes this afternoon, I clicked on Cote de Texas to check out what fabulous new thing Joni Webb, the authoress was talking about. What to my wondering eyes should appear, but my berries header! What’s this, I thought… As I scrolled down the post, I just started crying. It was a lovely generous article about me, and the kids at Woodbourne, where I work. Joni had seen the video I posted yesterday, and had decided to share it, and our story, with her readers who number multiple times what mine are! I was just overwhelmed by her asking her readers to contribute to our kids, and contribute they have.

Joni… you’re one of the best things that’s come my way through blogging. I am deeply honoured that you’ve chosen to highlight the plight of the children at Woodbourne, and that you have said such lovely things about me! Thank you so very much!

xoxox

Helping at the Holidays

If you’ve been reading Pigtown*Design for a while, you might know that my “real” job is as the Director of Development for the Woodbourne Center. We are one of the oldest charities in the United States and were founded in 1798, after the American Revolution. We care for children who have behavioural and mental health issues and who have suffered from severe traumatic events, including abuse, neglect, addictions and poverty.

This year has been one of the most difficult years in memory for raising money. Foundations, corporations and individuals are all cutting back on their giving. The state has cut their funds drastically and has even asked us to give 2% back!!

As economic conditions worsen, it is often children who suffer. Their parents are more stressed than ever and their frustration is sometimes taken out on their children, who then act out and get into trouble at home and at school. They are often the unseen casualties in the economic climate.

But, through wars and depressions, in good times and bad, Woodbourne has been a refuge for these children, providing them with a safe place to recover from the traumatic events which have scarred their young lives.

My friends at Houpla! volunteered to make a short video asking people to help our children at the holidays. I hope that you will take a few minutes to watch our video and then make a contribution to either Woodbourne or a similar program where you live. I hope that you will also share this video with friends who might also be interested in what we do.

Thank you so much from me and from all of the children in our care here at Woodbourne.

Holiday Shopping, Part VIII: Other Bloggers’ Lists

It has been such fun reading the lists that other bloggers are putting together. Some have items on them that are quite swish, and others have a range between $25 and $100.

Southern gentleman and co-creator of April Food Day, Easy & Elegant Life has asked several bloggers to provide a list of luxuries at the $25, $50 and $100 price point.  He’s found a 50 x 60 inch cashmere blanket for just under $100. It’s shown here in a lush chocolate brown. Summer is a Verb has some great ideas on her blog, including a gorgeous Hermès belt and some Claus Porto soaps. I saw some of these at Halcyon House the other day and they’re just beautiful!

My friend Coterie always has the best finds on her blog and she hunts up great ideas all year round. But at the holidays, she’s working overtime to share her secrets. Nothing reminds me of France like these Pierre Deux sachets, especially when they’re filled with lavender. Courtney at Style Court is a font of knowledge about all things artistic and elegant, and at the holidays, she really shines! In addition to great suggestions for presents, she’s a whiz at wrappings that aren’t your basic ribbons and paper. If you know of any great bloggers’ lists that you want to share, please put them in the comments!

Holiday Quiz

I posted this quiz in 2007… My answers are a little different two years later, but not much.  Feel free to post it and answer it yourself!1. Egg nog or hot chocolate?  Egg nog is just too thick. Although I did have some delicious home-made eggnog the other day. So, it's hot chocolate with big marshmallows...and a shot! 

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?  He wraps them in coordinated paper for different family members.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?  White, non-flashing, non-moving.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?  No. I am not tall enough

5. When do you put your decorations up?  About the second or third week of December.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?  Cranberry and orange relish. Spiced pecans.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?  Being old enough to go to the big caroling party downtown with my parents and their friends.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?  What truth?

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?  We didn't used to, but we do some now.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?  Minimally. All I have this year is a small disco ball sparkling in the sunlight.

11. Snow: love it or hate it?  Love it, as long as it doesn’t make things difficult on the road. Ice, though, is evil.

12. Can you ice skate?  Yep. I used to ice skate after work at a rink overlooking Baltimore’s Inner Harbour.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?  A trip to the Costwolds for the entire family. It took two years of planning, but all 15 of us went for from two to six weeks.

14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you?  The planning. Writing cards to friends scattered across the globe. Seeing family and friends at parties. The cheer and good will. This year, it's also making sure all of the kids at our residential centers have presents.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?  Mince pie with a sharp cheddar cheese.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?  It used to be caroling downtown with the family and friends, but now it's the Monument Lighting on First Thursday. Kitchenography said it better than I could ever... read it here. I also never miss the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from Kings College Cambridge that is played on Christmas Eve. I hope one day to attend in person

17. What tops your tree?  It varies.

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?  Giving... I love finding the perfect present. This year, I am trying to buy a house and so my presents are going to be inexpensive but chic!

19. What is your favorite Christmas song?  Some of the old English/Latin carols like Personent Hodie or Gaudete.

20. Candy canes:  Only red and white peppermint ones.

21. Favorite Christmas movie?   Don't have one, although I love watching the Nutcracker ballet.

22. What do you leave for Santa?  Whatever I leave out, dog usually snags before Santa comes!