New Years Resolutions

The new year is a time to reflect not only on the past, but on the future to come. Like a rebirth, we are able to recreate or mold ourselves into who we wish to be. As a time honored tradition, many practice the art of writing New Year’s Resolutions. With choices such as quit drinking or smoking, exercise more, find your dream job, be more forgiving of self and others, it’s hard to find new, different, exciting, or challenging ones. Read more

Dorothy’s Journey to Oz

As 2009 rolls around, we’re bound to take a moment to be introspective; to make some resolutions; to take a look at our life and where we are headed in the new year. I’ve been reading a book called Sacred Contracts by Caroline Myss. In it, she analyzes The Wizard of Oz in a way that just really resonated with me. It’s a little bit long, but interesting, and I hope you enjoy it too:

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In this well-known story, Dorothy has to seek out aspects of herself that she didn’t know she had, including courage and intelligence well beyond those of the young orphan who left her Auntie Em back in Kansas. Seen as the archetypal adventure, The Wizard of Oz presents the challenges of survival that we all face on our own Yellow Brick Roads.

…Dorothy is, like so many heroes of fairy tales and folk stories, literally the Orphan Child…. As the story opens, a cyclone is approaching, representing the chaos that is the classic precursor to transformation…. [She] runs back into the house with her beloved dog, Toto… [As the cyclone lifts the house into the air, she] bangs her head on the headboard, losing consciousness. In symbolic, archetypal terms, a house represents the whole of the self, from the subconscious in the basement to the superego in the attic. The whole of Dorothy’s life is lifted off in the chaos and begins to spin, to be symbolically reconstituted. Having to undertake the Hero’s Journey, she has awakened her charism, the special grace that will see her through her ordeal of growth. Read more

Holiday Traditions

The holidays are always chock full of traditions and customs, whether regional, cultural or familial. There’s a certain sense of nostalgia triggered by those little things, like the smell of gingerbread cookies, the first snowfall, the sound of sleigh bells, or watching It’s a Wonderful Life.

In my family, we always had a gingerbread cookie-decorating contest in the weeks leading up to Christmas, with late-arriving relatives as the non-biased judges. One year, after one cookie took over 2 hours (and tweezers) to decorate, we enacted the “no longer than 20 minutes per cookie” rule.

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Cvillestyle Holiday Etiquette

Oh joy! The holiday season is in full swing. Lighting the Christmas tree, wrapping gifts, the scent of mulling spices, and people getting trampled at Walmart. What a wonderful time of year.

Having recently braved the crowds, traffic, and endless ring of the Salvation Army bell, I was inspired to write this article to help all of us brush up on our holiday etiquette.

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Music to my Ears

With Christmas songs playing on the radio since Halloween of this year, by now, I’m sure we’re all sick of them. And of course, I should probably be a little more politically correct and say “holiday music” but let’s face it — when was the last time you heard “Dreydl, dreydl, dreydl” on the radio?

I was recently given the task of creating a holiday cd, but I wasn’t interested in the typically cheesy, upbeat songs that tend to give me a headache (it couldn’t possibly be the egg nog). And being that I am tone deaf and therefore HATE caroling, I wasn’t interested in the dramatic sing-along types either. I wanted it to be hip, if that was possible. I wanted to find songs that people didn’t actually mind hearing in the background of a holiday party. Read more

What’s your favorite Hot Toddy?

Hot Toddy (n): 1. a name given to a mixed drink that is served hot, believed to have originated in the 18th century to make the taste of scotch more palatable to women. 2. a gentleman by the name of Todd who happens to be quite goodlooking, to the point that you give him the nickname of Hot Toddy.

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Making Spirits Bright

Cvillestyle readers — What is the most extraordinary gift you have either given or received in holidays’ past?

What’s on your wish list for this year? Tell us here and who knows, maybe your secret santa will make your wish come true?

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Shop local and save this holiday season!

A few weeks ago, I received a delightful little email offering me 20% off at local stores. What I didn’t immediately realize is that the entire multi-store promotion was orchestrated by a kind and concerned Cville resident who was simply trying to keep shopping dollars in our own community. What a brilliant idea! Supporting local businesses and saving money at the same time!

The thoughtful shopper gave me the go ahead to post the promotion here, which simply requires that you present a printout of this page to take advantage of the savings. Thanks, Elizabeth, for getting this going and sharing the holiday cheer with your fellow Charlottesvillians. Read more

Hold it! (keys, necklaces, etc.)

Looking for more inexpensive gift ideas? Here’s another arts & crafts item that can be tailored to the person you are giving it to (both in function and design): a necklace or key holder.

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Holiday Tips (the $$$ kind)

Even in normal ecomonic conditions, end-of-the-year gratuities tend to make my palms sweaty. Instead of feeling good about my sincere gesture, I get caught up in, “Did I give enough?” “Did I give too much?” “Are they offended that I gave them cash?” “What if someone else gave 5x as much as I did?” But this year, it’s clear that wallets are stretched. What to do? Read more

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