Subscribe to our newsletter
Enter your email address below and subscribe to our newsletter
Essays
Share this
Cover Artist: Dita Omuri
Dita Omuri is a British painter, living and working in the UK. Her sketchbook was a constant companion throughout her childhood in her native country Albania. It was through art competitions she secured herself a scholarship to a School of…
The Red Umbrella
At least I gave him a neat royal blue sport shirt to match his beautiful blue eyes. But a red umbrella? It was our seventh Christmas together. I know you are automatically thinking about the seven-year itch, but I like…
Southern-ish Holiday Traditions
Does Your Santa Wrap? To start, let’s discuss the biggest Christmas tradition debate: does Santa wrap or not wrap his presents? This discussion can be tricky for newly blended families or couples with newly born children. Can the couples survive…
Eleanor Pitts: The Gift of a Strong Family Tradition
Eleanor is a true southern gem filled with love and joy. She grew up in Charleston and graduated from Coker College. Eleanor and her husband, Bill, lived in Kingstree, South Carolina, when she first opened up her shop. She explained…
Recipe Magic
For a moment, we can be in their kitchens, standing in their shoes, and sharing their stories. This holiday season, there are fewer gifts to buy and cards to mail. There are empty chairs at dinner tables and gaping holes…
Christmas Wine
I had no idea the juice was supposed to taste awful. What was wine, and was I in trouble? It was Christmas Eve 1965 and for the first time in my ten years (or for as long as I could remember) we…
Lights in the Night
Perhaps the fading year has not been a bright one; all the more reason to count our blessings and share a glimmer with those around us. It begins every October. Some dim Sunday afternoon I climb up and poke my…
We’re Pretty Wrapped Up
Make your Holiday Decor stunningly beautiful with elegantly wrapped gifts that match your style. Sasee says for the lovers of all things Blue and White, the classic Chinoiserie can be stylishly carried into the Holidays. There is more to wrapping…
Surprise at the Rescue Mission
Maybe it’s time to lend a helping hand rather than just use that hand to sign a check to contribute a donation to a worthy cause. As I arrived at the rescue mission, a tall man whose face reminded me…
John Dabrowski: Living the Local Life
John grew up in a suburb in Indiana and studied political science at Indiana University. He furthered his education by obtaining an associate degree at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago formally known as Le Cordon Bleu College of…
Cover Artist: Suzanne Beland
Suzanne Beland is an artist living in the city of Trois-Rivieres, Canada. She was always passionate about drawing from a very young age. Her keen interest in art led her to train in graphic design. She practiced this profession for…
Veronica Smyth: Some See a Weed, Some See a Wish
Tell me a little bit about yourself and your background. I consider myself to be a patriot, I love our country. I also consider myself to be a professional student. I have a passion for learning. I’m a humanitarian at…
Thank You, 911!
“This is the other half of dumb and dumber calling!” I announced after my husband answered his cell phone. “You got a minute?” “I’m in the middle of dictating…” he sighed sounding vexed. “But, you are finished seeing patients?” “Yes.”…
Colton Vermillion: A Helping Hand
What is your role at PruittHealth? I am the Community Relations Representative for the hospice division in Florence, South Carolina. My job is to develop, establish, and maintain business partnerships with referral sources. I am also very active in community…
Flo Miller Phillips: A Momma to Many!
“It’s a miracle to have a baby, but it’s a double miracle for someone to have a baby and give it to someone else in need. I have a high appreciation for the mothers who are strong enough to do…
Holiday Pageantry
It is the size of a brick and just as solid, weighing three pounds, filled with nuts and candied fruit galore including pineapple, cherries, walnuts, almonds, lemon and orange peel. Certainly this Thanksgiving will be unlike anything that any of…
Razzle Dazzle and Hope
Our gleeful squeals echoed all the way to Highland. We quickly assembled in front of the Cadillac convertible. “I wouldn’t walk across the street to see a parade,” Daddy declared at breakfast the day before Thanksgiving. “I don’t hold with…
Tia Bergeron: A Confident Combat Veteran
Tia grew up in a small town in New Hampshire with a single mom who worked most nights as a country singer. Tia became very independent at a young age and helped take care of her sister who is 4…
Blooming Roses
I started my own wish book of a bedroom filled with pillows, bookshelves and poster-covered walls. When I was a child, our family moved from one military base to another every year or two. On my first day at a…
What’s Cooking
As for spices, I may own three. (Do salt and pepper count as spices?) “Hey, what’re you making?” My older son had wandered into the kitchen as I was browning some breaded chicken for dinner. “Chicken with bread crumbs and…