Gift Guide for the Yogi

Gift giving at Christmas often has an unsavory whiff of the obligatory about it. Why do we exchange gifts? At it's worst, it's a mandatory financial remuneration. You gave me something worth this much, therefore, I'll give you something worth that much. At it's best, it's an expression of love and affection. A thoughtful gift says, "Hey, I know you, I've thought about you, here's a little something you probably wouldn't have done for yourself." This year, I'm putting together gift guides in that spirit.

The yogi likes to keep things simple, so don't weigh her down. Here are five ideas she'll love.

Beautiful Yoga clothes from Athleta

Have you had the pleasure of walking into Athleta yet? It's a beautifully curated selection of sportswear that still manages to feel polished and feminine. Their yoga clothes are spendy, but beautifully made with interesting details that never lose their function. I love the pairing of pink and plum in this shot. 

Namaste card from One Fine Day Press

Every yogini knows that "Namaste" means "the spirit in me honors the spirit in you". That seems like a perfect sentiment to emblazon on stationery. What better way to honor a friend than with a hand written note? 

B.K.S. Iyengar wrote the book on yoga. wrote the book on yoga, and is largely responsible for popularizing it in the United States. She should definitely have this in her personal library.  

Thirsty Yoga towel

If she practices hot yoga, there's a good chance she could use an extra thirsty yoga towel. All those downward dogs work up a sweat and leave towels funky, so it's nice to have several. I love the citrusy colors available at Target. If you're feeling handy, you could mix up a bottle of mat cleaner at home, add a pretty tag and include it with the towel. Otherwise, pass along the vinegar trick; soak those yucky towels and clothes in the sink with 1/2 cup of white vinegar, then launder as usual. Fresh as a daisy! 

Image from Sarah Brumgart, yoga teacher and dancer based in Austin, Texas.

Sometimes the best gift is a change of scenery. If she already has a favorite studio, offer a pass to one she hasn't tired yet. Better still, buy a pass for two and enjoy a class together. (Groupon has lots of fun and inexpensive options in many cities!) Sharing a search for inner stillness will be a gift for both of you, especially amid the hustle of the holidays. 

See my Etsy picks for the yogi right over here! 

Store your Christmas Ornaments in Apple Containers!

Since I put up my tree so early this year, I was very prompt in packing it up- first thing New Year's day. I'm always looking for a better way to store my collection of fragile vintage glass ornaments and this year my apple pie making helped out. We buy our apples at Costco (only place to get 'em around here really, and they aren't great.) and they come in these monstrously wasteful bubble containers. Convenient, but excessive.

Turns out they are the perfect size for storing ornaments!

Do you have any tips for storing Christmas decorations? I am trying hard to keep my collection limited to it's current three bin max, but I seem to acquire a few more pieces each year.

Peace on Earth, Goodwill towards Men.

White Dove in Peaceful Night by Joojoo

Today's Writer's Almanac included a description of the famous 1914 Christmas Truce when German and British soldiers laid down arms to honor the spirit of Christmas. This event has been immortalized a thousand ways, because it speaks to the preciousness of life we all posses. For that one night, the men were able to reclaim their humanity in the midst of grim and heartless bloodshed.

In Women Food and God, Geneen Roth describes a yogi who encouraged his students to remember the thousands of people who had died that day. "Think of what they would give to be in a body again, even for just a few moments." Our bodies may be only husks, but how precious is a body with a soul and pulse abiding in it?

That great gift of life deserves honor in every person that we encounter, no matter the wrongs given or received. I think the best way to honor Christmas in our hearts, is to practice extra kindness today- to your closest relatives and complete strangers alike. Don't forget yourself either. (How often we are strangers to ourselves, as well as those we love!)

Be kind to every living thing today in honor of that divine gift of life. That is certainly the message of peace that Jesus offered the world so very long ago.

Holiday Party Idea: Christmas Cookie Swap!

Have you ever tried a holiday cookie swap? They are so much fun. We've hosted one three years running now (Holy Moly! Three years in Hawaii amazes me. It feels like months.) and it's become a tradition I look forward to each Christmas.

Just look at this pretty assortment! Everyone brings a batch of their favorite holiday cookies and can take away as many as they brought to share. (We always seem to have extras!)

Sampling is part of the fun! We played How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Elf, and A Charlie Brown Christmas in the background to add to the festive mood.

We set up a buffet of pupus (that's "appetizers" to you mainlanders) on the bar and cookies on the dining room table. Our wonderful friends always pitch in to make these parties potluck style- it's my favorite entertaining trick because it makes the prep work so simple. All I really have to do is bake a batch of cookies, clean, put out some carrots and hummus, put on my Christmas Pandora station and get in a cheery mood!

I put my goodies in celophane bags, added a gift tag and tied them with a pretty bow. They make charming "thinking of you" gifts for my co-workers, the amazing team at the post office (I love how hard they work to make my small business hum along!) and the security guards at our building. It's nice to be appreciated, don't you think?

Have you ever done a cookie swap? How does yours work? And what is your very favorite holiday cookie? I have these Russian Tea Cakes on the brain this year, but I haven't made them yet. My Grandma makes them every year.

Christmas Decorating

My ornament collection just keeps growing. This scraggly tree is perfect for me since there is lots of bare space to fill!

Every morning, Eric plugs in the tree so it's shining like this when I manage to pull myself out of bed.

We set up a little mini bar in the corner. So far we haven't used it much since we have far more bottles in another cabinet, but it sure does look sophisticated.

Remember my DIY feather trees from last year? Also, these peanut butter cookies are gluten free!
I like glittery paper because it looks so very lovely underneath the lights. Who doesn't love sparkle?

My Mexican Nativity looks so lovely with my collection of mercury glass votives behind and some lacey Christmas trees to fill in the gaps.

Do you change up your decorations every year or do you stick with tradition?

Oprah's Favorite Gigantic Pie is the Perfect Showstopping Dessert

Eric and I are planning a gigantic Christmas feast this year. We are torn between rack of lamb or the classic glazed ham for the main course. Dessert is my department, and a traditional Christmas pudding ala Charles Dickens was suggested. A Wikipedia hunt showed a rather revolting lump of a dessert- like an unhappy marriage between bread pudding and fruit cake, neither of which I love on their own.

I was hunting for something that would be decadent, delicious and totally showstopping. Then I saw this nine inch high caramel pecan apple pie in O Magazine. I think it fits the bill, don't you? Though I'm not really interested in paying $50 to have a pie airlifted to my home packed on dry ice as though it was a life saving heart transplant, I'm willing to spend several hours in my kitchen trying it on my own. (Confection confidence has been bolstered by the successful Baked Alaska!) I'll be using this recipe from Paula Deen.

Coping with Holiday Stress: What are your Strategies?

Zebra in a Box by wantaprint on Etsy

I've finally got the last of my Christmas boxes out the door and in the mail. It may seem a tad obsessive, but I do live in Hawaii with an ocean and the entire west coast between me and the people I love. It pays to err on the early side.

But yesterday after my trip to the post office, I suddenly felt lighter and more relaxed. I realized how unconsciously stressed I was about all those goody boxes and getting them just right. Although I love making them, it felt pretty damn good to send them on their way and have them out of my hair.

How do you cope with Holiday stress, real or imagined? I am starting to think that so much of it is self-created- the expectations I am trying to live up to exist in my mind alone! So it makes sense that I can ease those expectations with my mind as well. That's the theory anyway.

Are the holidays difficult for you? How and why? Let's discuss!

Which Christmas Ornament Do You Look Forward to Unpacking Every Year?

Oh my. How sweet is this little mermaid ornament? I love the homespun look of her- she'd be the perfect addition to my growing collection of sea inspired Christmas decor! Have you put your tree up yet? Which ornament is your all time favorite? (I have a skunk in a bikini that makes me laugh every year!)

God Jul! Celebrating a Scandinavian Christmas

After reading this article with 50 food gifts from the 50 states, I started feeling nostalgic for my family's Scandinavian Christmas traditions. I love the colors, textures and flavors that my Grandparents strive to preserve for us each year.

My grandmother takes the time to make home made lefse (a very thin potato pancake), and prepare Lutefisk as well. Though Lutefisk is not for the faint of heart (these fish are soaked in lye for heaven's sake!) and doesn't offer much to the palate, she makes it each year as a living remembrance of their heritage and the culture of their parents and their parents before them. I think that is rather beautiful, and I'll eat a bland, gelatinous forkful to honor them every time it is offered me. Food is about so much more than simple flavor, after all. It binds us to the past and future in a way unlike anything else I know of.

If you'd like to see my picks live on Etsy, click on over! What are your family's Christmas traditions?

Christmas Shopping For Little Old Moi!

I've been busy playing Elf on the internet this weekend, getting lots of Christmas orders in and wrapping up and packing things I've bought already. It's been lots of fun, but of course, I always get a little distracted with wishes of my own! Of course, tis better to give and all of that, but here are the things I noticed for little old me...


Cheery Cherry Candy Canes from Hammond's Candies. Butterscotch sounds delicious too.

These Vintage Birds Nest Earrings perfectly suit my new penchant for eccentric earrings. I love their tiny red eyes! Such detail in plastic is rare indeed.


I like the way this lumberjack plaid shirt is softened with a ruffle and feminine colors. The pink is my favorite. I'd pair it with super skinny dark jeans and a metallic blazer like this one. What do you think?
I love the fair-isle trend going on now, but the only way to follow suit in Hawaii is cute lounge shorts like these. I also love the unexpectedness of this pattern for bottoms. (And who can resist pom poms?)
For more fun with juxtapositions, this sweet ballet flat has a toe full of punk rock spikes to remind us that sweet girls aren't always nice. My mum snagged the grey pair, but I think this blush pink pair would work better with my wardrobe. (And then we can share, right Mum?)




Then, to put it all in, the splurgiest splurge of all. A sequined duffel bag that will add a little sparkle and shine to a long holiday weekend mini break. On sale, but not on sale enough I'm afraid. (This Jasper bag might be however! I especially love the white one, it reminds me of a Ludwig Bemelmens illustration.)

What are you wishing for this Christmas?

How Early is Too Early to Bring Out the Christmas Tree?

Looped Wood Trees

Confession: I put up my Christmas tree this weekend. I just get so excited about the holidays and love playing elf. I may or may not have also started making Christmas care packages for some of my favorite people. The challenge will be to hold off mailing them until at least after Thanksgiving!

What is your secret to making the holidays fun and joyful every year instead of a chore to be survived?

Before & After: Glitzing up a Christmas Stocking

Snagged a cableknit stocking at an After Christmas Sale. I thought it needed just a little more panache...

So I added some sequins. With hot glue. Because I'm lazy. Besides, who washes a Christmas stocking?

Ta da! Now it's all packed away to sparkle for me next year. Have you "upscaled" anything lately?

Mele Kalikimaka!

I thought you might enjoy a little peek at our holiday tree. Christmas ornaments are one of my all time favorite things because their only job is to sparkle and bring delight. Mission accomplished.


This is the first time I've had all my ornaments in one place since we've been traveling and my tree was positively groaning under the weight of it all. Apparently I have been buying a little every year and have reached a critical mass since I couldn't see it all at once. (Remember these camels?!)

Skunk in Bikini is one of my all time favorites, for sure.

One of the last Pipettes. I've decided to discontinue them for now to focus on the Love Birds which are flying out the door. (Tee hee!)

The Party Dogs are safe however. They've been earning their keep around here.

Eric and I are looking forward to spending the next two days hiking, hanging out at the beach, drinking lots of whiskey spiked cider and watching Black Swan. Tonight I've planned a whole menu of appetizers- including a few delightful caviar potato chips. It's been blissful just relaxing and enjoying time just the two of us. How are you celebrating?

And Visions of Sugarplums Danced Through her Head

Dreamily browsing through my Etsy favorites with a vague idea of giving Eric some strong leads for stocking stuffers. Just look at the lovely things I discovered! (And check out the treasury live on Etsy here.)

I'd love to wear a whole stack of gleaming green and violet beetles on my wrist.

And stir a fancy Christmas cocktail with the world's prettiest artisanal candy canes.
I love the striking simplicity of this nativity stable. (Mine have no roof at the moment!)

Now this is a decidedly extravagant friendship bracelet! I love the bohemian mix of weaving, rhinestones and bold, vivid COLOR!

I quite love the idea of cupcakes in a jar- and just look at those sweet little wooden spoons! Just right for a picnic with a miniature sip of champagne, don't you think?

This Ballet Print makes me giggle and reminds me of my attempt to steer the helm of the great Pirate Play of 2009.

These whimsical earrings would add a punch of humor to my holiday wardrobe.

I love the vague ambiguity of this print, and especially the sun drenched colors.

This Frog dishtowel is irresistible. I'd totally kiss this guy.