What Friends are For!

It has been an exciting year for me. Often, time passes along, and years meld into each other with few highlights; life goes on, and you with it. I am not good at remembering dates, but I can assure you that this year 2022 will not be forgotten. It has been epic.

There are a lot of sayings that come to mind as I write this. “You reap what you sow”, “Time heals all wounds”, “Family is not always by blood”, “Patience is a virtue,” and my favorite that explains it all: “You go to bed with dogs, you wake up with fleas.”

Not to drive you to the point of insanity with a comprehensive list of my achievements this year, but to say that I totally love my life right now, filled with positive, forward-moving plans, friends who support and care for me -and I for them- and colleagues who have become friends. Seniority has given me a calmness and a feeling of peace I so much needed.

And as we are all going out more and returning to all those pre-covid social events, I have to report that the last few weeks have been wondrous, and so, I want to mention a few highlights.

The other day I was invited to dinner in a grand historic house, where we ate with candlelight. It was totally magical. I know; we have all done this living in Charleston, but this was really special. Candlelight not only makes us all look so much better, gently erasing all sorts of flaws, but it also makes things shine and glitter in such an elegant way.

To achieve a similar effect, lower your electric lights, or better still, turn them off and have enough candlelight to see what you are eating. Use a mixture of high and low candles on the table, placing long tapers in the room's perimeter.

I am so obsessed with this real candle concept that I now light the outside of the house, the entranceway, and even the posts on my newly installed fence. The light is just glorious, giving the garden an embracing, welcoming glow.

On another day, I went to another historic house -needless to say, most houses in Charleston are historical, but to stress the point….- where the garden was decorated with Chinese blue and white pots planted with gardenias, palm trees adorned the pathways, red lanterns marked the staircase, and a massive Christmas tree was installed on one of the piazzas. I cannot imagine a better place for a cocktail party!

And then, (I am so glad we are back to parties… I missed them so much!) another dinner party at a nearby house entirely decorated with wreaths and red ribbons. An actual study in restrain and minimalist elegance that looked totally appropriate and actually luxurious. Even though the architecture of the house dictates the decor, it is lovely to see all the different variations and personal interpretations.

I love Christmas decor that is consistent throughout the house by keeping it to two or three colors or picking one and using it all around. Like, if you like to do an all gold, or silver or just greenery, or tartan…. for example. What makes an impact is a lot of one thing!

This year, I have only decorated my dining room. The tree looks fantastic in that corner, and I added small wreaths on the windows. Not much, I know. Last year it was all a green tartan theme, and the year before, I went heavy on the gold. But I love the tree in the dining room corner; that way, all my Christmas tables will have a little Christmasy feeling!

And with that, I leave you,

Wishing you all a wonderfully happy Christmas and all my best wishes for a healthy and prosperous New Year!

Sincerely,

The Serial Hostess