Speaking Of Christmas

All images: Macy's.

The majority of the people on earth, about 69%, are not Christians. Christianity is followed by only 31% of the world's population, therefore, far from a majority. Can we not accept the world as it is? While we humans have different responses, in life we all ask the same ultimate questions* and try to arrive at the same place.

 

First aiming to live a life of greater purpose, followed by a hope for the best outcome that life doesn't end in death, but we find some ultimate good or meaning in our struggles and beyond our finite lives. Theologians spend years studying the human condition and its connection to the divine -- the world of concrete vs the world of ideas, the infinite vs finite. Believing requires a leap of faith, and for certain, time will tell. It's that simple and complicated.

We have all heard the catchphrase: Let's put Christ back into Christmas, but I like to focus on putting Christ back into Christians. As we move into the Christmas season, is it possible for us to worry less about cookie-cutter conformity and more about understanding and having a tolerance of others? Might we even leap to celebrating our cultural differences, as well as, showing generosity and hospitality to everyone as we embrace our own traditions?

I'm always honored when another culture or religion shows me warmth and goodwill. An invitation to fellowship can be an attempt to connect and share, not usually to convert. What's more, I think savvy modern people can tell the difference and navigate accordingly.

Moreover, when a clerk in a department store wishes me a "Happy Holiday" in lieu of a "Merry Christmas," it's an effort to be gracious from a stranger in society who doesn't know what tradition I practice and nothing more. Why should tolerance and good wishes from friendly strangers upset us? It's misplaced animosity perhaps based on fear and insecurity in a changing world. 

If a history buff like me, you realize the world simultaneously changes and stays the same. Everything we experience has been experienced before in another century or millennium. Times can change, but humans react the same. Life on earth is cyclical. Everything new becomes old and everything old is new again ... this time around "new" to us. Furthermore, when the world is ripe for change, it moves forward. You can't stop change forever.

I hope with the supply chain down this holiday season all people -- especially Christians -- worry less about exchanging material gifts and put their energies into showing more people benevolence, support, compassion, and collaboration. After a challenging pandemic apart, wouldn't it be a meaningful, awesome way to celebrate Christmas?! Let's dole out gifts of human acceptance and kindness beginning today!

The Nativity Scene Christmas decorations are available from Macy's the only major New York department store that seems to still sell them. {You won't find them at Saks or Bloomingdales.} I'm only a customer, and my blog isn't sponsored by the retailer. I do love Macy's however ... a must-stop for tourists and New Yorkers alike during the Christmas season! Starting on November 26th, the North Pole with SantaLand opens. Located on the 9th floor for in-person visits as well as online.

✯𐫰✯𐫰✯𐫰✯𐫰✯𐫰✯𐫰✯𐫰✯𐫰✯𐫰✯𐫰

*The Ultimate Questions in every religion are: Where do we come from? Is human life random or created by an all-powerful God? What is the meaning and purpose of life? What happens after we die? 

In examining the human condition, all religions have a diagnosis ... what went wrong; and a prescription ... here's how to fix it to get back on the right path. All religions offer hope that life, good, bad, or ugly, has intrinsic worth and meaning.

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5 Gifts For New York City Lovers

The Beauty Advent Calendars Are Out

Last Minute Shoppers Head To T.J. Maxx

Let's Ease Into Christmas With Bette Midler

Sending Valentine Hearts To My Readers

Plato

"Every heart sings a song, incomplete until another heart whispers back."

William Shakespeare

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."

Vincent van Gogh

"Love is something eternal; the aspect may change, but not the essence."

Frank P. Jones

"Love doesn't make the world go 'round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile."

Robert Frost

"Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired."

🌹♥♥♥♥💋♥♥♥♥♥💋♥♥♥♥♥💋♥♥♥♥♥💋♥♥♥♥♥💋♥♥♥♥🌹

"People come and people go,

In and out of your life and so,

When one shines bright among the rest,

And is there when needed, you’re truly blessed.

That is how I see you, friend of mine,

And why I’m sending this Valentine."

By Karl Fuchs

Happy Valentine's Day Peeps! Spend it well. xoxo

7 Holiday Gifts For Him

Last year I compiled a Gifts For Him blog. This year I'll begin by sharing what the editors of "Good Hunting" compiled, not their entire list, but the 3 items I like best. (The list came to me in an email):

1) Patagonia Wild Idea Work Boots - These owl brown buffalo leather boots are gorgeous and the right footwear for hiking or walking miles on city pavement. Pricey, yes ... yet well-made to last for many years so with time you get your money's worth.

2) Sam Jones' Southern Starter Kit - North Carolina barbecue pitmaster, Sam Jones, gives you (3) spice rubs for steak, pork, fish, and (1) all-purpose seasoned salt. You can't go wrong with any of his barbecue condiment pairings, so take a look and consider how much you wish to spend.

3) Billy Raid Fine Gauge Cashmere Crew - a winter wardrobe staple for men, women, or others, i.e. everybody should own one soft, warm and durable cashmere sweater. Looks great even after years of winter wear! Natural fibers rock!

Here's a look at those stylish owl brown boots in action.😍

For recommendations #4, #5 and #6 I asked Barry P., a reader of the blog, to share items on his holiday wish list. It turns out Barry has mighty fine tastes. Lucky us to have a man's point of view on what to get a man:

4) Ben Silver Royal St. George Yacht Club Tie - It is a silk tie of the highest silk material and craftsmanship. Ben Silver has a wide selection of neckties in several textures. Barry says, "Oozing with old traditions," wear one of Ben Silver's ties to be mistaken for "a member of the British regiment, an alumnus of an ivy league school, or a member of an exclusive yacht club." Barry has selected a cool theme to reflect his interest in ships and the shipping industry of which he writes about often.

5) Buffalo Trace - Kentucky Straight Bourbon with tasting notes of brown sugar and spice "that give way to oak, toffee, dark fruit, and anise." A smooth whiskey with depth and "a complex aroma of vanilla, mint and molasses." Makes even a non-bourbon drinker want a taste, doesn't it? A bottle of bourbon is useful to non-drinkers for guests, as well as, for making desserts and Hot Toddies to soothe winter sore throats. Nobody is my family drinks bourbon, but I keep a big bottle in the cupboard. It lasts for 10 years! 

6) Blanton's Straight from the Barrel - A private reserve bourbon with tasting notes of dark chocolate, caramel and undertones of walnut and hazelnut. Perhaps for a bourbon connoisseur as the Blanton's reserve is about 7 times costlier than Buffalo Trace.

🎄🐪🐑⭐

I'm adding one more item for good measure. You can find a lovely gift at every price point to fit your budget. Some of the gift ideas here are expensive, others are more affordable like the final one, starting at $29.99:

7) L.L.Bean Wrinkle-Free Pinpoint Oxford Shirt - The shirts are 100% cotton Oxford cloth. Can't beat the quality for the price. A wide selection of patterns and colors, and best of all, some of the patterns are on sale! It might be the color for your guy, the one you'd have chosen even if not on sale! If I don't know what to buy a person, male or female -- and they give me no clues -- I buy something I'd be delighted to receive ... and I'm a practical person, settling on good quality and useful like a wrinkle-free thick cotton Oxford shirt!

Well, slacker me ... it was great having help this year in curating Holiday Gifts for Him! Do you have a favorite? Or would you like to contribute more things to the list?

You may also enjoy:

The Twelve Days Of Christmas

Christmas Cactus or Poinsettia?

Modest After Christmas Goodies

Inside A Snow Globe With Santa At Bloomingdales

4 Advent Calendars You Reuse

Vintage Santa Wooden Advent Calendar - Primitives by Kathy here also on eBay

For several years in a row, I've featured the beauty advent calendars that everybody wants ... or ones I'd love to get myself. You can go back in years on THE SAVVY SHOPPER to find the coveted brands since these beauty retailers offer their advent calendars every year. The 2020 editions are out now. Some are overpriced, and still they go fast!

This year a new idea: Consider buying a keepsake advent calendar which could become a permanent holiday decoration and family tradition. You fill it yourself with 24 (or 25) selected gifts. Some might be small material things, but others could be poems; I.O.U. notes that promise a holiday adventure together; or a sweet treat like a favorite cookie or candy. It need not be expensive, just thoughtful and pleasing!

Yes it's more work than buying a calendar already stuffed with gifts, yet over the years a reusable advent calendar should be cost-effective, more personable, and a cherished family event. Each day unwrapping a small surprise, perhaps the true gift is family anticipation and joy:

1) The Primitives by Kathy Advent Calendar (above↑) is made of wood, paper, and metal. Each countdown box measures 17.13" x 3.38" x 14.25 enough room for favorite nick-nacks or snacks!

2) A Fabric Advent Calendar made of burlap with a hoop to hang on the wall. Since it uses only vertical space, it gets the job done with a small footprint. It has 25 pockets for trinkets, candies or messages. 

3) A wooden Tree Shape Advent Calendar with 24 drawers, each covered in beautiful Japanese washi paper and coated with a gloss finish. The drawer pulls are tagged with metal numbers counting down the days to Christmas.

4) The last featured choice is perhaps the most Traditional Advent Calendar. There are no boxes to fill with little treats. Just a celebration of the holy season with a 24-day countdown until the birth of the Christ child. A beautiful gold decoration with the Star of David, 3 Wisemen, and the Holy Family.

Four reusable and unique advent calendars to suit many tastes and ages of family members. Also, a thoughtful gift for family friends who might use it year after year. 

You may also enjoy:

Beauty Advent Calendars 2018

Beauty Advent Calendars For Less

More Advent Beauty Calendars 2019

The Body Shop 2019 Advent Calendars

Hello Easter 2020

Photo uploaded by my Canadian friend, Michael Henry

This year's Easter of staying home and social distancing is tough, isn't it? Fortunately it is the first serious disease for many of us that has stopped us in our tracks, a global pandemic with no viccine to protect us (it's at least 18 months away). Unlike earlier generations, we aren't used to enduring fear, suffering, and uncertainty over a long haul. And yet, we know we'll get through this trying time, don't we? Of course, we do. 

"Tomb, thou shall not hold Him longer; 

Death is strong, but Life is stronger;

Stronger than the dark, the light;

Stronger than the wrong, the right;

Faith and Hope triumphant say

Christ will rise on Easter Day."

~ An Easter Carol by Phillips Brooks (who wrote "O Little Town of Bethlehem")

Wash those praying hands often.😊


Stay vigilant and well, my lovelies. Happy Easter Everyone!🌷

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It's Easter Sunday 

The Easter Holiday     

Happy Easter Weekend    

Easter Sunday Thoughts

Have A Happy 4th Of July

Photo: clipart

Wishing everyone a happy Independence Day. Enjoy the family, friends, barbecues and fireworks. 

Photo: giphy.com

Take a moment to appreciate our freedom and salute the USA. Remember what others have given to win and preserve our liberties. 

Photo: lowgif.com

Be reflective, grateful and happy! Our ancesters came to America for a better life. We can repay them by striving for purpose, committment, contentment and happiness in life.

We honor the day with red, white and blue, the colors of the U.S. flag, borrowed from the Union Jack, the flag of Great Britain, America's mother country. In the American flag, the 3 hues represent "vigilance, perservance and justice." (Here's the history behind it.)

Photo: unknown source

And here's THE SAVVY SHOPPER'S way of honoring America: Glitter and bling! 

Photo: The Courier Journal

Let America always be this↑.

Photo: Unknown artist

And not become this↑.

Enjoy this patriotic, summer holiday ... the USA is 243 years strong!

You may also enjoy:

Happy 4th Of July

Barbecue Franks And Beans

Commenorating The 4th Of July

Aboard The Underground Railroad: A Picture Book In Verse

A Happy Father's Day

I rarely post family photos, but will make an exception on this special 3rd Sunday in June. THE SAVVY SHOPPER is more of a writing than a picture blog. The content is primarily the written word over stills or video, but not today!

In honor of Father's Day, here are a few photographs of my father and me back-in-the-day.

When older and looking at this photo with Dad, I teased, "Look how you risked my life in standing me over an animal pit. I could have fallen into it. Dad replied, "I was looking around to see if anybody was watching before giving you a nudge." :) 

Here we are enjoying a sunny day.

However long we have our parents, it is never enough. We miss this amazing man everyday. No one can ever fill his shoes.

Here I am visiting home.

Hoping everyone has a #1 Dad and if not, you become the #1 Dad to your children. Happy Father's Day!

Inevitably, the cycles of life touch us all. "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night!" Listen to Welsh poet Dylan Thomas read his famous villanelle here, written for his own father.


You may also enjoy:
Celebrating Father's Day
Happy Father's Day: A Story  
Happy Father's Day ... Hmm
About Dad (And Mom) On Father's Day

Kentucky Derby Favorites: Hot Brown And Chocolate Pecan Pie

Thousands of Louisvillians watch the Kentucky Derby at home like everyone else in the world. If you desire some Derby local color, here are two dishes to make this Saturday before or after the race, but never, ever during the most exciting 2 minutes in sports. Post time is at 6:30 pm EST, so plan accordingly.

The Hot Brown at The Brown Hotel, Louisville, Kentucky

First up is a Hot Brown, an open faced sandwich consisting of turkey, crispy bacon and sliced tomatoes covered in scrumptious Mornay sauce. The legendary sandwich was created by Chef Fred Schmidt in 1926 at Louisville's elegant Brown Hotel. Click here for the original recipe.

Follow up your Hot Brown with a slice of Derby Inspired pie. The real Derby pie, made of pecans, semi sweet chocolate chips and a touch of bourbon (OK, maybe more than a touch) was created by George Kern in 1950 at the Melrose Inn in Prospect, Kentucky, a suburb of Louisville. Because it is copyrighted and the Kern family hasn't made it available to the public, we need to call this dessert anything but Derby pie.

Homemade Kentucky Chocolate Pecan Pie🐴

Ingredients

Photo: Markmark28

An unbaked 9 inch pie crust
1 cup dark (or semi sweet) chocolate chips
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (one stick) softened butter
4 large eggs
1 ounce good Kentucky bourbon
1/3 cup maple syrup
2/3 cup light corn syrup {how to make your own: For one cup substitute 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water. You will only use 2/3 of it.}
1 1/2 cups pecans (*walnuts are often substituted*)

Directions:

1) Sprinkle the chocolate chips on the bottom of the unbaked pie crust.

2) Whisk together the sugar and butter. Add the eggs, bourbon, maple syrup and corn syrup. Stir in the pecans.

3) Pour into the unbaked pie crust and pop into a preheated 350 degree F oven.

4) Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the center is set. Allow to cool before slicing.

If you host a Kentucky Derby party here are favorite Derby appetizers to serve: Benedictine spread and Pimento Cheese spread. It is not a day you will save on calories, however, the food is shared.

Undoubtedly, they are luscious!  You're welcome! Enjoy the Kentucky Derby!!🌹


You may also enjoy:
Refreshing Bourbon Slush
Since 1875: The Kentucky Derby (with other Derby recipes)
Louisville After The Kentucky Derby
The Pegasus Parade Before The Kentucky Derby

A Day When Love Is In The Air

To my dear Readers, 

Happy Valentine's Day from THE SAVVY SHOPPER. Back to back Valentine posts because we need them! Show a little love and kindness to your fellow man and woman, as well as, your family and friends.💋

Eat the chocolate, buy a rose, wear something pretty ... red, pink and/or glittery. I love these low key holidays, which have not gotten so commercial, thereby allowing for spontaneity and less fuss. 

Life is good so why not take this occasion to insert some sweetness, sparkle and a special treat into your day. Feast your eyes on some pretties.

Happy Valentine's Day on this 14th day of February, set aside to celebrate love, passion and goodness. Remember to be good to yourself along with everybody else!💘


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Jaclyn Smith's Anti-Aging Skin Care
Health Care Reform, A Doctor Weighs In  
Remembering Prince Leopold, Duke Of Albany   
Picture This: On Vacation With Nothing To Wear