A Northern California Holiday, Part I

As finals finished up two weeks ago and I started thinking about everything I could now do with my break, I was certain I would be writing a post a day in this blog. It turns out, winter break is not a break from everything; just school. Everything else continues and intensifies. Finding time to write amidst family gatherings, gift finding and making, hiking, running, cooking, gingerbread-house making, reading, coffee-shop frequenting, and all other sorts of day-to-day activities--well, it's a lot harder than I thought it would be. But now that Christmas has passed (weep, I have to wait a whole year for it to come again), and all I have left to do is decide whether to travel north or south for New Year's Eve tonight, I am sitting here with my coffee determined to log all the craziness. Be warned his is all in a completely random order and will not flow at all.

I was ecstatic to get raingear from my parents for Christmas (a coat and boots). It's ridiculous that I've lived in Santa Cruz for two years now without having any. To put them to good use right away, my boyfriend and I went on a muddy, chilly, wonderful hike through the mountains.

Now don't be fooled. It might look sunny and warm, but I promise you that despite our clear lack of snow, it is windy and freezing. Which I love, of course. Off in the distance we could see Windy Hill:

And closer to us, dark tree branches draped with glistening pale green moss and grand, quiet evergreens drinking in the solstice sunlight and settling rain.

Even the ground (observe my new boots that I now wear every day) was enchanting.

I made my parents wine charms, because the whose glass is whose confusion is all too common in our household.

Easy peasy 3 step process for making these:
1. Acquire (either from a jewelry supply store or from your garage) a set of earring hoops. I used 3/4" and 1" base metal ones (cheaper than sterling silver, which I didn't see as necessary since they're not going in anyone's ears.
2. Find cool beads: if you can see, I made two sets, one with animal beads (chicken, cat, toad, cow, etc) and one with little sparkly beads.
3. Thread any number of beads you like onto the hoops, and using a set of pliers MUCH smaller than the ones I used (I could not for the life of me find my earring pliers), bend the end of the hoop upwards into the hole (if using the types of hoops I used).
And that's it! Easy peasy. My lesson learned is to make sure the beads are small enough that they don't warp the hoops.

For my 9-year-old sister, I got the best gift of all: The Hobbit: An Illustrated Edition, illustrated by Michael Hague (aka the classic one that's been in print since the 80's). She loves it and I could not be happier. I'm a complete LOTR nerd, and being able to share my love of that world with my little sister is the best return I've ever gotten on a gift.

Also, after seeing the movie--which I loved, despite the fact that I'll probably have to wait another three or four years for the second and third parts to come out--it struck me how similar the filmed scenes were to the illustrations in this book. The one above, for example, where the dwarfs (that is the correct plural of "dwarf" according to J.R.R. Tolkien) eat, sing and converse in Bilbo's home, is practically identical to the movie scene. Maybe I care too much, but I appreciate that they took cues from a classic and loved illustrated edition instead of fabricating new images.

Speaking of fascinating visuals, the other night I witnessed a lunar halo, which is said to presage the coming of a storm. I did a little research and this is not, in fact, a myth: it is created by moonlight refracted through the ice crystals of cirrus clouds, which appear in the days before a storm. I didn't take this photo, but the one I witnessed was just like it.

I've also been mixing a lot of drinks: I made a sangria for Christmas dinner that was a hit with my whole family, and my boyfriend got a juicer as a gift, so we've been making lots of super nutritious blends. I'll be documenting those as they become successes. :)

I meant to document everything in one post, but this is becoming rather long and people are starting to wonder what I'm doing. I'll get on the rest of it in what will now be part II of my winter break adventures.

I hope everyone is having the happiest of holidays!

Love, Maralah

Winter Colors + Christmas Music

I was talking to my wonderful roommate the other day about how in Winter, when everything seems to turn gray (and often gloomy), the colors that do appear are the most beautiful. Evergreens, winter flowers and fruits pop out against a wonderfully accommodating cold, misty canvas.

As I was walking home from class the other day in our lovely Santa Cruz, I couldn't help stopping to take pictures of all of it.

I especially love this little arched pathway, kind of randomly stuck on the sidewalk a few blocks from my apartment. I can't figure out who put it there (the city or the people who live next to it?) but every time I walk under it, I feel a bit like I'm in a fairytale.

Anyway, I am ALMOST officially on winter break. ALMOST done with finals (only one left to go!). I can't wait to go home and make gingerbread houses; it's pretty much all I've been thinking about for the past few days.

And speaking of the holidays: this man is incredible.

Now, the 15-year-old inside ms is screaming, DON'T DO IT JULIANA! THAT MAN HAS BEEN ON THE TOP 100 ON ITUNES! I have a bit of a problem with most mainstream music, you see. It used to be a lot worse. I used to judge people solely by their taste in music, and if they didn't know that Led Zeppelin was a band, not "some old guy", I dismissed them right away. I still strongly believe that most popular music is the work of less-than-talented, auto-tuned celebutantes who have their songs written for them by uncreative and money-hungry souls catering solely to the wants of screaming 13 year old girls. So while every once in a while I admit that a mainstream song is good, or that a popular artist is truly talented, my little teenage self fights it every time.

But THIS man, Michael Buble...my god. He is the second coming of Bing Crosby (who he has named as his personal idol, and sung with). His voice is like butter and snowflakes and I just want to dance with him. Like a singing in the rain type deal (see video below, after the 15-second promo).

Most full-time artists, if they're in the industry long enough, end up making a Christmas album. I shy away from most of them, opting for the classics. It's not necessarily that they're "bad"; it's just that after a while, listening to different versions of all the same songs gets confusing. I like to identify the originals with Christmas. It feels more traditional, more special, that way. But this man I could not escape. He is, quite literally, an instant classic. And THAT is the long explanation as to why, this Christmas, I am getting my parents his CD. :)

Now back to finals and making Christmas presents!

♥ Maralah

Christmas!

I am the kind of person who, despite being a begrudging believer in consumerism, does not believe in decorating or preparing for any holiday before its time. It irks me beyond belief when stores put up Valentine's Day hearts in January, or Halloween cobwebs on the first day of October, or Thanksgiving paper turkeys before Halloween has even happened. Yet my one exception is that, as soon as the Thanksgiving leftovers are finished, I dive straight into Christmas mode. Because I LOVE Christmas, almost too much: often by the time December 25th rolls around, I have already out-Christmased myself and everyone around me. I have to work to contain myself.

It's impossible for me not to associate December with Christmas. After all, tree-putting-up and ornament-ing and gift-buying aside, my family celebrates Advent. The Advent calendar (chocolates!) and wreath/candles appear in my house like clockwork every year on the first Sunday of December (officially, the first Sunday of Advent; I suppose depending on the year it could be in late November? Don't make me do the math). So, all month, we are in Christmas mode, especially me.

Union Square, San Francisco

At the risk of sounding like I'm trying to trick you into thinking I'm a selfless angel...I love giving gifts more than receiving them. I'll tell you why that's not "selfless": because seeing the look on the receiver's face when they open your awesome present, that triumphant, loving feeling that you get, is one of the best feelings you can have. Giving a great gift is self-validation: I am thoughtful! I succeeded! They love it!

So I am already hard at work making gifts for my loved ones. Yes, making, not buying, because as a college student, I have two options: cheap and storebought, or cheap and handmade. The latter is INFINITELY better than the first. Also, I try really hard to gift things that are useful and needed, often topping off the useful present with a not-so-useful one. Exhibit A: I'm making my parents personalized wine charms(DIY post to come), because whenever they have people over, everyone gets their wine glasses confused. That's the useful part. Then on top of that, I'm getting them a Michael Buble CD (yet another post coming for why). Part useful, part superfluous (with a positive connotation), all awesome. Forgive me for tooting my own horn to no end.

Other things I love about the holidays:
- Ghirardelli peppermint hot chocolate
- Union Square in San Francisco
- Holiday jazz
- The culturally rich variety of holidays this time of year
- Big, cozy sweaters
- Fireplaces
- Still believing in Santa Claus (I always will!)
- Eggnog
- Christmas movies
- The Nutcracker
- Snow, or at least knowing it's snowing somewhere (no snow here in Cali)
- My sparkly pink Santa hat (thank you Victoria's Secret...0:))
- Winter wonderlands set up on neighborhood lawns
- Of course...winter break from school
- And best of all: the Christmas tree in the living room. Waking up in the middle of the night, expecting darkness, and instead being greeted by twinkling lights; constructing toy train tracks around the base of the tree; filling its branches with ornaments, each one with a memory of its own.


Trust me, this is only the introduction to a LOT of Christmas posts to come. Happy holidays! ♥