December 2022 in Pictures

“I heard a bird sing in the dark of December, a magical thing and sweet to remember: ‘We are nearer to spring than we were in September.’” — Oliver Herford, "Hope"

Punctuation

“We have a language that is full of ambiguities; we have a way of expressing ourselves that is often complex and elusive, poetic and modulated; all our thoughts can be rendered with absolute clarity if we bother to put the right dots and squiggles between the words in the right places. Proper punctuation is both the sign and the cause of clear thinking.” — Lynne Truss, Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation

Words are powerful, but let’s not forget to attend to punctuation — on the meaning that is conveyed through the smallest lines and dots in written communication and through cadence, tone, and expression in spoken language.

• Convey clear, concise meaning with full stops — period.

• Listen for pauses in thought — for the subtlety of a comma, the spontaneity of parentheses, and the urgency of an em dash. And always insist upon an Oxford comma.

• Cite sources to honor and promote the ideas of others.

• Ask questions, wonder, and seek clarification.

• Express joy, but refrain from using gratuitous exclamation points.

Links I Love • December 2022

Ad majorem Dei gloriam

• The 2022 Marquette Advent Calendar — I look forward to opening each day’s door. The contents are lovely.

• Love Actually Cast to Reunite for 20th Anniversary Holiday Special — I love this movie and watch it every Christmas season, even if some of the plot lines are controversial.

• UNESCO Bestows World Heritage Status on French Baguettes — They are a national treasure.

• How to Spend the Perfect Christmas in Paris

• Photos: The Most Beautiful Churches in Paris

• Eight Works of Art Hiding in Paris

• The 15 Best Museums in Paris

Currently • December 2022

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” — Norman Vincent Peale

ENJOYING:

• Ten days off — Although we don’t have any special plans for the holidays, I am so fortunate to be able to take a break.

• Decorating our 5 Christmas Trees: Our beautiful silver, white, and glass tree in the living room, a Parisian-inspired tabletop tree in the loft, a nautical tree with ornaments from our childhood in “the boys’ room”, a mini tree with vintage hand-blown glass balls and silver icicles from a flea market up north, and a woodland/Scandi tree on the deck.

• Lovingly wrapping packages just like Mom and Grandma Dodo.

• Shopping for gifts and send Christmas cards to friends and family.

• Driving downtown to see the Christmas lights.

• Burning candles that smell like Christmas trees and peppermint.

• Drinking egg nog, hot cocoa, and Champagne.

• Hosting friends and family: Nan and Mark came in early December to shop and dine and see Harry Connick, Jr.’s Christmas show at the Riverside. Uncle King and the Larsons celebrated an early Christmas with us on December 23rd with lots of lovely appetizer and Champagne, two sleepy teenagers, and 3 adorable beagles.

• Snuggling by the fire with Piper.

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READING:

• Miss Dior: A Story of Courage and Couture by Justine Picardie — “When the French designer Christian Dior presented his first collection in Paris in 1947, he changed fashion forever. Dior's "New Look" created a striking, romantic vision of femininity, luxury, and grace, making him--and his last name--famous overnight. One woman informed Dior's vision more than any other: his sister, Catherine, a Resistance fighter, concentration camp survivor, and cultivator of rose gardens who inspired Dior's most beloved fragrance, Miss Dior. Yet the story of Catherine's remarkable life--so different from her famous brother's--has never been told, until now” (Goodreads). The cover of the book is so beautiful and I was so sure that I’d love it, that I actually bought the book rather than borrowing it from the library. Big mistake. I should have heeded the old adage not to judge a book by its cover.

• Park Avenue Summer by Renée Rosen — Mad Men meets The Devil Wears Prada as Renée Rosen draws readers into the glamour of 1965 New York City and Cosmopolitan Magazine, where a brazen new Editor-in-Chief--Helen Gurley Brown--shocks America by daring to talk to women about all things off limits...New York City is filled with opportunities for single girls like Alice Weiss who leaves her small Midwestern town to chase her big city dreams and unexpectedly lands the job of a lifetime working for Helen Gurley Brown, the first female Editor-in-Chief of a then failing Cosmopolitan Magazine…As pressure mounts at the magazine and Alice struggles to make her way in New York, she quickly learns that in Helen Gurley Brown's world, a woman can demand to have it all” (Goodreads). Meh.

• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt — “For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus” (Goodreads).

• Paris in Love by Eloisa James — In 2009, New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James took a leap that many people dream about: she sold her house, took a sabbatical from her job as a Shakespeare professor, and moved her family to Paris. Paris in Love: A Memoir chronicles her joyful year in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

• The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown — “The story of the University of Washington's 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the boys defeated elite rivals first from eastern and British universities and finally the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler in the Olympic games in Berlin, 1936” (Goodreads). I re-read/read this book aloud to Eric :)

WATCHING:

• My favorite Christmas movies and specials — White Christmas, Love Actually, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown — Vince Guaraldi’s soundtrack always makes me smile while Linus’ recitation of the gospel of St. Luke always brings me to tears. “That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown!” We also watched Prep and Landing, and The Holiday.

• Emily in Paris Season 3 on Netflix — It’s my guilty, francophile pleasure.

• Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery on Netflix — World-famous detective Benoit Blanc heads to Greece to peel back the layers of a mystery surrounding a tech billionaire and his eclectic crew of friends.

LISTENING TO:

• My Christmas Playlist — Everything from Band Aid to Bing. Occasionally, I add something new, but this list has been my classic go-to for decades.

• Smooth Jazz Christmas station on Pandora — I can never get enough of Vince Guaraldi and George Winston, especially at Christmastime.

• Holiday Traditions on Sirius XM — Traditional holiday recordings from the ‘40s through the ‘60s. It’s so wonderfully nostalgic.

Looking Ahead…100 Days

“The idea of waiting for something makes it more exciting.” ― Andy Warhol

I’ll be back in Paris in 100 days! (Yes, that does deserve an exclamation point.) It will be nearly 3.5 years since my last visit. Now, with plans firmly in place for la rentrée à Paris on March 23, 2023, I am eager to start planning. I promised my travel companion (and myself) that I wouldn’t over-plan, but it is still fun to think about what to pack and what we might like to do this time. There are only a few things on my bucket list for Paris 2023:

• Watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle every night from our beautiful Paris Perfect Clairette apartment in the 7th arrondissement

• Shop in unique boutiques and discover les puces de Vanves to bring home some treasure(s) to remember our time in Paris

• Have a cocktail (Miss Bond) in Bar Hemingway at the Ritz

• Savor the flavors of Paris: Warm baguettes, sweet and/or savory crêpes, macarons at Ladurée, choux at Odette, fresh produce from the local market, bold reds and sparkling wines…

• See or do something new everyday — This is a great challenge, given that I have been to Paris so many times. Usually, I am helping someone else discover Paris for the first time so we tend to visit the “must-dos”. This time I can be much more casual and spontaneous.

• Take pictures of “the little things”— Sure, I’ll photograph the iconic monuments if we’re nearby, but I really want to focus on the little things that make Paris special.

This list is small, but there are so many more wonderful things to do either again or for the first time. Last year, I wrote a post in response to The Earful Tower’s Paris Bucket List and added a few ideas of my own. I wonder how many of these experiences I will discover (or rediscover) this time. The adventure begins in 100 days.

2022 Reading Challenge

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.” — Stephen King

GOAL: 30 BOOKS | BOOKS READ: 45 •  15,022 pages

• Books Borrowed from the Library: 20

• Books Borrowed from Friends: 2

• Books I Received as Gifts: 2

• Books I Purchased: 4 | Books I regret purchasing: 1

• Books I Reread: 4

• Books Set in Paris/France: 15

• Books Set in NYC: 7

• Books Set in New England: 5

• Books for Children (of all ages): 2

• Biographies/True Stories: 18

• Books for Professional Development: 3 focusing on grading, gradual release of responsibility, and inquiry

• Books by Female Authors: 32

• Books Outside My Comfort Zone: 4

• Average Book Length: 333 pages | Shortest Book: Grace the Giraffe in Paris (45 pages) | Longest Book: The Guest Book (484 pages)

• Favorite Books this Year: The Last Dress from Paris, The Philosophy of Snoopy

• Most Disappointing Book: The Book of Hope

For more information about these books, follow me on Goodreads.