Celebrating the Holidays!

Posted on December 20, 2024 by Mike Nelson Pedde — Leave a reply

Hi Folks:

Tomorrow marks the winter solstice; we’re closing in on the end of another year. It seems 2024 has been a tough one for many but we’re continuing to open to ourselves and each other in many magical ways…

Last night we continued our annual tradition of seeing the movie Love Actually with friends at Cinecenta. The movie is a wonderful reminder of the many facets of love and how best to express them.

As we move toward the vernal equinox we will be entering the period where the days begin to lengthen once again (here in the northern hemisphere, at least). More light, more trust, new beginnings. It’s a choice each of us gets to make in every moment, so if you’re ever unsure how to react in any situation, be kind. It’s good for you, good for the other person, is non-fattening, doesn’t cause cavities and helps to make the world a better place, even just for a moment. And sharing kindness is often contagious! Pay it forward. 🙂

This image shows one of the trucks in the 2024 IEOA Lighted Truck parade and food drive. A soft-panel truck, it's heavily decorated with coloured lights and has two large plastic candles on either side of the windshield. The open area in the back has a scene from the Charlie Brown Christmas, featuring Charlie Brown, the small tree, Snoopy and his doghouse.

2024 IEOA Lighted Truck parade, Victoria, BC

“The Joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others’ burdens, easing each other’s loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of the holidays.” ~ W. C. Jones

Whether you celebrate Christmas or Festivus, Solstice or Saturnalia, the arrival of Sinterklaas or Grandfather Frost, Hanukkah, Yalda, Pancha Ganapati, Bodhi Day, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas, St. Lucia’s Day, Three Kings Day, Yule, Hogmany, Soyal, Ōmisoka, Eid al-Fitr (starting on March 31, 2025), Diwali (October 2025), or something entirely personal, from our house to yours, we wish you a Safe and Happy Holiday season! May 2025 find you safe, healthy and surrounded by Love. 💗

Hugs,
M&M
🎅🤶

Celebrating the Holidays!

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Mike Nelson Pedde — 2 Comments ↓

Hi Folks:

This Friday marks the winter solstice; we’re closing in on the end of another year. As the global pandemic has shifted to an endemic, we’re continuing to open to ourselves and each other – slowly and with caution, but still. Last night we hosted our first Christmas dinner with friends since 2019.

As we move toward the vernal equinox we will be entering the period where the days begin to lengthen once again (here in the northern hemisphere, at least). More light, more trust, new beginnings. It’s a choice each of us gets to make in every moment, so if you’re ever unsure how to react in any situation, be kind. It’s good for you, good for the other person, is non-fattening, doesn’t cause cavities and helps to make the world a better place, even just for a moment. And, sharing kindness is often contagious! Pay it forward. 🙂

A Christmas tree decorated largely with twinkling white lights and shiny silver balls, it also displays a heavy piece of cardstock with the message, "Peace on Earth"

Peace on Earth – Festival of Trees, the Bay Centre, Victoria, BC

“We’re all just walking each other home.” ~ Ram Dass

Whether you celebrate Christmas or Festivus, Solstice or Saturnalia, the arrival of Sinterklaas or Grandfather Frost, Hanukkah, Yalda, Pancha Ganapati, Bodhi Day, Kwanzaa, Eid al-Fitr (April 2024), Diwali (October 2024) or something entirely personal, from our house to yours, we wish you a Safe and Happy Holiday season! May 2024 find you safe, healthy and surrounded by Love. 💗

Hugs,
M&M
🎅🤶

Celebrating the Holidays!!

Posted on December 23, 2022 by Mike Nelson Pedde — Leave a reply

Hi Folks:

We’re running a little late with our Holiday Greeting this year… The winter solstice has come and gone, winter has descended up on us (here in Victoria, anyway!) and today marks the sixth day of Hanukkah.

As we move toward the vernal equinox we’re also entering the period where the days begin to lengthen once again (here in the northern hemisphere, at least). More light, more trust, new beginnings. It’s a choice each of us gets to make in every moment, so if you’re ever unsure how to react in any situation, be kind. It’s good for you, good for the other person, is non-fattening, doesn’t cause cavities and helps to make the world a better place, even just for a moment. And, sharing kindness is often contagious! Pay it forward. 🙂

A gingerbread creation in the shape of a pegacorn. Per the rules, everything in the display must be edible. In this case the horn is made from drawn sugar, the wings were individually hand-cut and the final result is just exquisite.

Pegacorn – by Selena Olivera for the 2022 Victoria Gingerbread Showcase for Habitat for Humanity.

“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” —Princess Diana.

Whether you celebrate Christmas or Festivus, Solstice or Saturnalia, the arrival of Sinterklaas or Grandfather Frost, Hanukkah, Yalda, Pancha Ganapati, Bodhi Day, Kwanzaa or something entirely personal, from our house to yours, we wish you a Safe and Happy Holiday season! May 2023 find you safe, healthy and surrounded by Love. 💗

Hugs,
M&M
🎅🤶

P.S. Above image made by Marcia.

Celebrating the Holidays!!

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Mike Nelson Pedde — Leave a reply

Hi Folks:

Well, we’re into our second pandemic Holiday season, and pretty much everyone is doing their best to make it through the day. It’s a good reminder to all of us that everything on this planet we call home is connected… certainly not a new idea, but one worth remembering.

As we enter the first full day of winter (here in the northern hemisphere, at least) we’re also entering the period where the days begin to lengthen once again. More light, more trust, new beginnings. It’s a choice each of us gets to make in every moment, so if you’re ever unsure how to react in any situation, be kind. It’s good for you, good for the other person, is non-fattening, doesn’t cause cavities and helps to make the world a better place, even just for a moment. And, sharing kindness is often contagious! Pay it forward. 🙂

From our house to yours, we wish you a Safe and Happy Holiday season! May 2022 find you safe, healthy and surrounded by Love. 💗

“Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.” – Barbara De Angeli

Whether you celebrate Christmas or Festivus, Solstice or Saturnalia, the arrival of Sinterklaas or Grandfather Frost, Hanukkah, Mawlid Un Nabi, Yalda, Pancha Ganapati, Bodhi Day, Kwanzaa or something entirely personal, we send you love. Create an amazing 2022!!

Hugs,
M&M

P.S. The image above is one made by Marcia during a recent visit to the Royal BC Museum here in Victoria. The image is iconic in that the 3rd floor of the museum, including the Old Town displays, will be closed on January 2, 2022 while the museum undergoes modernization and updating of their exhibits. Therefore, this is the last Christmas display there as it is now.

Happy Holidays!!

Posted on December 18, 2020 by Mike Nelson Pedde — 2 Comments ↓

Hi Folks:

Well, it’s been a year, to put it mildly. Ironic perhaps that in many ways the very things that have kept us distanced have brought us closer together. We’ve learned that while we see this planet as a huge place, it’s just a tiny blue ball in the vastness of space, and yet all of our loves and losses and hope and history are caught up on the surface of that little blue ball. In David Suzuki’s book, ‘The Sacred Balance’, he asks us to imagine a sphere the size of a basketball. Lay a sheet of tissue paper over the ball. All life on this planet of ours exists in that layer of tissue paper. As the Lakota people say, “Mitakue oyasin”: we are all related. The coming year promises to bring its own share of joys and challenges, but together we can build something beautiful.

Hugs,
M&M

P.S. So much of Christmas seems to be about gifting. We offer two thoughts from others on what gifting really means:

from Burning Man (click the image or the caption to go to the article – image Â© Jane Hu (2018)):

Embracing Gifting by Ditching Obligatory Present-Giving

from Robert Lee Fulghum: The Orange 🍊

Happy Holidays!!

Posted on December 21, 2019 by Mike Nelson Pedde — Leave a reply

Hugs,
M&M

Happy Holidays!!

Posted on December 22, 2018 by Mike Nelson Pedde — Leave a reply

Hi Folks:

Whether you celebrate Christmas or Festivus, Solstice or Saturnalia, the arrival of Sinterklaas or Grandfather Frost, Hanukkah, Mawlid Un Nabi, Kwanzaa or something entirely personal, we send you love. Create an amazing 2019!!

(Merry or Happy Christmas In Different Languages 🙂 )