christmas

Covid has kept us away for two years. Away from my family + my home state. But, finally, even as the omicron variant began to spread quickly + fiercely, Lina and I were extra…

There is no better time than now for a message of peace. And, though it may be 50 years old this year, John Lennon’s holiday song “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” continues to be…

We’re 2 weeks into the new year and I am finally sitting down to document what turned out to be a beautiful, slow simple holiday season for me. Lina + I started off December…

In Sweden, we celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. It’s an entire day filled with food, music, family, and traditions. And, this year, is a “Sweden year” for me + Lina; so we’ve taken the…

December is here. And I am pumped. Finally it’s time to bring out the Christmas music + just let it loop and shuffle and play from now until the New Year. Yep. I am…

I’m still slowly easing into 2017 even if on the outside it may seem that I have been busy. I began the year in Maine at my brother’s. Drove to Connecticut to my aunt’s…

As soon as I drove into my brother’s neighborhood Friday night, I had the feeling that I was gonna be celebrating “Christmas in Maine”… like a small town, coastal Maine Christmas movie. It just…

Happy Holidays!! I’m writing to you from my brother’s cozy little home on the coast of Maine, just outside of Portland. The sun is shining and it is frigid out. As soon as I…

so, what’s your holiday cheer status? are you one of those people who goes all in? or are you more of a blue christmas kinda person? and, if you go all in, do you…

this weekend i had a little holiday adventure. and i didn’t realize how badly i needed it until i was right in the middle of it all. you see, in europe, holiday markets are quite…

it’s podcast time! and this week we’re answering the questions that you sent in! thanks to you, we’ve covered everything from favorite christmas traditions to depression to living in denmark. i have to say, it was…

hello, my friends. well, december is here. and, oh how i love this month. not only for the holiday feelings, but for the darkness + coziness that it brings to us up here in…

well, i thought that last week was the last week of the year, but it turns out that we have one more bonus week to go. and i intend to use it exactly as…

hello, dear wonderful friends. it’s christmas eve. and i have a little gift for you.  it’s nothing big, nothing flashy, nothing material even. but, i really want to give it to you – and…

this morning (monday morning), i did my last meditation in the dark. starting tomorrow, i will begin to light candles as i usually do when i meditate. the ritual of lighting a candle before…

happy christmas week, you guys! can you believe that it is already here? i’m continuing my slow, simple advent theme all the way through christmas, i believe, so i am trying not to get…

a few weeks ago, as the christmas spirit was beginning to bubble up in me, i created a post that showcased my obsession with having a nordic-inspired holiday theme. you can see all of…

it’s 10:30 pm and i am barely gonna squeeze in this second sunday in advent’s post before the day is over. and even though i’m exhausted, i just couldn’t let this day end without doing…

i call it my advent cave. and, yes, i am going to hibernate in it for the next 4-5 weeks. sort of until the new year begins, i guess. in here, though, i will…

i believe that it is now time to turn on some holiday christmas music. whaddya say?! and, friends, i have had so much fun creating what i think is the perfect playlist just for you.…

with the holidays upon us, things usually go either one way or the other. it is often a time of sweet nostalgia and longing for holidays past. or, it is a time of gazing ahead, visioning how…

forget the weekend. who’s ready for the holidays?! raise your hand! both of my hands are up. can you see them?! in my little world, however, this is a problem. you see, i have a…

when you have two countries represented in your marriage, then you have the joy of living with two cultures. lina + i absolutely love having the opportunity to celebrate holidays by combining our two…

wishing you + yours a wonderful christmas day full of beautiful moments of peace + joy.   light + love xoxo…

god jul!! hello, friends! can you believe that it is christmas eve already? how did that happen?! things are pretty exciting in our home right now. since it’s christmas eve, it’s the big swedish…

did you feel it? did you see it? did you notice that the sun rose just a tad bit earlier today? the dark half of the year is over for those of us who…

i’ve been preparing for the winter solstice for days, even weeks, anticipating it with excitement, thinking + pondering + feeling + reading all of the signs in my life. listening to my soul. observing…

last january i met a blogging friend that i’d been keeping in touch with for a few years only through our blogs. she  was 20-something and lived in missouri. i was pushing 40 and…

my friends, monday night was super festive in my world. if i wasn’t in the christmas spirit before, i certainly am now! you see, lina and i gathered a bunch of warm clothes and…

i had every intention of writing this sometime monday morning. but, here it is, late monday night. i am sitting in near darkness, with only the soft glow of our red christmas star hanging…

right now, in the northern hemisphere, we are literally stuck in darkness. the days just keep getting shorter and shorter. the darkness is heavy + thick. and we are waiting. waiting for the light…

here we go, people. let the holidays begin! lina and i have begun the decorating process… just a little bit here + there right now. the christmas tree adventure is planned for tomorrow! but,…

Four years ago, on a beautiful, snowy Swedish day, I married my amazing Lina. It has been an incredible 4th year together… full of dreams coming true and strength beyond comprehension, and you know…

are you stuffed? or satisfied? do you feel exhausted? or energized? was it a peaceful day? or a wild & crazy one? whatever your christmas day has brought you, i hope that it has…

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is my favorite book of all time, so, back in September, when I ran across this essay that she had written, I knew that I would use her…

happy friday, friends! here in the mcguire-eriksson household things are full speed ahead with preparations for a full-blown housewarming/christmas party called “eat, drink, & be merry”! that’s right. tonight we’re the hosts with the…

it’s tuesday, and time to stop for a moment and think about all that has touched and piqued my senses in the last week… it was kind of a blended week, i think. busy…

there has been some serious sensory overload during the past week. from a 9 hour road trip in pouring rain to family to super amounts of yummy food to holiday fun to christmas tree…

i think this month snuck up on me. i was totally not prepared. like, not at all. first of all, november flew by like nothing i’ve ever experienced before. it felt as if it…

it’s official. the turkey has been eaten. the food coma has been cured. and the official holiday season has begun. the happy girl christmas dance has commenced! as i type this, christmas music is…

hi! it’s tuesday, so i’m a day late. but, oh well. i’ve been pretty busy on account of it’s not your ordinary week here in the states… it’s thanksgiving week!! and that means that…

shenanigans: silly or high-spirited behavior; mischief. my cousin has this word that she uses quite often, and when she was here just before christmas, she (we) used it quite a bit. “shenanigans.” awesome word,…

from my family to yours… happy holidays!! peace & love.…

“for all that has been, thanks. for all that will be, yes!” ~dag hammarskjöld happy holidays! peace.…

let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. ~ sy miller and jill jackson wishing you all, my dear readers, a beautiful holiday season. thank you for being who you…

it’s late on wednesday night. everyone in the house is asleep except me. i’m tired, but i now i will most likely wake up at 3:30am once again. damn jet lag. so, if i…

hey, folks! we made it! it’s a beautiful north carolina morning, we’re all rested (at least i feel that way right now. hehe.), and the adventures have already begun. well, we left a beautiful,…

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