It always amazes me how some traditions take shape- quietly, guided by the candlelight of one person. And become much more. Growing up, annual Christmas Eve party was our mom’s gift to her children, and to our friends and family alike. For weeks ahead of time, Mama, my sister, and I bake, planned, taste-tested, and prepared for the gathering. The stand-up freezer in the basement became filled with lasagnas, pies, and decadent treats that became traditions of their own, our mo

One of my favorite stories as a child was The Gift of the Magi . You may remember it, too. For Jim and Della, giving doesn’t come from abundance—it comes from within. Della sells her most treasured possession... her long, beautiful ha ir... to buy a gift for Jim. Not just any gift, but a watch band. A simple, perfect one. Jim’s watch is deeply sentimental, though the band has long been broken, and she wants to restore something he loves, something he carries with him each day

As Shared By David Cleveland, Written by Marcy Vierzen First Shared in an Email Blast From Artisan'sNovember 27, 2020 It was around 1987, in between the time David Cleveland was living out in Colorado and his move back to New Hampshire. Contemplating the magic of Christmas in New Hampshire, David returned to New London in mid December, and offered that it might be fun to put a Christmas tree up in the field.   His father, James C. Cleveland, who had served as a Congressman in

I have crossed paths with her a few times these past weeks, and each time I feel the same quiet anticipation. She is the Queen of Fisherfield Forest in Newbury, along the red-blazed trail. Not around a bend, not hidden at the beginning—but on the way down, closer to the end than the start. Exactly where you might expect a Queen to be: waiting, not seeking. Up close, I see her differently now. They aren’t branches, you see—they are arms. Thick and impossibly long, reaching out

Written In November 2020 The Fisherfield Tree Have you walked it before? The red blazed trail that loops around Fisherfield in Newbury, NH? There is a Queen  who lives along the way... a legend I am most certain. If the forest is a place that delights and enthralls you, if trees speak to you and move you in their presence and stillness, then in this time of quiet and transformation, consider seeking her out... sit with her for a spell.  A dear friend had invited me on this h