ideas and perspectives on life

The Holidays and New Years were here now they’re gone. These past two weeks have been a blur. We celebrate Christmas in our house and this year’s was an enjoyable one. It was quiet and homey with my wife Adele, our kids Candice and Jake, and believe or not my ex-wife and her husband. We all enjoyed the day and afterward I decided we’re going to do a speaking tour, seminars and book on how to make divorce work.

Jake got a “bulldozer tractor” he was speechless when he saw it, literally. Candice, at 17, got a lot of gift cards and other grown up items. We hit a wall with a death in the family on the 26th and blurred through the next few days into New Years Eve.

New Years I stayed home, Adele went with her mom and Jake to an early family party. We quickly moved from Happy New Year to Happy Birthday Adele, Jan 3, finishing the two week blur with a birthday cake yesterday and gearing up for the work week today.

Whew…I need a vacation from the Holidays

Today “work” 2009 started off with a bang, clank, crack and fizz… Yes Matt it’s Monday.

My focus for this new year will be Namaste
Namaste everyone, Namaste

Tom Pellicane – Publisher

Happy new year! For 2009 I’m resolving to turn over a new leaf and start blogging more, as well as trying even harder to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

As many folks may have done during the current financial crisis, this year our family held our first giftless holiday. As it turned out, on many levels it was one of the least stressful, and most eco-friendly holidays we’ve ever had. No shopping meant not only saving money on purchases but also saving gas and freight, plus kept heaps of wrapping paper, scotch tape, tissue paper, boxes, shopping bags, and other gift refuse from ending up in the landfill.

Christmas dinner with the Murphy clan was also one of the most pleasant ever—without the usual chaos of handing out and ripping open endless presents (we are a big family, so this was always the craziest part of the celebration), it was a peaceful, relaxing evening where we could truly enjoy each other’s company and focus on good food and conversation.

So while I feel pretty good about lessening our carbon footprint by going giftless—let’s face it, who needs all that stuff, anyway?—there was one thing that tripped me up this holiday. Cookie guilt.

Every year I bake a variety of Christmas cookies, box them up, and give them out to family, friends, and neighbors. It’s one tradition I didn’t want to ditch this year, and am glad I didn’t as I finally hit upon the long-strived for secret to thin, crisp, perfect cookies (though that’s another story for another blog). However, during my cookie-baking bonanza, the eco-guilt began to creep up as the trashcan began to overflow.

Between the homemade English toffee and batches of oatmeal-craisin, chocolate chip, melting moments, chocolate wafers, and sugar cookies, I ended up discarding 15 cardboard boxes from butter and brown sugar (though luckily, my town finally began recycling cardboard in 2008), 40 wrappers from each stick of butter, 1 oatmeal canister, several plastic bags from the chocolate chips, craisins, almonds, walnuts, and brown sugar, 1 bottle from the vanilla extract, several eggshells and sheets of parchment paper . . . you get the picture. The guilt started to mount when I considered how much natural gas I was wasting with all that baking, and that the boxes the cookies got packed in and ribbons that tied them up negated the eco-friendly part of the giftless endeavor if my recipients aren’t as conscientious as me about recycling cardboard and re-using ribbon. Not to mention the reams of waxed paper I’d nestled the treats in that would surely get tossed.

I’m not sure what made me feel guiltier—the garbage I created or all the cookies I ended up eating (one must taste-test, after all). So while I feel good about keeping up the one tradition I know everyone enjoys, I may need to reconsider whether to continue the cookie extravaganza next year. Is the sweet-tooth bliss worth the global impact?

—Diana Murphy, editor in chief, canvas

Each season brings strength to the next…truly a circle…a line without end.  As the December Solstice arrived Monday I celebrated with a walk in the incredible silence outdoors thinking about the circle and the connected world. The barren yet snow covered tree branches provided a glimpse into a special winter world gifted to us only in the winter months providing opportunities for new perspectives.
Many of us have been guided by calendars of quarterly reports at the end of each 3 month period. We often look to the approaching day with dread, or minimally some sense of anxiety.  In direct contrast the quarterly celestial events of the solstices and equinoxes provide us by their very nature a sense of renewal and time of reflection in a more positive light.
As the cold winter days lie ahead, I know one day soon the crocus will surprise  as they poke their magnificent blooms above the snow drifts.  The glittering snowflakes will turn to rain and bring a new spring.
But for now, it is the season of giving. A season marked by opportunities to reunite with friends , family and even yourself. And this year in particular a season to note what really is important. (Start your new years list early at www.blist.com) Some other seasonal ideas….

• Simmer some cider and spice
• Curl up and read a good book
• Write an old fashioned note to a friend and mail it by the USPS
• Cut snowflakes out of the scrap paper you have lying around (use as gift tags or hang in your window.)
• Grab your galoshes and head outside to look through the wonderful window of winter

“Snowflakes are one of nature’s most fragile things, but just look at what they can do when they stick together.”

(attributed to Vesta M. Kelly)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

The weekend’s weather made me think about happenings in a matter of degrees. For example we went from cold, driving snow, snarling traffic and continued walk shoveling on Friday and Saturday; to a cold wet rain melting snowmen and erasing much of the effects of our first snow of the season. This morning I walked out of the house to a bone chilling 14 degrees and saw the weather tomorrow will bounce back up to the 40’s.

Am I a weather person? NO
Is this post really about the weather? NO
So what degrees am I really posting about? Degrees of past and present

While my life may not be 180 degrees from where it was, the events of this weekend highlighted just how many degrees its changed.

So here it goes….
Friday my mother in-law was helping out, watching my son Jake. She became snow bound with us, making her way home yesterday after the weather warmed.

I felt like I was watching Norman Rockwell scenes throughout the weekend…

Friday – My wife, Adele, and I returned home happy to see my Mother In-Law had been out playing with my son Jake in the snow. She had even managed to make a snow man, a feat for someone with a 2 year old that is usually intent on knocking things down as soon as they’re up. That night my daughter, Candice, joined us and they all began to make holiday cookies. Jake looked very cute in his Home Depot apron, standing on a chair to help mom mix the dough. Too many cooks in the kitchen aren’t good so I became the official sampler as opposed to a cook.

Saturday – I spent much of the day keeping up with the snow and getting the driveway cleaned out, while Adele, Jake and Candice finished getting the tree decorated. Upon Candice’s return from work efforts began to create a Pellicane gingerbread house. Again no small feat with a 2 year old. From the dining room I kept hearing…Stop Jake….are you kidding. Eventually Jake made his way to me with icing on his nose, cheeks, shirt – you get the picture.

Sunday - The weather broke and after breakfast my Mother-Law braved her way home. We continued on with the day, me waiting in anticipation of the Giants game – yea Giants, the others working to finish the gingerbread house and final decorations on the holiday cookies. Last night As Jake, headed off to bed with his mom’s help and Candice headed out for the night, I spoke with my brother Tony who lives in San Francisco. We talked about a few things, one being the church we each attend. Our call was interrupted by Jake’s I don’t want to go to bed routine, so I quickly ended the call going off to help Adele. The weekend closed with an unbelievable Giants win… did I say Yea Giants!

While I know I have had many memorable holiday moments. These three days had me thinking how many degrees I am, from where I was a few years ago. Not at the core, I’m still the same person but I could clearly see where I’ve gotten to in my life.

To use the words, snowman, cookies, gingerbread house and church all in the same description of my weekend is not something I could have foresaw a few years back. My brother and I chuckled as we talked about finding our paths to spirituality since our form experience with religion ended some 30+ years ago when we were kids. But here’s where I am and I’m very happy to be here.

Whew what a weekend…
Tom Pellicane – Publisher

Yea its snowing outside!

As the Holidays approach we, like many, are faced with changes in the lives. As small business owners we have faced the challenges like any business owner. Beyond that we have experienced a large change in our work life, as well as, rituals in our family. We’ll be thinking of those are will not be part of the Holiday ritual this year and wish them the happiest holiday.

I look forward to having some down time with my family and hope the snow will be here through next week. Maybe we’ll get to see my son, Jake’s, first sleigh ride. Or maybe we’ll better able to convince my daughter, Candice, to join us for ice skating. It would be great to enjoy some winter activities around this holiday.

In the spirit of the Holiday I’m going to end my post here and leave out a pent up rant about bailouts, main street, con games and political circle jerks. For now I’m just going to enjoy the snow coming down, get more work done and think about the fun we can have if it sticks.

Tom Pellicane - Publisher