Hard to believe it is once again the Holiday season. I have been sending this as my holiday card for 19 years. Aside from liking the sentiment, it does not lose its meaning for me…perhaps this year more than ever.

I wish all of you a Happy Hanukkah and a very Merry Christmas. Let there be love and happiness for each of us.

Today is the start of Hanukkah and Christmas is almost here. Are you still looking for last minute gifts to finish your list? Or is what-to-wear a bigger question for you right now?

Bloomingdale’s has a great selection of dressy items if you have a “big night” planned. Always fun to look at since most of us are more inclined to being in leisure outfits. But should you need something here are some ideas! Lots of sequins, feathers and faux fur. One of my favorite companies to follow is cinq a sept. They embellish jackets, tops and pants with beautiful brooches! Their price points are high. Look in your Jewelry boxes for brooches and place them on your jackets, tops and sweaters. Do multiples! It’s a great look.

For many people on your list sleepwear is, and always has been, a go-to holiday gift. Lounge socks are always a great gift too (look at Muk Luks on QVC). This is a reasonably priced gift and is always appreciated.

Gifts for special interests are always good choices too. There was a selection of martini accessories, games and teas.

Gifts of Beauty are always great gifts too. Most lines have a holiday gift box. Growing up Santa always brought the Estee Lauder box to me and I loved it.

Enjoy picking out the perfect gift for people on your list.

The decision has been made, and it was just announced. The color for 2026 is Cloud Dancer. Pantone says:

“With its expansive presence, PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer invites a space where function and feeling intertwine to build atmospheres of serenity and spaciousness, providing a refuge of visual cleanliness that inspires well-being and lightness”.

I am so pleased with their choice. I think that we all need to feel serenity and what better way to start than in the colors we select to wear and look at each day! As a cloud watcher I even love to think about the color name and envision the feelings of peace one gets when looking up at the sky.

The Winter Olympics are almost here. For our athletes Ralph Lauren has chosen all white for the opening ceremonies. Synchronicity!!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a positive, meaningful impact on hundreds of people? Have you ever even known a person like this? I am fortunate enough to know a person who fits this description. And how fortunate am I to be one of the people whose life has been changed for the better.

I met Father Mike when my life was changing. I decided to return to my Catholic roots. I began to go to mass on a regular basis rather than just the holidays. Listening to Father Mike on Sundays added “something” to my week. I moved to another town and a few years later it was announced that he would be joining my parish. I was thrilled and told everyone “Wait until you see him Baptize a baby!!” Its like watching Lion King! Mike was 6’6″ and he would lift the newly Baptized baby up in the air! I’m sure it scared a few parents until they got used to seeing it!!

Tom and I met around this time and he would come to church with me. As a couple we became friendly with Father Mike. He married us. We would have dinner together regularly and he was so comforting as I went through the end-of-life chapters in my parents’ lives. Then Tom died at the beginning of the pandemic. Again, he got me through it. He met us at the cemetery where all we were able to do was say a prayer together. We were not even allowed in the mausoleum. The world as we knew it was closed. Father Mike checked on me regularly. Eventually the church reopened and Father Mike was there for all of us. He Baptized my 3 grandchildren on Tom’s birthday the year he died. He got me through some serious medical issues and when I healed, he did the Celebration of Life for Tom since we had not been able to have a funeral. He knew that I needed to find a new purpose in my life and he helped me to find my way. You can say with certainty that my life was changed by our friendship. We frequently went out to dinner and we would talk about everything.

Now, here comes the amazing part. If you were to talk to everyone at his funeral, you would hear the same kinds of stories over and over. How is it possible that one person can have enough time and enough insight to help so many people grow in their faith? How can one person make so many people feel that they are the most important person in the room and that their opinion matters?

Until knowing this man and experiencing our friendship I would not have thought that one person can have that kind of impact on so many people. I am so privileged to have had this man as my friend and spiritual advisor. For all he has done for so many people, may he Rest in Peace knowing the impact he had on all of us.

If not you, then Who?

If not now, then When?

Just asking!!

My trip to Scandinavia is in the books! This is my third blog for this trip, so I guess I had a lot to say. The other two blogs were on The Doors of Scandinavia and Scandinavian Street Fashion and Stores. This one will be about the experience and the sights seen.

The tour I took was through EF Go Ahead Tours. This is the second EF tour I have been on and I enjoyed it very much. It was a two week tour with a very ambitious itinerary. We joked that this was the “planes, boats and trains” tour! The itinerary had us flying into Bergen Norway, for days 1-4. Then we flew to Oslo, Norway for one night and then an overnight cruise to Copenhagen, Denmark on day 6. On day 9 we flew to Stockholm, Sweden. On day 11 we cruised overnight to Helsinki, Finland. While in Bergen Norway we also traveled on trains to see the Fjords. And of course we were on motorcoaches for the tours in each city. The thing I like best about EF is that there is built in free time for you to explore and do what you want to do. We had a fabulous tour leader who was very knowledgeable and had plenty of patience to cope with 35 adults! Imagine the skill set one needs to successfully manage all of the modes of transportation and managing all of the local tour guides in each city. Our tour leader got a 5 star rating from me!!

The hotels in each city were good choices. In Bergen we were at the harbor. Easy walking distance to anywhere! This was The Clarion Admiral Hotel. The hotel was older and there was no air conditioning. I got that information from one of the housekeeping staff…”there is no air conditioning in the rooms. You can open the windows”. Well, since I could hear all the birds flying around the harbor, I opted to just open the windows a little bit so that I would not have any guests come in while I was out! The bar and restaurant were air conditioned, so I did survive!! The hotel in Oslo was the Radisson Blu Park Hotel. I do love Radisson Hotels. I love the scent of Radissons. I forgot to ask what the name of the air scent was, and I am hoping to be able to find out! This hotel was a bit out of the mainstream but we were only there for one night so it was fine. Very nice hotel and restaurant. In Copenhagen we were at the Copenhagen Island which is part of the Arp-Hansen Hotel Group Copenhagen. This was a very stylish hotel on an artificial island in Copenhagen’s harbor. Beautiful, and it was a good location too. It was right near a Metro stop which we did use as well as Uber and of course, walking. In Stockholm we were at Courtyard Stockholm Kungsholmen. “Stockholm’s city center is located on 14 islands while the entire Stockholm archipelago stretches into the Baltic Sea, consists of nearly 30,000 islands, inlets, and skerries.” In Stockholm we opted for Uber to get us around as well as walking. The hotel in Helsinki was another Radisson, Radisson Blu Aleksanteri. Terrific location and the restaurant was good. Helsinki is a walkable city. The two nights we cruised overnight were really fun. These ships have lower levels for cars. People living there plan getaways on the ships for an overnight to get to another country and then drive their cars off in the morning! Accommodations were simple, but adequate and there were several restaurants on the ships as well as duty free shopping!

When I travel, I love seeing how people in different countries live. For the 4 countries I was in, the one main feeling I got was one of calmness. They are very athletic people. Most cycle EVERYWHERE! I think Copenhagen had the most cyclists. Everywhere you would see people out running. And I have to say, everyone looked happy! Studies show that Finland has the happiest people on earth…Do you think that is even more than at Disney??? I think all of Scandinavia is “happy”. Our guide in Finland said it is more like people are content. Isn’t that great?? Interesting comparison, Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen served as an inspiration to Walt Disney in 1951 when he visited Tivoli Gardens. He took notes on landscaping, food and the family friendly environment. Funny, I entered Tivoli Gardens and said to my friend that it reminded me of Epcot and at that time I had no knowledge of Walt Disney being there in 1951!! One happy place breathing life into another happy place.

I learned about Fika in Sweden, this is “a coffee and cake break”, but it is “a cultural and social ritual rather than a quick break”. Everyone should start this practice to slow down, connect with friends and acquaintances and recharge. In Sweden it is coffee or tea and a sweet treat which is usually their outrageously good sticky cinnamon buns. And did I mention how the DANISH DANISH is a perfect start to each day??

The weather is fairly unpredictable in Scandinavia. It rains a lot. In fact, we had such beautiful weather everywhere that the guides kept telling us how fortunate we were. Every day showed rain on the weather map in each country, but it was beautiful. The rain did not catch us until Finland and even there it rained for a morning and then got nice!! And then when winter comes, it gets really cold. But what they say is there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing! Everyone is outside for a portion of every day. School children go out regularly for recess…their warm clothes are there at school with them to put on! They are outside regardless of the weather forecast.

Can’t say enough good things about this trip. The Fjords were amazing. Photos don’t do it justice. You can’t A-fjord to miss seeing them in your lifetime!!! So many beautiful sights in all four countries.

Yes, I was tired at days end, but it was a good tired that made sleeping each night easy. How could you not say all good things about a trip that started with seeing a rainbow on the first afternoon in Bergen Norway after a shower? And then we saw a second rainbow at the airport in Helsinki Finland before we boarded our plane home.

There was another “luck” theory I have too. My parents would say if you see a bride and groom while you are on vacation it will bring you good luck. Well, we got see a couple in Copenhagen outside of City Hall and then we saw another couple in Helsinki at Temppeliaukio Church. I figure with 2 rainbows and 2 weddings I should be looking at some good luck ahead!

Here are some highlights from the trip.

Bergen Norway-Rainbow #1 in the first photo

Had to show you a “typical” street…must make orthopedic surgeons smile!!

Borough of Fana- the medieval style Fantoft Stave Church

Views of Bergen after going up on the Floibanen funicular

The Fjords

OSLO NORWAY Fram Museum, National Gallery

OSLO Opera house

OSLO Vigeland Park

From Oslo to Copenhagen

sunset

COPENHAGEN DENMARK

Sunrise, Little Mermaid

Bikes everywhere!!!

The first bride and groom we saw!

Tivoli Gardens

Copenhagen

STOCKHOLM SWEDEN

ABBA Museum

Royal Palace

old town, Vasa museum

Overnight to Helsinki Finland

Helsinki- 2nd bride and groom, Temppeliaukio Church

Sibelius Park, Men at Work

2nd rainbow

That’s it for this trip. What a great experience.

I just got back from a fantastic vacation in Scandinavia. In addition to seeing all the sights you associate with Scandinavia, for me, an additional interest is street fashion and what is being shown in the stores! My long-term career in fashion lingers forever. I simply cannot help myself from checking everything out. I’ve gotten really fast at snapping photos of women who have given thought to what they put on before leaving the house. My camera is always available so that I can capture how women around the world want to dress.

Weather in this area of the world does present challenges. It is an outdoor way of life. People are always outside-walking, hiking, jogging, biking. It gets cold and there is plenty of precipitation (except on this trip…which we were told over and over how lucky we were with the weather we were having) and the best line I heard is “there is no bad weather…only bad clothing”.

On the street the biggest trend is denim which is pretty universal. Midi and maxi lengths were popular. And feminine styles of tulle and lace trims were all over. And it comes as no surprise that sneakers and flats rule! This makes it much easier to stay upright on all the cobblestone, slate, ridiculous inclines and stairs galore.

I did fit into my schedule a little time to see department stores in each city.

In Bergen Norway I visited SUNDF & COMPANY. This store was first established in 1845. I would compare it to Macy’s or Nordstrom. I did not find this location very exciting. It was geared to wool merchandise and nothing in their displays grabbed me. They did have an extensive cosmetic department. Speaking of cosmetics and beauty products, I went into a Lyko. Lyko is a Swedish cosmetic company and a leading Nordic e-commerce company. Their shopping bag reads “Your beauty playground”. I felt like I had walked into a very lively Sephora. Made me want to buy something and I did! I bought a Swedish hair product for hydration from Waterclouds and it is fabulous!

The next department store I stopped in was in Copenhagen. The name of the store is MAGASIN du NORD, founded in 1868. The parent company is Peek and Cloppenburg in Germany. This department store is comparable to Macy’s, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s. I did find a nice pair of striped fingerless gloves that I had hoped to find on this trip. I think this store could be called a destination store. It is a beautiful store and has an entire lower level where you can buy interesting food and wine. There is also an extensive selection of interior design brands.

NORWAY-Bergen Norway-on the street

COPENHAGEN-on the street

On to SWEDEN where I went to Nordiska Kompaniet (NK department store). This is a beautiful department store established in 1915. It is in the luxury category and compares to Bloomingdale’s. I was in this store on a Saturday and it was very active. Great floor displays.

And then I got to Helsinki Finland! I can understand why the people here are so happy if having a beautiful shopping environment plays a part in their lives!! Two magnificent department stores in the city center are Sokos and Stockmann. Sokos is a department store chain founded in 1952. The parent is S group which was founded in 1904. I loved Sokos! They offer the latest trends and have inspiring ideas. They have mid-to-upper price points and can be compared to Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom. Merchandise was beautifully displayed. I was very happy to find a printed silk scarf that was designed in Finland. I also purchased a bracelet from their “pop up” display. The other major department store I went into is Stockmann. Stockmann is upscale and totally gorgeous! It can be compared to Neiman Marcus or Nordstrom. This is the largest department store in the Nordic countries. It was founded in 1862. Seeing this store made me think about adding a piece luggage for my return trip home. There was so many beautiful cashmere items! Helsinki also has other great shopping in the city center. Their indoor vertical malls are quite nice.

Helsinki-on the street

HELSINKI -SOKOS DEPT STORE

HELSINKI-STOCKMANN DEPT STORE

In addition to all of the beautiful sites to see in Scandinavia it was very enjoyable to do some shopping!

There were so many doors to photograph. One could be snapping continually! A door would catch my eye, and I would stop and line up the shot. I appreciate my friend’s patience when I would stop. Sometimes it was even in the middle of saying something!!

I selected what I thought were my best photos for you to look at. I am so happy that many of my friends were asking me if there would be a Door Blog after this trip and that they were looking forward to seeing it.

I will be doing a Scandinavian fashion blog as well as one giving a recap of the entire 4 country tour. It was a great trip. I hope that you enjoy seeing all the photos.

Added notes: With the Bergen group is a “gate” on a wall with no door behind it. Wonder what that’s all about!! With the Oslo group is a photo of 2 tiny windows in a stone wall. Had to share that!!

BERGEN, NORWAY

OSLO, NORWAY

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

HELSINKI, FINLAND

We are supposed to be getting a break from the heat next week. This could be perfectly timed with the arrival of the September issue of Vogue! This is one of my favorite moments of the year! This is not only because I love the cooler weather and clothes for the autumnal season. I love it because it brings back so many memories of waiting for Seventeen Magazine to publish the Back-to-School edition. When it arrived, my friends and I would sit at the pool and check out the fashions for the upcoming season. It may sound shallow, but it sure did make me happy! I did not realize back then that I would actually end up with a career in fashion. Now that I am retired, I still get that same thrill when the season is changing.

Fashion sources are talking about how to turn your closet around for a new season. I read a few recommendations from Marie Claire and Glamour. In color, start to bring in brown. Chocolate Brown is the trending shade. This will be your biggest fall friendly neutral. Add chocolate to your elevated basics, suit separates and dresses. Trade in linen for suede. Suede is always RICH! Retire white skirts and bring in lace trim pieces. Victorian Romance looks will be leading fall trends. Think satin skirts with lace trim. Remember when we all wore lacey slips UNDER our dresses and skirts? Now versions of that ARE the skirt! Wrap skirts are also trending. Glamour says Boho looks will be everywhere. There will be loose floral dresses, billowing lace tops, slouchy boots. Billowy dresses can be styled over jeans. Throw on a vest, add a rich plaid, add touches of embroidery and fringe details. Silk bandanas can complete a look. Glamour recommends shopping the look at Free People. Look around. You can pull out looks that are appropriate for your age and body type. In footwear as the temperatures drop, replace flip flops with peep toe shoes. Kitten heels and shaped heels are showing up all over as well as ballet flats and of course slouchy boots. In jewelry bring on Bangle bracelets. Mix, match and stack. You will see bangles placed over sweater cuffs. Resin bracelets and Lucite styles will be popular.

Here is a peek at Bloomingdale’s. So much more to come as the season unfolds. Have fun!

My latest European adventure was a Viking cruise on the Elbe River. I had never had a lot of interest in river cruises. My friend had booked this cruise, and it sounded interesting to me, so I booked it too. What appealed to me most was that it started in Prague with two nights in a hotel and ended in Berlin with two nights in a hotel there. I had been in Prague in December for the Christmas markets and liked the idea of crossing the Charles Bridge in a tee shirt rather than a down coat! Prague has jumped up on my list of favorite cities. We were booked at the Marriot Hotel which is a beautiful hotel, and the location was super. What also intrigued me with this trip was seeing Berlin, which was a city on my bucket list, and it was two-night hotel stay.

In-between the hotel stays in Prague and Berlin, we would be cruising the Elbe River and making stops in some beautiful German cities. Sounds good right? It would have been had Mother Nature cooperated. It had been a winter without snow in parts of Germany and the snow from the mountains feeds the river. There also has been very little rain. When we got to Prague, I found out that it was official, there was not enough water to cruise. Well, what exactly would we be doing? Since there was nothing I could do about this I decided to enjoy Prague as planned and worry about the rest later. And I sure did enjoy Prague!! One should be careful what you wish for. I wanted to “cross the Charles bridge in shirt sleeves”…well, there was record breaking temperatures while I was there. One day I noodled around the city on my own. I was on a mission to find a sunflower door that a friend had brought to my attention on a Prague blog. I checked on the internet and found an address for where this door was and one morning I set out to find it. I love to photograph doors and I wanted my own photograph of this one. It was a bit of a walk, but it was worth it. Along the way I found other doors to photograph too. You can see other door photos in my Blog “Doors of Prague” (July 2025). I did wander around the Charles Bridge taking photos and stopping at the local artist’s stands to look at paintings and handmade crafts. I bought a lovely painting. A great tour one evening was Prague at night. It took us to Letna Hill and the Strahov Monastery for spectacular views of the city. We also saw the Lennon Wall which I had not seen on my first visit to this city.

The first photo is The SunFlower Gate. The next set of photos is The Charles Bridge

Letna Hill

Lennon Wall

My friend had searched the internet for restaurants, and she found two terrific places. One was La Republica (excellent traditional Czech restaurant with a beautiful bar). The other one was La Boca (Spanish and Argentinian tapas!). Both were excellent choices!

After 2 nights in Prague it was time to move on to what was supposed to be a cruise. We were taken to a ship parked on the Elbe. They said we would be bused to most of the places that were on the itinerary. First we were bused to Decin where we spent 2 nights on this first “Houseboat”(my term since we were not going to be cruising) and then we spent 3 nights further along the river in Wittenberg on another boat.

From the first boat location we were bused to Bad Schandau where we went to the national park which was gorgeous.

The next day we bused to Dresden and saw the Zwinger Palace. we toured the museum and saw the Dresden Green Diamond which is a 41-carat natural green diamond which originated in the mines of India. We had lunch at a fun restaurant, Sophienkeller.

It was a beautiful day for clouds in Dresden!

From here we were bused along the river to Wittenberg. Another beautiful city with close ties to Martin Luther. The Lutherhaus is now a museum. You can see here the door where his 95 Theses was “nailed”.

We disembarked the Viking Astrild after 2 days in Wittenberg. We boarded the bus and went to Potsdam where we toured the Cecilienhof Palace which is where the Potsdam Conference of 1945 was held. This didn’t look like a Palace to me. It was more like a lovely Tudor style home that you can find in New Jersey! From here we went on to the Sanssouci Palace which was built by King Frederick the Great as his summer palace. The name in French means “without a care”. He wanted this palace to be strictly for enjoyment!

The first 6 photos are from the Cecilienhof Palace

Sanssouci Palace

We boarded the bus again to head to Berlin. First stop was to walk across the “Bridge of Spies”. This bridge, Glienickie Bridge was the exchange point for spies during the Cold War.

From here we headed into Berlin

We arrived at the beautiful Radisson hotel. My room had great views! Temperatures continued to soar in Berlin. Thank goodness for air conditioning!

I figured a “must do” in Germany would be a beer tasting. The first night in Berlin I went to a beer tasting at the Lemke brewery. The first two were good, the 3rd and 4th tasted like gym socks!!

The next morning was a great tour of Berlin. We went to Checkpoint Charlie and Brandenburg Gate. We saw the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. This memorial was designed by an American architect Peter Eisenman and Buro Happold. There are 2,711 concrete slabs arranged in a grid pattern. It is very moving.

Next was the East Gallery. This is a section of the original Berlin Wall where there are 106 murals painted by international artists. It is AMAZING!

This was a sunset on the Spree River on my last night in Berlin.

All in all it was a very good trip. Aside from the fact that it became a tour by bus it turned out OK. When given lemons you have to make lemonade!! Viking bent over backwards to make this an enjoyable trip and they are giving voucher compensation for the disappointment of no cruise. Since having this experience, I have heard from others that there can regularly be river water problems-either too much water or as in this case, not enough water. So, there are accommodations that have to be made. The sights were beautiful, the hotels were wonderful, the “houseboat” was fine, the crew and Viking employees were fabulous, and I met some really terrific people! In fact, I have already seen one couple when I was in the south visiting friends last week! Always great to make new friends!

Take a look at three other blogs I wrote for this trip- Street Fashion in Prague and Berlin, Doors of Prague, and Doors and Portals in Germany.

Thank you for traveling with me.