Solstice, Christmas, New Year!

Merry Christmas!

And if you don't celebrate it, then Happy Solstice (better late then never) and New Year!

I hope each of you gather with the most amazing people in your life and simply share the joy and love you have for each other. Life is so precious, it's worth celebrating at every and any possibility!

So let us have fun and ceLEbRaTE!!!

I challenged my talented photographer to take these pictures in a garage on one of the coldest and darkest nights we experience this Winter. We did not know how pictures would turn out, but we quite like the result. I like the juxtaposition of fancy outfit with tough industrial background. And I love the way portraits remind me of Rembrandt's paintings (dark and moody).

One of my favorite ways to celebrate is attending performances, which we do a lot during the holiday season, and I'd like to tell you about the most remarkable ones. On December 20th, we went to Tacoma for one of the most unique performances around here. PUGET SOUND REVELS is a local group of talented musicians who put together a Winter Solstice show (and other shows throughout the year) for 25 years already. We first heard about it 3 years ago, and I wrote about that performance HERE. This year, the music took us to Galicia, the northwest region of Spain (similar to the position of Washington State in the USA), and we got to travel the long, beautiful and challenging Camino de Santiago! Wahoo!

On our journey, we learned about authentic music and musical instruments, singing and dancing, costumes and tradition. All of it and the audience participation made this evening so incredibly charming and unforgettable! We loved it so much that we bought their CDs and danced a Galician folk dance at home! I wore what in my imagination is reminiscent of Spanish costumes (not at all what farmers of Galicia wore, of course), completed with scallop shell vintage earrings - a traditional symbol of Camino. Puget Sound Revels is a part of a nationwide movement, and you can see the whole list of cities with sister organizations and performances HERE.

At the age of 4, our daughter brought pencils and notebooks everywhere she went. She used to use every free minute to draw pictures, and she made little books of her own stories then. Now, at 14, she writes music as well as stories, she dances, sings...and sometimes she reads while she walks. :) 

The city looks so dressed up for the holidays. No wonder people around the world celebrate on the darkest days of a year. The everlasting continuum of darkness and light. Goodbye old life. Hello new one!

The performance took place at the Rialto Theater (built in 1918 as a movie theater). We were not allowed to take photos during the performance, but Justin took photos of the bright and beautiful theater interior. You can see pictures and videos of past performances on the website here: PHOTOS and VIDEOS. I hope that they will repeat EASTERN EUROPE soon - I'd love to see their interpretation of some of my home culture. Megan Oberfield, the music director, was Anya's music teacher in 4th and 5th grades. You should hear her singing, she's got the voice of an angel!

That's probably the last holiday performance I'm going to write about this year. The rest of the year we will spend quietly, enjoying the company of each other and tasty homemade meals. Some shopping, long walks and possibly a museum trip are on the list too, and I haven't been to banya in ages - but we must celebrate New Year clean, mustn't we? (Don't worry if you don't get it - it's a purely Russian joke!) 

HAPPINESS AND CHEER TO YOU AND YOURS!

My cheery turtleneck - thrifted (recent Goodwill find)

Velvet jacket - thrifted a few years back

Lace skirt - Who What Wear x Target

Boots (perfect for pilgrims) - Kenneth Cole Reaction

Earrings, brooch, purse - vintage

Fur coat and frog ring - Lane Bryant (old)

* * *