If you are like me, the holiday season can be a mixed bag of cheer and a little loneliness. Part of me loves the thought of lights and magic and just waiting for it to all be over. So here are my ideas to beat the those holiday blues.
I recently found out a man I worked with in Slovakia, Doug Sandberg, passed away last week. I knew Doug was ill and had spoken to him about a year ago. I always meant to call him, but didn't get to it. This picture was taken New Year's Eve 2012. Doug and Karen were ESL teachers at a language school in Trenčin, not too far from where I was living in Piešťany.
1. Wow, that was great!
A few years ago I was living abroad and took a trip to Belgium for Christmas. I started out Christmas day by taking a train from Brussels to Bruges where I had, yep you guessed it, "Belgium waffles" at a little bistro in the center of town.
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| Bruges Canal |
From there I sent to Ghent for lunch and finished in Brussels for one of the best Christmas dinners I've ever had, mussels and Chimay Blue beer. Yummy! So, this year, I've decided to hunt for the best Boston restaurant that serves mussels and go for it!
2. What's new?
I live in one of the best cities in America. People come from all over to visit Boston. After I returned from abroad, I lived in Salem for a year-a-half. I always wanted to take one of the food tours so this year I decided on the Salem Food Tour with the lovely Karen Scalia.
Karen is a terrific tour guide. I learned all sorts of things about Salem that I didn't know. We started at the Phillips House, with a surprise guest, Ebenezer Scrooge, to tour with us. Hum Bug and all.
From there we went to my favorite winery, Salem Wine Imports and saw my good friend, Kathy Genis. We sampled holiday best wines and noshed on sandwiches from the best little market, a Taste of Honey.
I thought I had seen all the shops in town, but Karen surprised me with the Aroma Sanctum perfumes. Akuura Kulak, proprietor and aromatherapy designer, actually makes her own fragrances for individuals that meet their senses and skin chemistry. We ended the three hour tour with a cup of hot mulled cider at Salem Spices at Pickering Wharf.
3. Who's calling?
I recently found out a man I worked with in Slovakia, Doug Sandberg, passed away last week. I knew Doug was ill and had spoken to him about a year ago. I always meant to call him, but didn't get to it. This picture was taken New Year's Eve 2012. Doug and Karen were ESL teachers at a language school in Trenčin, not too far from where I was living in Piešťany.
I wish I had kept in touch with Doug. He was a smart man, with a hurting soul. I miss you Doug. Take this time to reach out to someone you haven't seen or spoken to in a while, even with a post on Facebook, wishing them well. You won't regret it.
And don't worry...the holiday's will be over soon. If this is your favorite time of year, that's great. But if it isn't, try these ideas to make it through. Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2017.
