It is so nice to hear that the lighting in your home or in an other place do matter ... sometimes I feel a bit like an alien because the right light is so important to me and it can change my feelings about the environment or place or event where I am. Nice to know there are other aliens too ;-) !
I wish you and your family a warm and deLIGHTful end of the year with laughter, good food and lots of love!
You are definitely not alone, my friend! The thing that makes me feel like an "alien" is that I can often hear a buzzing sound coming from lights that are dimmable... ESPECIALLY if they are dimmed down low. They need to be all the way up, or all the way off, and that is it lol. Hope you have a quiet final week of the year, maybe filled with some yummy treats!?
And a very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to both you and TM (and all the other little munchkins in your lives).
You write: There is almost nothing I enjoy more than reading by a Christmas tree.
Ditto goes for me around this time of year as I too enjoy reading my Kindle e-reader late into the evening, with only our Christmas tree lights lit up around me. Nice & cozy.
Take care and we'll all get back here next January to exchange good times in our lives.
Aww, what a delightful read in the midst of so many emails, so much dog sitting, cat sitting, and a really hard week holding things with friends and having one of our families at work suffer a deep tragedy that took someone’s life. This was all so light and cheery! Exactly what my overwhelmed heart needed! You sound so content and I am so happy for you! Merriest Christmas to you & Happiest New Year!!!
I'm so glad it felt that way for you to read, Heidi! In and amongst all the pets you'll be surrounded by, take good care of yourself over the holidays. Merry Christmas! ✨
You're right, it has been! I'm a fairly slow reader, so I'm only about halfway through the book... but I LOVE the writing! Makes me wonder what you might be reading over the holidays!? Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well, Sorana!
I had a cold over the holidays so I *had* to stay in bed mostly and read (woe is me 😆). I read through the first two books of the Tainted Cup series. I’m not much for fantasy but these really grabbed me and even though I’m a bit late to the game, I highly recommend these for just pure fun!
When my BC cousins came to stay with us after their Dad passed away last year they left me love notes of thanks describing our house as cozy. My mind immediately became critical wondering what our house was lacking. I have come to realize that a cozy home is like an inviting warm hug. A deep sigh of relief and gratitude. As for Christmas lights I have a ceramic tree with little lights that I will plug in today. I hope you have a wonderful holiday Cait!💚❤️
Oh wow, how interesting that "cozy" almost felt like a negative word, at first! Or seemed to have a negative connotation. I'm so glad you were able to recognize it for the hug that it is. Because that is definitely how I feel in the rooms here! Hugged! Happy holidays, Michelle! ✨
Oh my gosh, Kitty IS SO CUTE. She must love her special morning time with you, reading near the Christmas tree. I love the hand-painted watercolor cards and the beautiful sugar cookies! I’m the same: light is so important to me. I have an electric candle in our bedroom that turns on & off at set times every evening, and it looks so real (without fear of it starting a fire). I absolutely love it! We also keep fairy lights up all year. They spark so much joy. I’ve realized that having my little twig tree with string lights helps so much during the dark time, so I put it up just after Thanksgiving with no ornaments. I decorated it last night while my partner played DJ. I’ll leave the Christmas decorations and ornaments up until New Year’s Day, and then I’ll un-decorate, BUT I’m going to leave the little tree with lights up until Imbolc. That way it will have fully cheered us through the dark season. 🕯️
Thanks to TM for the idea of smart plugs. We might have to try that…
I’m wishing you and your family cozy, happy holidays!!! 🎄❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚
Isn't she the CUTEST!? Ahhh I love her so much. And I love the idea of an electric candle, friend! I've always loved real candles, but as I've been getting older, I've noticed I'm starting to feel... I don't know... more aware of how dangerous they can be!? So I rarely light them now. But they do provide such a soft glow. I'm glad you've been able to find an alternative that brings you so much joy! Enjoy the lights for as long as you need them! Happy holidays to you and yours, Bree! 🎄✨
This post gave me some good ideas about how to make my home more cozy and pretty by using different lights. Thank you for the inspiration and all the lovely photos. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and Merry Christmas! 🎄🕯️
Cozy holiday wishes to you and yours! And omg, the Big Light, I thought I was the only one who called it that! I'm so averse to bright light that its truly a very specific choice when I turn mine on in any space in my house. Instead, I have lamps and other low lighting areas that I much prefer...but it's hard to clean with those low lights LOL.
I hope your holidays are wonderful! I used to have fairy lights all around my living room and on either sides of the many windows. Then I adopted a cat who chewed the cord; I think he must have liked the shock he would get? IDK... but I quit putting them up at all after replacing them three times. But he has passed on due to his outside adventures, and now I have cats who I believe would not chew the cord. One is a tuxedo, and so of course I loved the picture of your tuxedo cat! You have inspired me to get some more fairy lights and to try again; I forgot how much I loved them! Thank you. I'll look forward to reading more of your writing in the new year!
I'm so sorry you lost your outdoor kitty, Sally. But it definitely sounds like it's worth testing out what the new kitties would do! Hope they leave them alone, so you can enjoy the lights! Happy holidays + new year, see back here very soon ☺️
Hi Cait,
It is so nice to hear that the lighting in your home or in an other place do matter ... sometimes I feel a bit like an alien because the right light is so important to me and it can change my feelings about the environment or place or event where I am. Nice to know there are other aliens too ;-) !
I wish you and your family a warm and deLIGHTful end of the year with laughter, good food and lots of love!
Kaatje :-)
You are definitely not alone, my friend! The thing that makes me feel like an "alien" is that I can often hear a buzzing sound coming from lights that are dimmable... ESPECIALLY if they are dimmed down low. They need to be all the way up, or all the way off, and that is it lol. Hope you have a quiet final week of the year, maybe filled with some yummy treats!?
Hi Cait!
And a very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to both you and TM (and all the other little munchkins in your lives).
You write: There is almost nothing I enjoy more than reading by a Christmas tree.
Ditto goes for me around this time of year as I too enjoy reading my Kindle e-reader late into the evening, with only our Christmas tree lights lit up around me. Nice & cozy.
Take care and we'll all get back here next January to exchange good times in our lives.
Sound like a plan?
Ahhh it's just the best! The coziest reading setup imaginable. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, my friend! And yes, see you back here very soon!
Aww, what a delightful read in the midst of so many emails, so much dog sitting, cat sitting, and a really hard week holding things with friends and having one of our families at work suffer a deep tragedy that took someone’s life. This was all so light and cheery! Exactly what my overwhelmed heart needed! You sound so content and I am so happy for you! Merriest Christmas to you & Happiest New Year!!!
I'm so glad it felt that way for you to read, Heidi! In and amongst all the pets you'll be surrounded by, take good care of yourself over the holidays. Merry Christmas! ✨
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Cait! I loved Wild Dark Shore - feels like a perfect book to read by the tree!!
You're right, it has been! I'm a fairly slow reader, so I'm only about halfway through the book... but I LOVE the writing! Makes me wonder what you might be reading over the holidays!? Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well, Sorana!
I had a cold over the holidays so I *had* to stay in bed mostly and read (woe is me 😆). I read through the first two books of the Tainted Cup series. I’m not much for fantasy but these really grabbed me and even though I’m a bit late to the game, I highly recommend these for just pure fun!
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! The Year of More is on the horizon!
It really is, Louise! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too! ✨
Cozy is the best vibe a home can have in my opinion :) What a wonderful gift! Happy Holidays to you and yours :)
Same to you, my friend! And here's to finding more great books in 2026!
When my BC cousins came to stay with us after their Dad passed away last year they left me love notes of thanks describing our house as cozy. My mind immediately became critical wondering what our house was lacking. I have come to realize that a cozy home is like an inviting warm hug. A deep sigh of relief and gratitude. As for Christmas lights I have a ceramic tree with little lights that I will plug in today. I hope you have a wonderful holiday Cait!💚❤️
Oh wow, how interesting that "cozy" almost felt like a negative word, at first! Or seemed to have a negative connotation. I'm so glad you were able to recognize it for the hug that it is. Because that is definitely how I feel in the rooms here! Hugged! Happy holidays, Michelle! ✨
Oh my gosh, Kitty IS SO CUTE. She must love her special morning time with you, reading near the Christmas tree. I love the hand-painted watercolor cards and the beautiful sugar cookies! I’m the same: light is so important to me. I have an electric candle in our bedroom that turns on & off at set times every evening, and it looks so real (without fear of it starting a fire). I absolutely love it! We also keep fairy lights up all year. They spark so much joy. I’ve realized that having my little twig tree with string lights helps so much during the dark time, so I put it up just after Thanksgiving with no ornaments. I decorated it last night while my partner played DJ. I’ll leave the Christmas decorations and ornaments up until New Year’s Day, and then I’ll un-decorate, BUT I’m going to leave the little tree with lights up until Imbolc. That way it will have fully cheered us through the dark season. 🕯️
Thanks to TM for the idea of smart plugs. We might have to try that…
I’m wishing you and your family cozy, happy holidays!!! 🎄❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚
Isn't she the CUTEST!? Ahhh I love her so much. And I love the idea of an electric candle, friend! I've always loved real candles, but as I've been getting older, I've noticed I'm starting to feel... I don't know... more aware of how dangerous they can be!? So I rarely light them now. But they do provide such a soft glow. I'm glad you've been able to find an alternative that brings you so much joy! Enjoy the lights for as long as you need them! Happy holidays to you and yours, Bree! 🎄✨
This post gave me some good ideas about how to make my home more cozy and pretty by using different lights. Thank you for the inspiration and all the lovely photos. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and Merry Christmas! 🎄🕯️
Oh I'm so glad, Peg! TM will like that feedback too, I'm sure ☺️ Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! See you back here soon!
Cozy holiday wishes to you and yours! And omg, the Big Light, I thought I was the only one who called it that! I'm so averse to bright light that its truly a very specific choice when I turn mine on in any space in my house. Instead, I have lamps and other low lighting areas that I much prefer...but it's hard to clean with those low lights LOL.
...which is why they ONLY get turned on for cleaning! Haha. You're definitely not alone, friend! And happy holidays to you and yours, as well! ❤️
I hope your holidays are wonderful! I used to have fairy lights all around my living room and on either sides of the many windows. Then I adopted a cat who chewed the cord; I think he must have liked the shock he would get? IDK... but I quit putting them up at all after replacing them three times. But he has passed on due to his outside adventures, and now I have cats who I believe would not chew the cord. One is a tuxedo, and so of course I loved the picture of your tuxedo cat! You have inspired me to get some more fairy lights and to try again; I forgot how much I loved them! Thank you. I'll look forward to reading more of your writing in the new year!
I'm so sorry you lost your outdoor kitty, Sally. But it definitely sounds like it's worth testing out what the new kitties would do! Hope they leave them alone, so you can enjoy the lights! Happy holidays + new year, see back here very soon ☺️
Merry Christmas to you Cait, and to TM, the kiddos and of course Kitty! xxx
Aww, thank you, Caroline! She says Merry Christmas to you ☺️
The hand-painted Christmas cards are simply gorgeous! And I love all the different expressions of light throughout your home—sounds very cosy ✨
Aww, thank you, friend! I can't take any credit, it's all TM ☺️
I love Kitty!!! She has such a cute face and absolutely looks like a baby!
Happy New Year!!! 🩷🩷🩷