Redefining Style Here: The RSH Catalog Blog

The Tickle Monster Lives

 

Just like the cute little boy in the video, I am pretty sure every child has had at least a few laugh-filled encounters with the “dreaded” tickle monster.  One of our favorite finds this holiday season is the Tickle Monster set that includes the Tickle Monster book and pair of tickle mitts wrapped inside a gift box that is great for giving this season.

Make story time even more fun for you and the kids this year, and create some laugh filled memories that you and your children will cherish forever. 

Another Fun Charity Idea

For those people on your list who really don’t want or need anything, charitable gifts by proxy are a meaningful alternative.  My favorite, fund a business, micro-lending is one of the cleverest ways to give, because the money ultimately comes back.  At kiva.org, a $25 gift card you purchase for a friend can then help a struggling business owner  locally or in a third world county. Like a candy store owner in Ukraine who wants to expand inventory or a vegetable vendor in Azerbaijan.  Once the loan has been made, updates will be posted on line when it’s repaid your friend can lend that money to someone else or take the cash and get herself something nice.  Micro loans are pooled with others to make a real difference to a business.

And what better way to give the gift of a micro loan than in a beautifully inspired gift box like our new Snowman Candy box or the Silver Wonderland Candy box.  Both will make memorable presentations for a very thoughtful gift this holiday season. 

 

In Everything, Give Thanks

Do you articulate thanks?  I believe the choice to be thankful - the transition from being appreciative to truly being thankful begins with aligning your thoughts and words with the intention to really believe and be thankful from your heart.  To live a life of thankfulness means you count your blessings- all your blessings. I often hear friends say, “thank goodness I…” How great in a time when schedules are hurried and the phone rings with bad news as often as good, people take a minute to really appreciate all of the blessings they have in their life.  When you make a declaration to be thankful you might actually find yourself reaping the benefits of living a thankful life. 

A friend of mine just ordered four of our Golden Dinnerware place settings and all the tabletop accessories to go with the collection.  I know Beth well and so I asked why she needed so much dinnerware and she told me she was hosting a “TDP” (thankful dinner party)  for all of her friends who had meant so much to her over the years.  She was serving burgers and fries but wanted to table to look a beautiful as each of their friendships were to her.  I thought it was a great idea and also found out she had made a small donation to nine different charitable organizations in each of their names.  How cool is that. NY Times article on Charities this Holiday Season

Taking in lessons of being thankful for every little thing makes me want to be better in my own quest of thanksgiving.  The idea of a perfect Thanksgiving for me has taken on a whole new meaning.  So from all of us at RSH, Happy Thanksgiving! 

 

Holiday Decor

Not being tied to traditional holiday colors allows you to mix things and keep your house intact. We asked some friends to tell us what they see as the favorite color of the season and to our surprise and delight the answer was not always about red, green and gold.  People are looking to decorate for Christmas in a way that enhances their existing décor and are not afraid to bring pink, lime, and beautiful pastels into the holiday season.  They like to decorate by theme and themes can mean color, collectibles, mood or room. 

“Decorating by theme has always been fashionable and this year the options are vast, especially with sea scenes.  From sea shell Christmas Trees, to Sea Dwelling Santa’s this is a trend that will ride the wave of time.” 

Blending old with new is important this time of year; bringing decorations you grew up with and mixing them with your favorite new decorations can be challenging but the effects can be lasting.   For example, if you have decided to have a “themed” Christmas tree this year but still want to display your treasured childhood ornaments, place them in a beautiful display bowl or glass apothecary jar and the memories will unfold. 

Decorating for the holidays is about personal style.  If your style is a palette of pastels, don’t be afraid to have pink as the central color this holiday season.  It’s a time to fall in love with being at home all over again…so enjoy decorating as much as the decorations themselves. 

"Pay It Forward" this Holiday Season

Over coffee in the office this morning, the question came up, what does Thanksgiving mean to you?  The obvious responses included getting together with family and friends, eating until you are so full you can’t move, football, parades, looking for sale ads and decorating for Christmas.  The surprise, which were great to hear, was how so many people carve out time on Thanksgiving to help others.  Volunteering to serve meals to those in need, delivering blankets to shelters, and coordinating gift supply boxes for our armed forces were just a few activities mentioned.

Sarah Josepha Hale, the enormously influential magazine editor and author who waged a tireless campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday in the mid-19^th century would have been pleased to hear that the true meaning of the holiday was alive, even over coffee at a retail office.  Just think, if one family out of 50 helped to make the day special for someone in need every Thanksgiving what a different feel the holiday would take on.  This sentiment reminds me of the novel, Pay It Forward  by Catherine Ryan Hyde.   This touching story is about a young boys unwavering belief that one action has the power to change the world and ultimately the goodness of the human spirit.  If you haven’t experienced the book it is well worth the time, a great read for the season.

So this year after the dishes are done and the TV is quiet, pick up this book and you will get lost in the ease of the read.  And.....pay it forward; the benefits you will feel will unfold throughout the year. The more we take time to give thanks, the more blessings we will recognize. At the very least, let's take the month of November and make it a month of truly giving thanks. Maybe we'll make it a habit.

Welcome

I would first like to take a moment to welcome each of you to the new RSH blog; some of you know us from before and for some this will be our first introduction, our thanks goes out to you all.  We hope that this blog will evolve into an open forum where anyone can come to share the ways they brighten their lives through their own personal style.