Painting by Beth Palmer at www.bethpalmerstudio.com
The remnants of Thanksgiving dinner were still lingering in our refrigerator and my roommate was ready to dive into the Christmas cheer, pull out the Christmas decorations and pump holiday tunes through the cozy spaces of our house. I was reluctant. I go home and visit my parents for the holidays. Seemed like it wasn’t worth all the trouble decorating since I would be spending most of the holidays in California. But, true to form, she was eager to bring a celebratory atmosphere into our home so I decided: why not.
We bought a little tree and pulled out her Christmas decorations. I made my famous hot toddy recipe and some devilled eggs (there is no occasion too small for devilled eggs). We played Christmas tunes and went to work to make our tree sparkle. I got into it, putting on ornaments and adding Santa accents to different corners of our home. In a moment of creative genius I brought out the bicycle themed banana I received as a Kickstarter gift from Walnut Studios to make an impromptu tree skirt and Nancy laid out her nativity scene upon the printed bike wheels and parts.
Over the days that followed I was a bit startled at how much joy that little tree brought me with the little lights glowing, reflecting against the tinsel and glowing against our walls. Beauty and light in the darkness. Those of you on the East Coast may be able to relate to a sense of heaviness that lingers over you as you exit your house and your eyes see winter on the trees, on the ground, in the light, but your body feels warmth. In December. Climate change has arrived. Meanwhile, on the radio there is a 24-hour Terror Watch. When should terror scare us? Why should terror scare us? Who is responsible for the terror? Radio goes on. Terror Report begins. I switch the radio off. On the street, the angry acceleration of people racing around to buy gifts, overworked, overstressed, in traffic, angry. Big in my little world, small in the scheme of things, I had to face the disappointment that my first customers would not be riding around in REID MILLER Apparel in time for the holidays.
And yet those little lights infected me with a sense of joy and peace. Amidst the frenzy of holiday traffic I saw those little lights everywhere. Beautiful. Joyful. Creative. Each home sharing their creative light with the world. The lights that connect us in the darkness.
Since embarking on my journey to bring my creative light into the world, friends have started to share their dreams of what they imagine for themselves. Feeling their energy and excitement as they share this vision of themselves, feeds me. This idea has expanded in me and now, as I remain present with this concept, I see each person as a little, special glowing light. Staying with each moment I feel their light and it brings me joy.
For you, my awesome cheerleads on this crazy creative journey, I wish you a holiday of peace, joy and presence as you share your light and bask in the light of your loved ones during this holiday season.
As a small gift, please enjoy my famous hot toddy recipe best enjoyed with friends and loved ones in a cozy kitchen, on a winter bike ride, while waiting for a food truck in the cold.
Thank you for your kind support during the first year of REID MILLER Apparel: 2015!
Sincerely,
Reid
No blog post, Monday the 28th. Happy Holidays!