I’ve been hard at work behind the scenes on a project very close to my heart. Read on to learn more about my upcoming book Glad & Golden Hours: A Companion for Advent and Christmastide, and to have a sneak peek at what’s coming… I love a good origin story, particularly if it contains all…
That was one of Mama’s most oft-repeated quotes, though she rather deplored its sentiment. It’s why, I think, she was always trying to acknowledge—if not preserve—the best moments in the life of our family, the moments in which we were most truly ourselves and most truly together. How we teased and rolled our eyes every…
It is the Feast of the Epiphany, and I’ve watched the sunrise—as I have almost every morning of this blessed season—beyond the sparkle and magic of my Christmas tree. I’ve seen the low-hung clouds turn lavender and then flush with gold, as if at some heavenly delight, and the old holly tree awaken, its branches…
I wrote this piece two years ago, the first Christmas after my father died. Placing it here once more in the hope that it might be a source of comfort and kinship for those facing a difficult holiday this year… I am so sick of death. It’s been a year of bereavement. Even before Daddy…
I’m a namer. Shortly after we moved into this RV, my husband asked me what we were going to call it, knowing full well I’d have something in mind. I did–though it had taken a few days to rise to the surface. “Camp Marah,” I told him. It seemed so appropriate for a temporary home…
At times, the simplicity imposed upon us by both the house fire and our temporary living quarters feels like a gift brimming with meaning and grace. Stripped of all pretense and encumbrance, I really could not be better positioned to embrace the more penitential side of Advent, and this is a very good thing. But…
I’ve never faced a holiday season with such uncertainty. Every year previous I’ve had a relatively comfortable idea of how things would go: when I’d start my baking; what night we’d decorate the tree; where we’d gather for various meals, and with whom. There’s always been an ageless excitement bubbling around the end of October…
Five years later, and I need to remember it all over again… November 14th, 2012 I’m sitting by my kitchen fire this chill November evening after a long day of almost monkish domesticity. I’ve been so industrious today that this welcome pause is almost too much: the warmth of the fire and the weariness of…
You must remember, garden catalogues are as big liars as house agents. ~Rumer Godden, China Court My relationship with gardening has been a tumultuous affair from day one, fraught with all the heights and depths of a grande amour. Mainly self-taught, my earliest attempts were characterized by rapturous perusals of garden catalogues, advertising such wonders…
I confess, I’ve never hit a cynical patch where Valentine’s is concerned. I’ve always loved it. And with all the rancor in the world of late, the celebration of a day devoted exclusively to love seems more endearing—and more needful—than ever. I didn’t have a Valentine until I was 24, the year Philip and I…
Every afternoon at precisely four o’clock my mother’s teakettle let off a piercing shriek. It wasn’t just background noise, or an auditory adjective amid the jostle of supper preparations. It was a signal, a summons. And my sister and I knew exactly what it meant: it was time to lay aside whatever we were working…
I’m an absolute stickler about keeping the full Twelve Days of Christmas; it’s just too great and grand a feast to confine to a few days—even a full week. I’ve waited all year for this: I’m not going to be cheated out of a single second if I can help it. That’s just the thing,…
The Christmas of 1995 started for me on a frosty night in late October. I had driven up to my best friend’s house for an autumn bonfire and hayride, but when I opened the back door I was greeted with a rush of music so lovely I knew it had to belong to the Christmas…
I wrote this piece a few years ago, and while my heart is pierced by a loss I didn’t see coming at the time, I’m also struck by the fact that, amid a sea of changes, some things remain blessedly the same. A sweet second day of Christmas to you all! It’s been a day…
Lanier’s note: I asked the lovely Sarah (Clarkson) Fink-Jensen if she would give us a peek into her life in Oxford, England at Christmastime–I’m sure you’ll be as delighted with her response as I was! Happy Christmas, friends! And thank you, Sarah, for this day of ‘postcard wonders!’ The mornings are sleepy these days in…
Lanier’s note: This piece was written by Heidi Johnston, my dear friend in Northern Ireland. In addition to teaching a class at Belfast Bible College on the Poetic and Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament, she is a regular conference speaker, Bible study leader, and contributor at The Rabbit Room. She is also the author…
Lanier’s note: Sarah (Clarkson) Fink-Jensen is not only one of the finest writers I know–she’s also a very dear friend. Recently married, and living in Oxford, England, Sarah is the author of several wonderful books, including the acclaimed The Lifegiving Home, co-authored with her mother, Sally. Sarah also writes for The Rabbit Room, and on…
Lanier’s note: I met Brian Brown back in October at Hutchmoot–which is one of the few places on earth, I imagine, where you find yourself talking about incarnational theology and Prohibition-throwback speakeasys in one conversation. We’re honored to to feature a couple of his famous festive libations today! Last Saturday, my family threw its annual…
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