I just love how my home looks this time of year - filled with cheerful holiday decorations.
No matter where I am for Christmas, I always like to decorate several rooms with festive trees, wreaths, and pretty plants from the greenhouse. This year, some of my decorations include gold and silver trees glistening with ornaments, coordinating wreaths on the windows, woodland animals, colorful forced amaryllis, and shooting stars.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
It’s mid-December and less than two weeks left before Christmas. Have you decorated your home for the holidays? I start decorating soon after Thanksgiving. This is one of two Index fir trees in my Brown Room. And yes, they are both live trees.
Every year, I try to vary the holiday decorations in my home. Gold ornaments and warm white lights fill the branches of this tree.
I also placed toy bears within the wide spaces between the branches – don’t shy away from experimenting with your decorations. Look in the children’s toy box for possibilities.
Gold, silver, and copper bottlebrush trees adorn the long dining table in this room.
… Along with several deer and moose.
The animals are interspersed between the trees as if they are walking through the woodland in winter.
Indoors I always hang wreaths on every window. Do you know… before the wreath became associated with Christmas, it was used as a token of victory and power in ancient Greece and Rome? Wreaths first appeared as holiday decorations in connection with Yule, which marked the winter solstice for early Germanic Pagans. The wreaths were a symbol of spring and a promise of its return.
In my sitting room – silver Christmas trees with silver and white ornaments.
Every room has festive trees during the holiday season. This is one side of my servery.
The trees shimmer with gold and green pinecone ornaments. Look closely, there are also birds sitting on the branches.
In my enclosed porch, gorgeous forced amaryllis flowers. I forced several amaryllis and am so happy with all the flowers that came up.
They were forced from these bulbs. Amaryllis bulbs usually measure about three to six inches across. When planting more than one in a container, be sure there is at least an inch between the bulb sides and the rim of the vessel.
Of all flowering bulbs, amaryllis are the easiest to bring to bloom. Amaryllis originated in South Africa and comes in many beautiful varieties. The genus Amaryllis comes from the Greek word amarysso, which means “to sparkle.” Amaryllis flowers range from four to 10 inches in size and can be single or double in form.
While the most popular colors are red and white, flowers may also be pink, salmon, apricot, rose or deep burgundy, and some unique striped varieties.
I hang shooting stars on the outside of several buildings every year here at the farm.
Here’s Pete placing one on my Winter House. The shooting stars are hung securely using small nails and screw eyes at various points.
And here’s a tip: when using extension cords to connect outdoor decorations, use supplies that match the exterior of the building. I use grayish-tan extension cords, so they are not seen against the siding. They can also be painted to match. And be certain any electrical supplies are safe to use outdoors.
Pete and Fernando are experts at this task – they hang the stars every year. Once the star is placed, Pete separates the taillights, so they swoop properly and are all equally spaced across the front of the building. Here’s a shooting star on the outside of my studio.
Before putting any lights up inside or out, be sure to check that all of them are working.
Pete is putting this star above my stable. I always hang a star on the side of the stable facing my Winter House, so I can see it from my bedroom window.
This shooting star is hung above the sliding doors of my Equipment Barn.
And look, once night falls, the stars shine so brightly. Do you know what a true shooting star is? A shooting star is actually a small piece of rock or dust that hits Earth’s atmosphere from space. It moves so fast that it heats up and glows as it moves through the skies. Astronomers call them meteors. Most meteors burn up before they even reach the ground. Happy holiday decorating!
It's always nice to step away from busy schedules to share holiday cheer with colleagues and friends.
Our annual company luncheon was held yesterday in New York City. More than 145 employees representing 18 different labels from Marquee Brands Inc. attended the event at the midtown Manhattan establishment, Tanner Smith's. Attendees enjoyed a variety of small bites, cocktails, and great conversation. It was a wonderful time to celebrate the year's many accomplishments and boost everyone's energy for 2026!
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Following an all-employee meeting, our company hosted a luncheon at Tanner Smith’s, a casual establishment styled as an early 20th century pub in midtown Manhattan.
Everyone was happy to attend. Here are Katina Monteith, Marquee Brands Senior Human Resources Director and Ujjwal Dhungana, Payroll & HR Operations Associate.
Here are two of our designers, Sydney Yiu and Claire Basile.
Enjoying good conversation and laughs – Marquee Brands VP Associate General Counsel Eric Winchel, my Books Editorial Director Susanne Ruppert, and Hubert Dorsainvil, Marquee’s Director of Legal Operations.
Sitting here are Royal Compliance Analyst Bilun Inun and Nataly Chaca, Manager of Digital Marketplaces.
Some of the small bites included crudités and a creamy dipping sauce.
Here’s a tray of hamburger sliders on mini brioche buns – always a big hit with hungry crowds.
And here’s a tray of vegetable flatbreads – hot and ready to serve.
Spreading good cheer are VP of Creative Services Ryan Mesina and Senior Director of Brand and Integrated Marketing Ben Luckadoo.
Digital Marketplaces division lead Golda Painten, Jenny Levtchenko, Senior Fashion Trend Director, and Allison Darling, Art Director for Ben Sherman stopped for this quick snapshot.
… And so did longtime Associate Editor Mike Winner.
Here are Anthony Tutrone, Global Head of Neuberger Berman Alternatives & Managing Director and SVP Corporate Development Nancy Jo Cassidy.
At this table are Brand Manager Kate Kelly, Senior Marketing Manager Sophie Roche, Culinary Manager Emily Greene, and Culinary Producer Alex Utter.
Here are Strategy Director Kim Dumer, who has worked with me for many years, and Video Editor Sean Petell.
SVP of Brand Management & Strategy Meegan Colgan with Media Producer Abby Lengyel, and my longtime Special Projects producer Judy Morris.
Here are Marketing Manager Jessica Ketterer, Assistant Art Director Olivia Crutchfield, and Jodie Laroche, Social Media & Digital Marketing Manager.
A fun photo of Marquee Brands Chief Financial Officer John Hayes, Ryan, and SVP Finance Ellen Yip, enjoying Buffalo wings fresh out of the oven.
Here’s our Marquee Brands Legal Team under Chief Legal Officer, Heather Greenberg – Asha Davis, Hubie, Nicole Porter, Heather, and Eric.
In this photo – Ellen with Ivy Spargo, EVP Brand Management.
… And don’t forget the sweet treats. Here’s a platter of s’mores – the popular campfire snack consisting of toasted marshmallows and chocolate on graham crackers.
… And a platter of mini carrot cakes.
It was a delightful gathering for everyone. Happy Holidays!
Magnolia, Dahlia, Lilium, and now Chrysanthemum - four elegant Persians at Cantitoe Corners.
This year, I welcomed four beautiful Persian cats into my home. Three were adopted through Rock 'N Rescue, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Bedford Hills, New York, not far from my farm. All live in my Winter House - my silver shaded Persian Magnolia, my dilute calico Persian Dahlia, my brown Persian longhair Lilium, and the newest to join the family, my chocolate Persian Chrysanthemum.
Enjoy these latest photos.
Magnolia has been with me since January. She has beautiful golden-copper eyes and a friendly disposition.
She’s about three years old and so curious – roaming from room to room, upstairs and downstairs, keeping an eye on everything that goes on.
Here she is in the laundry room on top of my large ironing table that was still warm.
And here she is in my sitting room stretching in a “play bow.” Do you want to play, Magnolia?
Is this a yawn, a meow, or both? Do you know… cats meow primarily to communicate with humans? It’s their way of expressing their emotions, wants, and needs.
This beauty is Dahlia. She has captured everyone’s hearts here at the farm.
Dahlia loves company and attention. She’s the youngest of the Persians at about one year old.
Dahlia is fond of following anyone around the house hoping for a rub.
Sometimes Dahlia likes to lounge in one corner of my enclosed porch where she gets full views of the outdoors through floor to ceiling windows.
Dahlia plays hard and sleeps hard. Kittens six months and older, and adult cats, sleep about 16 to 18 hours a day on average. And, kittens have a similar routine to adult cats, napping throughout the day. They are usually most active at dawn and dusk. Dahlia enjoys napping on this settee in my sitting room.
This is Lilium. Lilium is about three years old with beautiful facial expressions and markings.
Lilium traveled all the way from Doha, the capital city of Qatar in the Middle East. I adopted Lilium and Magnolia through Rock ‘N Rescue.
She fits in so nicely with her new “sisters.” She’s playful, confident, and very friendly.
She’s also quite curious. Here she is checking out the holiday decorations.
And here she is in the enclosed porch where the “kitty buffet” is kept for all the cats in my Winter House.
And this beautiful chocolate Persian is Chrysanthemum. She also traveled all the way from Doha and came to me through Rock ‘N Rescue.
Her gorgeous coat is chocolate to smoky brown.
I adopted Chrysanthemum on Halloween. She has just started to explore more of my home. She also loves company and rubs up against all who stop to say hello.
In fact, she is quick to walk towards anyone looking for an ear scratch.
The hanging icicle ornaments on a tabletop tree caught Chrysanthemum’s attention long enough to get this photo. All four cats get along quite well and are wonderful additions to my furred family.
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