The Gift of Friends

So do you have your shopping done? Getting the gifts wrapped and the cookies baked? I've not even started baking yet. That's because I have been a little tied up, in a good way. I had an early Christmas gift that came in the form of a visit from friends.

Maria and Bob are passionate about Italy, so when they said they wanted to come and see Le Marche we were thrilled. Such good friends who love eating, exploring, wine-tasting, and gazing upon gorgeous scenery are a treasure, and we enjoyed toting them around to some of our favorite spots. We spent time cooking and talking together in their vacation villa. We caught up on the news from New Mexico. We laughed a lot and ate a lot and just had a wonderful time together.




But I'll let Maria describe their visit. She put it eloquently in an email to her friends back home:

From our perch in the country there is a visual feast: a perfect patchwork quilt of rolling farmland, all in fall colors - a square of soft gold, a triangle of dusty orange, big patches of earthy corderoy that are tilled fields awaiting the next plantings of greens and grains, staples of the local diet. Small towns and villages drip off the hillsides. Their names roll off our tongues - Ripatransone, Offida, Aquaviva Picena. We've ventured up into the narrow stone streets to get a closer look. We watched an old lace-maker woman blissfully at work in the old tradition which will likely end when she does. I promise you we've left no food uneaten, no coffee unsipped, no wine untasted. Today I will complete a 40 year circle. I will reconnect with my cousin Elia (Elijah) after 40 years of not having seen or spoken with him.

Maria's father came from nearby Abruzzo and she spent many summers there as a child. She chummed around with her cousin, Elia, during some of those teenager times, then lost contact with him for many, many years. We witnessed Maria and Elia's family reunion, which had me choking back tears. Forty years later, to see them talking like no time had passed. What an experience. What a gift...for them, and for us. It was beautiful to behold.

As for us, we last saw Maria and Bob two Christmases ago in Assisi. Don't you just love the friendships that don't allow time and distance to interfere? Where you can go a few years without seeing them but then pick right back up as if you'd just seen them last week?

So, my Christmas gift came early. Friendships. We are so grateful for each and every one of them in our lives. We need no other presents...we have the presence of friends. And that is one of life's most precious gifts, don't you think?

Gifts That Really Give, Part III

I'm wrapping up my gift-giving series (pun intended) with a listing of charitable gifts. For those impossible-to-buy-for folks or just for your own sense of Christmas spirit, you may want to consider giving charitable gifts - they really do keep on giving. While they're less traditional, they're no less tangible. They will make a difference in the lives of others, and will make you feel good in the process.

Smile Train
This Christmas make someone smile...for a lifetime. Smile Train provides free cleft surgery for children worldwide to give them confidence, health, and a smile that will last forever. A simple surgery and $250 can change a child's life.

Shopping List for the World
Alternative Gifts.org brings together several worthy organizations, and provides you with a shopping list to let you choose where your donation goes. Want to provide water wells in Sudan? How about helping recently freed slaves? Or neonatal training in Romania? A gift card will be sent to your friend detailing the gift and the program.

Give a Goat
Or seeds, or emergency aid...and more. World Vision.org is committed to meeting all the most basic human needs of the most impoverished and war-torn locations of the world. One goat ($75) will provide a family with milk, cheese, and yogurt (as well as baby goats and organic fertilizer!) Clean water and sanitation, medical supplies, and soccer balls (because kids still need to have a little fun) are all in their gift catalog.

Changing The Present
You can make a difference now...and in the future. Changing the Present is another gift site that brings together worthy causes with a user-friendly giving site where you choose your cause and how it is used. From blankets for children to demining fields and micro-loans, there are lots of great opportunities to make a difference. They also offer a gift registry and host a Hall of Shame of the stupidest gifts out there. Boggles the mind, some of those dumb trinkets.

Support the Bell Ringers
The Salvation Army is an evangelical organization that provides emergency relief world-wide. They are famous for their red kettles and bells during the Christmas season, but unfortunately many stores have banned the bell ringers. Bah humbug, because they've been around for more than 100 years and are working in 117 countries. If you'd like to support disaster relief, war-torn family tracing, or other social services, donations can be made online.

Before you give, check out your charities. Charity Navigator evaluates charities based on criteria such as efficiency and administrative expenses. You can see how well, or how poorly, the organizations function, allowing you to make better choices about where you donate.

Now start crossing things off your shopping list!

Gifts That Really Give, Part II

Last time I told you about a few unsual gift sites where I am sure you found some really cool stuff. This time I'm focusing on sites where a portion or all of the proceeds from your purchases go to charitable organizations. You get nice gifts, along with the added gift of giving to others while you're at it!

LUSH
I like their style. Breezy, fun site with quality, eco-friendly cosmetic products. Soaps, scents and lotions that are 100% natural, never tested on animals, minimal packaging, and fresh-made by hand. Cool, huh? Plus, if you buy the Charity Pot Body Lotion, 100% of the proceeds go to charity (and they list the charities they give to on the site).

What's Your Bag?
At whatsurbag they sell flashy, flexible, fun shopping bags so you can avoid the old "paper or plastic" dilemma. They come in a candy-store array of colors and patterns. They are not just fashionable; they're made by Hurricane Katrina survivors in a rebuilt factory in New Orleans and 5% of the profits go to a New Orleans charity.

Museum Shop
The Greater Good Network operates a host of "click to give" sites, where your clicks are funded by sponsors who donate to the organizations, such as The Rainforest Site, The Literacy Site, and The Animal Rescue Site. Now they also opeate Museum Shop, a neat outlet for great goods. You get a nice selection of pretty gifts, and each order feeds a family of four and also garners a donated book to the literacy campaign. Plus, shipping is only 1 penny.

The Smithsonian Store
I love the Smithsonian. It's one of our true treasure troves, the ultimate repository of art, artifacts, history and culture, and the largest museum in the world. The 19 museums and National Zoo that comprise the Institution were established for "the increase and diffusion of knowledge".

The gifts in the store reflect the vast variety of the collections in the museums...rare finds, unique and inspired gifts. And 100% of the profits go right back to the Smithsonian, making it a wonderful spot to shop.

Global Exchange Store
A Fair Trade online outlet where you can purchase coffees, teas, chocolates, jewelry, and more...and where the artisans who make them get a fair and decent profit from their labors while engaging in environmentally sustainable practices. You get nice things, while knowing you're not exploiting sweat-shop laborers in a far-away land to get them. Original Good is a similar store with cute housewares.

Shopping on sites like these help put the "merry" in Merry Christmas, and just let you feel good about your purchases.

Gifts That Really Give

The madness that is known as Black Friday has passed, officially kicking off the Christmas shopping season. Unfortunately, the world financial situation has induced our own local shopkeepers and comune to go alla Americana, bedecking the piazzas and shop windows a lot earlier than normal this year. I admit it's disappointing; I liked the respite and shorter season that we've experienced here the past two years.

I'm not a "mall person". I definitely dislike the "canned" feeling, and prefer the open-air atmosphere of the mercato, and the personalized experience of small, individually-owned shops. But shopping and shipping gifts to the States can be a hassle; I mean, who wants to subject herself to the Poste Italiane if she doesn't have to? Offering prayers for Christmas miracles that the gifts will arrive at their intended destinations takes a lot of faith.

We have also decided in recent years to scale back our gift-giving and refocus our thoughts, energies and resources on the true spirit of the holiday. The gifts we are giving we sanely opted to order online.

In doing so I came across some great sites where you can buy fun, meaningful, or pretty gifts...many of which will keep on giving. Over the next few posts I'll share my finds with you. Today we'll start with "normal" gift sites, whose goods are anything but ordinary.

First off...sites for Traditional Gifts

Sometimes you just want to give something pretty and unusual. That's why I love these sites:

Elizabetta
My friend Elizabeth scours Italy to find these gorgeous scarves in luxurious fabrics. Every hue, texture, length and style are just waiting to be snuggled into or draped upon you. There is something for everyone's taste in her offerings. Call me funky but I *love* the silk number with suede fringe!

Nambe
I couldn't consider myself a good New Mexican if I didn't spread the word about these beautiful and yet practical housewares. The original metal alloy molded into inspired shapes for bowls, platters, candlesticks and vases are perennial favorites (in case anyone is wondering what to buy me, look no further! ;) But the crystal designs are striking, too, and they've recently added porcelain to their line-up.

1000 Markets
I love this site! It brings together independent, talented artists and artisans to market and sell their hand-produced, unique wares. There is so much variety and inspiration here that you could easily spend half a day perusing the offerings. Don't say I didn't warn you.

La Cucina dello Zio Giorgio
I've talked often about my friend Giorgio. He is a chef who owned a restaurant in Rome for many years. Now "retired" (I put it in quotes because he just can't stay out of the kitchen and can't keep himself from concocting new recipes), Giorgio started a private label to produce and distribute foods made from his own recipes. Everything is produced in small batches to his standards. You can order them to be shipped from Rome to your door. Particularly tasty is his Pesto alla Romana and Crema ai Noci e Tartufo.

Postscript:
In the "great minds think alike" category, Texas Espresso compiled a nice gift list, too. Check it out!

Evviva Maria!

I want to give a great big shout-out to my friend Maria Berry. Maria, you may remember, guarded the nest as a guest blogger (here and here). She is one of my dear friends- a wonderful, vibrant, upbeat person who is fun-loving, witty, and very intelligent. That she has overcome hurdles, crises, and difficult situations while maintaining all those qualities is amazing. She is involved in her community, is a consummate encourager of everyone she knows, maintains a vineyard, and just recently retired from her second (or maybe fifth?) career as a personal trainer.

Sound a little bit like a super-woman? Well, actually she is. Or maybe more like Woman of Steel. You see, Maria recently competed - at the age of 61 - in a heavy-duty bodybuilding competition known as "The Rocky". This is no lightweight affair; according to the organizers it is the "largest and most prestigious amateur bodybuilding, fitness & figure organization in the USA" and is also "the only avenue to the IFBB-The ultimate in Professional bodybuilding, fitness and figure". Yes, I was impressed by that too.

She garnered a write-up and photo spread in a magazine section of the Albuquerque Journal.



Gorgeous, no? She makes 61 looks pretty damn good. You can read the article here.

So Maria...complimenti! Sei bravissima! You have stared the animal of Aging in the face, and given him a good swift kick in the teeth!

Roman Holiday

My sister departed yesterday. It was sad to see her go, and two weeks whizzed by like nobody's business. Our time together was entirely too short and passed entirely too quickly. Our last few days were spent in Rome, connecting with friends...but I'll save that story for next time.

We returned from our mini-holiday in Rome to the news that the new DVD of Roman Holiday has been released! I'm so excited! I was asked to participate in the production of one of the special features on this new release, and am very thrilled to have played a small part in it, since I *love* this movie.

I'm always amazed at how many people sheepishly admit that they've never seen the film. People! Audrey Hepburn. Gregory Peck. Rome. What's not to love?

*Filmed in 1953, entirely on location in Rome
*Ranked #4 on the American Film Institute's list of the 10 greatest films in the genre "Romantic Comedy".
*Garnered Audry Hepburn an Academy Award. The film won 3 Oscars, and was nominated for 10.
*Audrey Hepburn ranks third on AFI's 50 Greatest Screen Legends (female). Gregory Peck ranks twelfth on the same list for male Legends.
*Peck met his wife Veronique, a French journalist, during a stop in Paris after filming was completed, while promoting Roman Holiday. They were married for 48 years.



If you've not seen it, go! Go now and rent, buy, or download the film! And if you happen to buy the new Centennial Collection edition, be sure to watch the special feature entitled Rome With a Princess. You'll get to see my name in lights ;)

Views From the Motherland

My sister is here for a visit! Hooray! As I've said before, the main thing that I miss from the US is family and friends...and my sister belongs to both of those groups. It's been great having her around to laugh with, eat with, and bumble around with.

We spent about a week in the motherland of Basilicata so she could get acquainted with i parenti (relations) and see the gorgeous landscapes our family came from. We showed her the splendors of Matera where we had the Sassi all to ourselves. The off-season meant reduced numbers, but so did the rain. We made the discovery that the steep stone streets that are so beautiful to behold and wander in sunlight turn to rivers and waterfalls in the rain! Oh well; so we got a little wet. It was still a magical place despite it.

After a few peaceful nights in a mountain-top agriturismo and food-filled days in town connecting with friends and relations, we somewhat regretfully left our home away from home to return to Ascoli Piceno.

I'll be away from the Pinon Tree for a few more days while we continue to show her the fabulous things around here before heading back to Rome to meet up with friends there. See you again soon!