Sweater – Tory Burch | Pants – Herve Leger | Purse – Celine

When I was growing up in Vancouver, we would mark the passing of time through the passage of the seasons. I could never quite break the tie between whether I preferred the explosion of ethereal cherry blossoms in the spring or the seemingly never-ending azure days of summer spent lounging by the seaside in English Bay or Kitsilano. We rarely talk about it in daily dialogues, but doesn’t a season and climate determine so much of your disposition and how you view time? For people like me who wintered in the Pacific Northwest, rain became synonymous with living. I didn’t mind the bite of the cold, walking a dog when the rain pelted down sideways and the perpetual rosiness on my cheeks. I did mind the greyness of it all. I longed for color, for clear skies and for the chirping of birds to return in the early morning. I found that growing up in a rainy city led me to be inclined to spend more time reading, introspecting, and to search for answers to simple and complex questions with friends into the early hours of the morning.

I lived in San Francisco for nearly three years, but time there always stood still because there was always a mildness to it all. Life there was temperate and moderate. There was never anything that distinctively marked the spirit of the holiday season or the first bud of spring. During my childhood, we occasionally spent a Christmas in Florida with my cousins. Seeing evergreen Christmas trees and red-ribboned wreaths while the temperature was a sweltering 30 degrees was a dissonance that I couldn’t wrap my head around. As a Canadian, the holidays for me meant the hope of a white Christmas, skiing at Whistler, and salt sprinkled on the sidewalk.

This year, I saw a golden autumn for the first time in what felt like many moons. Pumpkin pie and apple cider were staples in the household. I now live only a block away from Central Park – and it was stunning to see nature shed her resplendent cloak of leaves onto the pavement.

Have a wonderful holiday season ahead with all of your loved ones. I’m enroute to Boston for the weekend.

Next up is an update on my recent travels to Israel and Paris.

Bis,
MP