Publisher’s Letter: The Reason for the Season
This is the season I look forward to more than any other every single year. As my friends and family can attest, I am one of “those” people who begins putting up Christmas decorations literally as soon as Halloween passes (and sometimes before). It’s festive. It’s faithful. It’s familial. And I love it.
Christmas means even more to me this year, more than I ever thought possible. On a personal level, I have been through more this year than any other in recent memory. But, through it all, I am here. I am healthy, as is my family. It is for that — for life — that I am most grateful this year. Life is a fragile thing that we should not take for granted.
In parallel, it’s for all of these reasons that this issue of AY About You is exceptionally special to us.
First, have you seen this cover? (Of course you have, you’ve made it this far.) It’s a stunning west Little Rock home, designed by our friends at Tom Chandler and Associates, that is bursting with Christmas spirit. For more home-related fun, we also sat down with Jenny and Dave Marrs again to talk about their newest season of HGTV’s Fixer to Fabulous, and that “fabulous” holiday special that’s coming up this month.
And it wouldn’t be a holiday issue of AY without plenty of food to make you hungry. Our latest iteration of the AY’s Arkansas Bucket List is on local caterers (’tis the season), and our food editor, Kevin Shalin, tracked down a few local bakers who have long been gearing up for the holidays. We also have some delicious recipes for you and yours to make at home and a couple of stunning charcuterie boards from the equally stunning Michelle Hill and Gretchen Larkan.
Then there are the gifts, for which we brought back our annual 25 Days of Christmas Giveaway. Don’t forget to enter your chance to win at aymag.com!
We know you’ll enjoy all of the above, because we all have to get our eating and shopping fixes out of our system this time of year. But you should also be sure to make time to unwind and spend quality time with the ones you love. For that, we have extensive listings of upcoming holiday performances, as well as a list of holiday lights shows.
With the pandemic at our heels, I hope that we can all find at least a few moments this month to reflect on what the season is really all about. Friends. Family. Faith. It’s about us; it’s about Him.
As for me and my household, we are blessed.
Happy Holidays,
Heather Baker,
President & Publisher
Instagram / heatherbaker_ar
READ MORE: Heather’s Favorite Things: GloWILD at the Little Rock Zoo
