Ah… holidays in Sonoma Valley …
As the air grows crisp and the vines fall silent, our neighborhoods, parks and businesses enjoy a moment to shine in their holiday finery. Wine country families celebrate the holidays and share traditions like most families throughout the United States, except, perhaps, for our unequal access to a bounty of fabulous wines and epicurean delights that our Valley offers.
Our traditions are similar, though personalized, as you will find in Lisa Summer’s entertaining story about adjusting a favored family tradition to accommodate today’s convenience-based lifestyle. Traditional messages about the holidays cross all borders—hope, peace on Earth, goodwill toward our fellow man. But what if we add a new traditional holiday message to the mix: “Be careful what you wish for”?
The traditional, commercial side of the holidays would have our children make wish-lists, and this extends for some, even into adulthood. The anticipated reward for the givers, of course, is the joy of confidently proffering gifts that will be excitedly received. That excitement, though, may be brief, depending on how carefully the recipients really considered their wishes.
Two stories in this edition of FineLife Sonoma toy with the notion of being careful of what you wish for. For the desperate housewife in Kate William’s story, her wish to murder her ex-husband comes around full circle during the holiday season, and in David Templeton’s fractured fairy tale, a young boy’s Christmas wish is fulfilled in a way he never imagined.
The immediate message is timeless and sound, and for us to use every day: “Give real thought to what you are asking for, as the results may not be all you had considered.” Perhaps the deeper message is to identify what we truly value. Then our wishing becomes clear: We need the strength to pursue and the wisdom to preserve that which we cherish.
Happy holidays
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