Editor's Mixing Bowl

This morning as I was getting ready to engage with the writing of this message, I fell prey to a ruse known well to expert procrastinators: I headed to the kitchen for something to eat.

There on the counter was a fat pomegranate. It looked so much like the one on page 2—painted by our cover artist Margo Rivera-Weiss—that I felt compelled to take it back to my desk by a south-facing window for the deconstruction ritual.
Breaking open the leathery skin, I started coaxing the arils from their white membranes. The fruit generously gave up its cache of translucent jewels, which fell out into the sunlight as if they were precious gifts that Nature had created for the precise purpose of announcing the opening of this holiday season.

This issue contains a wealth of ideas for celebrating with food and (especially) drink of all sorts, and you may find that many are decidedly good for your health and well-being. As you sip your Vitality Decoction or Coastal Pimm’s Cup, I hope you will relax and peruse these pages to discover a myriad of items, experiences, and opportunities on offer from our local farmers, chefs, writers, artists, practitioners, purveyors, and entrepreneurs.

We have added several features to guide you in your explorations. Some involve going online to our website. There you can fill in our reader survey and wander through our seasonal gift guide. The guide is set up so you can click directly to our partners in this endeavor. And while this may not be the streamlined and familiar experience of amazon.com, it will put you in touch with real people and real businesses working hard and doing beautiful things right here in our local community.

May you and yours be safe and well in this joyous season,

Cheryl Angelina Koehler
Editor