This is the time of year when our thoughts are preoccupied with comfort foods, hot beverages, sitting around fires, taking vacations to tropical islands, and anything else that will help us to get warm.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that coffee houses, which are usually pretty lively anyway, are even more crowded now, as they also serve hot cocoa and tons of decadent desserts.  Naturally, in the winter, people also prefer to spend more time in their homes, where their sunrooms are the hot spots.  These two places are so popular, in fact, that many people are actually turning their sunrooms into coffee nooks.

If you want to try this, it’s really easy to do; and you can re-create the tranquil charm of an old-fashioned, mom-and-pop shop, rather than the jam-packed chain establishments that are so prevalent.  To get the atmosphere of a traditional café, furnish it with a wood or aluminum bistro set, accessorized with checkered or floral print placemats and napkins (with napkin rings), sugar bowls, creamers, fresh flowers, candles, and containers with individually-wrapped biscotti.  Make it really authentic by producing colorful menus on your computer, then fold and stand them upright on the table.

Create a lounge area by adding synthetic wicker chairs and sofas with soft cushions in colorful patterns, as well as coffee tables, end tables, and accent tables, topped with magazines.  If the sunroom is big enough, you may want to put in a partition, and have a dining set on the other side, for larger gatherings.  If you prefer a rustic décor, choose cedar or pine furniture; for a more elegant motif, consider a teak or cherry dining set.  Put up shelves and stock them with mugs and cups of different sizes and colors.

Of course, you’ll need the main attraction, too, so get a bunch of brightly-colored containers and fill them with an assortment of specialty coffees and teas.  You won’t even have to worry about being an expert at making coffee, because, with the great coffee, espresso, and cappuccino makers that are available, along with the wide variety of coffees, you’ll soon be whipping up concoctions that are every bit as good as (or even better than) anything you’ll find at even the most popular coffee franchise (not mentioning any names, of course!).

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Another year is ending, and millions of people are making their New Year’s resolutions; but I am not in that number.  It has never made sense to me.  For one thing, no one ever keeps them.  For another, if there’s something that you really want to – or have to – do, why in the world would you wait until the next year to do it?

Still, the tradition of making resolutions goes back, at least, to 153 B.C., and the Roman god, Janus, for whom the first month of the year was named.  With an extra face on the back of his head, he was the god of beginnings and endings, and the symbol for resolutions.  At midnight on December 31^st, Romans imagined that he was looking back at the old year, and ahead, to the new one.  Many began exchanging gifts with, and asking for forgiveness from, their enemies.  They often gave branches from sacred trees, for good fortune, or nuts or coins imprinted with the image of Janus.

Certainly, no one knows exactly when the first New Year’s resolution was made; but this is believed to be the oldest celebrated holiday, begun by the Babylonians, more than 4,000 years ago.  I’m sure that there were people back then who thought that they could magically quit their bad habits at the stroke of midnight on the first day of the year (which, at the time, was on what would be March 23^rd today).

Still, I say that the best strategy is to just try to improve yourself every day, regardless of the date; and that’s also the philosophy here at CedarStore.com.  We have always been dedicated to enhancing the outdoor living experiences of our customers, by offering the highest-quality wood, metal, and synthetic outdoor furniture, along with garden structures, such as gazebos, sheds, pool houses, cabanas, and sunrooms.

We speak with – and listen to – our customers every day, and work year-round to provide them with everything that they need for comfortable, stylish, and gracious outdoor living.  That’s our resolution, 365 days of the year; and we’ve kept it since our first day in business.

So, here’s listening to you in 2010, and hoping that it’s a great one for us all!

Happy New Year!

Kathy

As is the case with every holiday, Christmas has many traditions that are shrouded in myth and mystery.  For example, there are many different ideas about where the Christmas tree got its roots (yes, I know, and I apologize!); but, not surprisingly, they all originated in ancient times.  Evidently, a lot of cultures worshipped evergreens, because they continued to thrive in the winter.  Many celebrations that evolved from this apparent phenomenon were held around the time of the winter solstice, and involved bringing some greenery indoors.      

 The Egyptians, for instance, brought green date palm leaves into their homes, to symbolize life’s triumph over death.  During the Roman festival of Saturnalia, named in honor of Saturnus, the god of agriculture, people would decorate their homes with greens and lights, and exchange gifts.  The Druids used holly and mistletoe as symbols of eternal life, and put evergreen branches over their doors to ward off evil spirits.       

 There are tons more examples of similar festivities, from all around the world.  I don’t know about you, but this information means a lot to me; it means that the trend toward bringing the outdoors inside started a lot longer ago than I realized!  Heck, I thought that it came about when people began enclosing their porches, patios, and gazebos, and decorating them with outdoor furniture!  Wow!  Who knew?      

 Oh, well, so CedarStore.com wasn’t exactly in on the beginning of the trend.  That’s okay, because we caught up so quickly that we’re now on the leading edge of it.  In fact, we’re the premier site for outdoor furniture that’s gorgeous enough to use indoors.  We have one of the largest selections of wood, metal, and synthetic patio chairs, porch swings, gliders, garden benches, picnic tables, outdoor dining sets, sofas, loveseats, and accent tables available anywhere, in styles and colors to complement any décor. 

 Furthermore, if you want to give someone a really spectacular gift this Christmas, outdoor furniture can be the perfect choice.  It’s beautiful, useful, enduring, and quite a welcome change from the same, stale old things that they’re used to getting.  It will also be in accord with the tradition of bringing the outdoors inside, because it will really be a breath of fresh air! 

 Yours Outdoors,

 Kathy