Bring holiday cheer into your nest with a cozy comfort feeling of casual and shabby chic aesthetic. Sun bleach white reminds me of white sand beaches—simple and soft yet opulent in beauty. White can also brighten up your nest with a clean, crisp look.

    My fondest childhood memories of my visits to Greece were the whitewashed houses carved into the volcanic cliff of Santorini. From a bird’s-eye view of the Cycladic Islands, I saw the monasteries and chapels perched high on mountaintops with white washed homes cascading down the rugged mountains to the Aegean.   By foot I happily trotted the maze of narrow cobbled stone roads of the white washed towns.  These images still engraved in my mind leave me wondering why the matriarchs endure the time and labor to paint their homes so frequently. Because it’s their homes! Cleanliness is close to godliness as the saying goes. Of course, sprucing up our nest with a fresh coat of paint every year and we will feel cleaner or as pure as the gods. Is this why we desire an all white Christmas to start fresh, a re-birthing of our souls? I prefer mild temperature Christmas sans snowflakes. However, I do prefer all white festive lights.

These are a few of my favorite [white] things…I prefer being tucked into soft, plain white sheets to any other color or design. 

I love the powdery snow, not the first fallen snow, but the snow that’s been frolicked in all day.

  My latest love Nespresso coconut capsules (to my disappointment this limited edition coffee is sold out word wide) so I will savor the last capsules I have and will not be bringing coconut joy to friends with Nespresso machines this season. They are the only white Nespresso capsules with stripes of coconut. When it comes to making treats, I’m cuckoo for coconut oil. Try it when making homemade granola or substitute if for corn oil or butter when baking. I love a white truffle thrill. With Urbani’s Cream and Truffles, I don’t have to hunt for the real deal in the cold wet snow of Italy, instead I can open my tin found for a steal  ($9.99) at Homegoods.  Warm the treat onto crostinis or add a punch to your tomato or asparagus soup this holiday.

 Cherish your unforgettable memories in your nest and make some new ones this season while dreaming of a White Christmas (falling from the heavens or laying on the sand.) May all your dreams come true.