’Tis that time of year again!

The season of cocoa, family recipes, holiday movies, and fuzzy socks is finally here. Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, we are now in that special time to reconnect with our friends and family.

If you are still trying to brainstorm what to do during your winter break, why not start the holiday season by joining the annual Hometown Holiday Celebration in downtown Pleasanton on December 3rd with a parade, tree lighting ceremony and the chance to meet Santa. Consider checking out the famous Christmas Tree Lane at Thompson Avenue in Alameda. The lights, music, and activities create a magical experience that you don’t want to miss during your winter nights.

A great evening spectacle is the ZooLights at Oakland Zoo where the little ones can enjoy watching glowing animal characters lighting up to holiday music favorites. Another beloved holiday tradition that the whole family can enjoy is Graham Lustig’s The Nutcracker by the Oakland Ballet Company. After all this entertainment, if you’re in the need of some festive cheer why not do a tasting at Ruby Hills Winery and stock up on some holiday bubbly.

Got any favorite places to visit during the holidays? Feel free to share them with us below. On a last note, I would like to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukkah!

Mother's Day

mother's Day — the international festival in honor of mothers. This is the day to congratulate mothers and pregnant women, in contrast to International women's day, when congratulations are taking all the female. In different countries, this day falls on different dates, mostly in the world ’ smother's Day  celebrated on the second Sunday of may. mother's Day in Russia is celebrated annually on the last Sunday of November, in Belarus — October 14, Georgia — March 3, Ukraine — second Sunday in may in Germany in 2012 - 13 may.

In Russia Day mother established in 1998. In accordance with the decree of the President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin dated January 30, 1998 № 120 "mother Day» holiday mother's Day is celebrated on the last Sunday of November. The initiative to establish this holiday belongs to the State Duma Committee on women, family and youth. Belongs to this initiative Alevtina Viktorovna Aparine — the Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, member of the Central Committee of the Communist party. The purpose of the holiday — to maintain the tradition of careful attitude to the woman, to consolidate the foundations of the family, to emphasize the importance in our life is the main man — Mother.

I have a little story

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which read, "I am blind, please help."

There were only a few coins in the hat - spare change from folks as they hurried past.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back in the boy's hand so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon, the man who had changed the sign returned to see how things were.

The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote, "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it."

Both signs spoke the truth. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign conveyed to everyone walking by how grateful they should be to see...

When your life seems full of troubles, it seems difficult to maintain an attitude of gratitude, doesn't it?

All we see are our problems, like a blackened storm cloud casting a dark shadow over our lives.

And the times when everything just seems to be going smoothly? We often take these precious moments for granted too, don't we?

Caught up in the bliss, comfort, and familiarity of it all, we can simply forget to be thankful.

So what, then, is gratitude?

Simply put, gratitude is a habit. It's a way of looking at the world and all the good things in it with a feeling of appreciation, regardless of whether or not your current situation is to your liking.

Gratitude is a heart-centered approach to being at peace with yourself and with all you have. When you practice this feeling of gratitude, it attracts even MORE things into your life for which to be grateful.

Go ahead, try it out right now. What or who do you have in your life to be thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving

Izabella Lipetski

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Thanksgiving has become one of my favorite festivals. It’s a time to take a step back and appreciate the good things in our lives such as family and friends and the area in which we live. Being born in the Ukraine I didn’t experience Thanksgiving until my move to the US when I was in my twenties but now it has become symbolic of my appreciation of the great life I have here.

Part of that is down to my Real Estate work and my clients. I am thankful that I get to meet such warm, interesting and genuine people who want to create a welcoming home for their families and I am grateful to join them on that journey. I appreciate it when a client chooses me to guide them through their house buying or house selling process. For those living locally we can all be thankful that Alameda and Pleasanton are such gem’s within the bay area; safe, friendly, beautiful and great community spirit. It is people like you and I that make and keep these areas that way and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

If you want to give back to your community this Thanksgiving then Alameda Food Bank is welcoming donations for local families in need.

Can’t Wait to Skate?

The wait is now over! The Little Ice Rink’s opening ceremony on Friday saw the start of its’ sixth season at the South Shore Centre in Alameda.

Ice Skating is a wonderful family day out allowing all ages to bond as you slip, slide and spin across the ice. It’s heart warming to see the little ones take their first tentative steps and watch their joy as they grow in confidence. If you come on a Saturday you can round off your outing by enjoying the tempting choices from the food trucks next to the Little Ice Rink, my favorite are the wonderful cupcakes from CupKates!

Skating is close to my heart as my own daughter fell in love with the sport when she was just six. With focus and determination Laura featured in the 3 US Figure Skating Championships and Junior World. The Little Ice Rink’s launch ceremony was a proud moment for us as it was headlined by one of her students, Alysa Liu, who is the 2016 Intermediate National Champion. 

If your little ones get the skating bug and can’t wait for the holidays then Oakland Ice has sessions year round. Classes are offered from age three with expert tuition from experienced skaters including my daughter. You can also head to the Union Square Ice Rink for more holiday skating fun.