A NEW CHRISTMAS CLASSIC

Right there next to Elf and It’s a Wonderful Life, I would like to add a new entry to the list of Christmas Classics …..It’s Oprah’s Ultimate Favorite Things 2010. It’s the only show I have seen that gets better each moment. We all cry and rejoice at the end of It’s a Wonderful Life, hard not to, but, with Oprah’s staggering generosity, I cried the entire show from start to finish. There she stood, an angel wrapped in gold, bestowing endless gifts to teachers, caregivers, parents of sick children, and hardworking adults who otherwise might not ever receive such extravagant presents like diamond earrings and iPads and relish in childlike bliss. The only other time my heart swelled like that was during the scene in White Christmas when the aging General finds out he is not forgotten. It’s a stellar movie moment in compassion. Oprah gives us that too, but, for an entire hour, to real people, not actors, in her Ultimate Favorite Things episode.

Any way you look at it, Oprah’s Favorite Things 2010 is in a class by itself: an hour of pure giving at Christmas time, to happy, deserving people who scream, jump, cry, leap, swoon, and melt. They create happiness hysteria. I honestly don’t know anywhere else (aside from a church) where you can witness this kind of off-the-chart joy. And, while the audience is handed one gift after another, including keys to a brand new car, Johnny Mathis and Josh Groban serenade them to Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire….live! Like I said, it just gets better and better as the show unfolds. You can take my word for it; this is one Christmas Special you have to see to believe.

As I watched, for a moment, I thought, how awesome it would be to be on the receiving end, and get just one of those dazzling gifts myself. I would do cartwheels if someone gave me a single iPad. But, as it turns out, I would be just as happy with a copy of this bona fide Christmas classic to share with my friends and family. It’s a gift in itself. The message is simple, and one I share whole heartedly…keep hope alive, as Oprah states herself at the end of the show. You never know, something good could be right around the corner.

From now on, come Christmas time, it’s Oprah’s Favorite Things, right in-between Charlie Brown and Charles Dickens.

Oprah’s spectacular Christmas Extravaganza is now one of my "favorite things." I want to give a copy to everyone I know. Because, if it’s one thing we learned from watching those Christmas Classics (especially Oprah’s) it’s better to give than to receive.

THAT GIRL...

a girl with a view

Just like Marlo Thomas in the TV series That Girl, this girl is seeking fame and fortune in New York!  After only one day, I already have much to blog about, including, how I met a very famous actor in the elevator of a swanky hotel...

Enjoy the week. I will be back Monday to tell all.

In the mean time, Oprah's Spirit Newsletter sent out an email today about how to Live Agelessly~
Her experts share a lot of what has already been said here. So, while I am away you can scroll around the blog for some sure ways to keep young & happy. Here at Ageless with Aunty, we stay upbeat, even in down times.

Happy living, transforming, and evolving...

Can I ask what you love most about New York?

HAPPY SEASHELLS, SANDALS, AND SHORE-LINES...

Summer CakeJ

Happy Summer….

Surf’s up

Hang five, or is it ten?

Any way you look at it, this is the perfect time of year to be Ageless~

And now that summer is officially here, and my friend Helen Sunshine just told me it’s the happiest day of the year…this blog is on vacation. Well, not really. I am just considering entering the contest that Oprah’s network is running. They have something called Your Own Show. My understanding is, it is going to be a reality TV show about having your own show, and ultimately someone does. Since several people have called  encouraging me to try out, I am looking into putting a video together this week. The deadline is Friday, so there is a lot to do. I promise to keep you posted.

I realize I have a better chance of becoming president of the United States than having even a cup of tea with Oprah, but, let’s just say I am doing it for Aunty.

Check back later this week….this is only the first day of summer….there is much more to come.

By the way, at a family gathering recently, from a distance someone thought I was my teenage niece. Okay, maybe they don’t have the best vision, but, regardless, looks like this blog is working~ 

Keep up and you'll be kept up tooJ!

BE PREPARED...

Aunty and "Mr. Fran"


All this talk of possible fame and anticipated appearances on Oprah and Ellen, has Aunty and me thinking like Boy Scouts. Their motto Be Prepared has become ours! That is why Aunty talked me into driving a great distance this past weekend to visit our friend, and the most stylish dresser we know…Mr. Joseph Frances. Mr. Fran, as Aunty likes to call him, has some fabulous ideas to help aunty’s image should she be called to Hollywood (and she very well could). Her Agelessness is attracting many these days, and maybe it’s all the attention with the blog, but she seems to be lovelier then ever. She continues to remind me that she wants “to be dressed right,” if/when she is going to be before lights.

Here she is with Mr. Fran in his home. He is someone who truly understands quality and style, and, is a hat, scarf, fragrance and shoe enthusiast. His hats are from Optimo (the world’s finest producer of men’s custom made hats) http://www.optimohats.com/. His ties are from Charvet (Founded in 1838, the House of Charvet is renowned for being the ultimate choice in men's classic tailoring. Christophe Charvet was in charge of Napoleon's wardrobe. http://www.charvet.com/.

Even Joey’s colognes are extraordinary. He wears things Aunty and I can not even pronounce, and, as a fragrance buff myself he has stumped me on several occasions. We found him misted in the deep and sumptuous Domencia Caraceni 1913. For Aunty, Mr. Fran suggested Vega, the 1936 perfume by Guerlain. We looked it up, and it’s featured as “a graceful composition of orange blossom, ylang ylang, in a honeyed luminosity, accented with vanilla and amber.” Joey whispered to me… “It’s so sexy.”

After a champagne consultation, we figured Aunty would need thousands of dollars to dress in the Old Hollywood Glamour Style Mr. Fran suggested (and the one Aunty naturally loves). He directed us to 24 rue du Faubourg- Saint Honoré in Paris to have everything custom made with silk and satin. It was all in good fun because we can barely afford Macy’s. But, due to my Where There’s a Will There’s Renee attitude, I may have to mow down the fashion police and get TJ Maxx to play the role of a Couture Salon. I can always take a red marker, color the bottom of her DSW shoes, and tell Aunty they’re from Louboutin (she will never know the difference). Or we could add an accent, and tell Mr. Fran we got our threads at Targét. Regardless, Aunty is excited by all prospects. And, if I put her on a green tea and asparagus diet, she may very well be able to fit into her own (less pricey) 1940’s wardrobe, the one in the attic. Stay tuned…

PLAYING DRESS UP...

Ageless Aunty in Action

Before I share more of my chutzpah laden stories, Ageless Aunty wants me to tell you that it’s never too late to play dress up.

Aunty, not too far away from ninety years of Agelessness, has a collection of hats, gloves, scarves, sunglasses, cigarette holders (for her trademark fake cig) and high-heels. She relishes wearing them all.
However, at this point I have to pull her past the shoe salon at Nordstrom’s because Aunty insists on buying high-heels. “I love them,” she declares adamantly. I may have to put my foot down with the stilettos’, but she does still wear her hats and cigarette holders. She is old school glamour. If she keeps this up, she might end up in Hollywood. No kidding. What an audience she could generate. Can’t you just see Ageless Aunty in her Jimmy Choo’s dancing with Ellen? She could be the host's best dance partner ever (aside from Barack Obama).

Everyone says, “Aunty is one person Oprah would love to meet!” I have to agree. What a positive message and life affirming vision….Ageless Aunty (diagnosed with Alzheimer’s no less) enjoying life with more gusto than anyone. She is remarkable. Her little girl spirit soars! Aunty tells me that reading my blog helps her to keep a youthful attitude. That is one endorsement that is going to be hard to beat…unless, Oprah or Ellen call.