Christmas In July

And just like that, Christmas is gone. Just weeks ago cars lined the streets with trees strapped to their rooftops and malls filled as parents fulfilled Santa wish list requests. The holidays come and go in a flash, especially after 20 years of working in retail. My job at a toy driven shop with last minute parents expecting miracles and opening box after box of the same ‘Top Seller’ just sucks all the magic out of Christmas. Lucky for me, I have my Seasonal Soulmate. In the many years we have been friends and at times, coworkers, she has never let anything dampen my spirit for all things festive. S.S. is so dedicated to making merry that she has now come on-board to even celebrate my obscure holidays with me, including Aunt Lillian Day (April 16th). This year was harder than ever to conger up anything I wanted to be jolly about. Yet, like clockwork, S.S. called me up and demanded she come over and help decorate my house, eat peppermint chocolate cookies, and add an extra string of lights to my pre-lit tree. It worked, of course. And it made me think back to when we got together in the not yet miserable heat of the summer to celebrate her birthday in which we did what any two holiday crazed people would do; went for coffee and shopped for Christmas ornaments.
Though her birthday falls in the first week of July, we met up in late-June as she had just found a new cafe she wanted to share with me. Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters in Newbury Park sits in the back of a long strip mall with ample parking but minimal outdoor seating. As we entered, all the staff was friendly and one woman behind the counter even recognized my friend. That’s a pretty common occurrence in such a small town but because they knew each other, the woman opened up to us about the shop and the details about what makes them special. At Ragamuffin they have the same mentality as most independent coffee shop; Handcrafted, responsibly sourced, local trade, and all the jazz I’ve blogged about before as being an excellent draw and way to run a company. What you won’t find on their website, is how locally they truly run. They roast their beans at a location in Oxnard, which offers an area to watch them roast. I’ve not been to that location yet but knowing that my beans were roasted 20 minutes from when I now got them in my cup was impressive. Freshness that wouldn’t be found unless a shop roasted right on site. They offer rotating espresso blends and bags of coffee can be purchased in store or online.
I ordered the Mexican mocha and S.S. grabbed a vanilla latte as we split a delicious egg dish and a house made pastry. My mocha had a touch more spice than a usual Mexican mocha but it didn’t stop me from finishing every last sip. They posted all the upcoming events for the summer, including a latte art throwdown. It would have been interesting to watch those artists at work. (Closed on Sundays)
From Ragamuffin we went to several craft and home stores and just as my retail senses told me, we knew they would have holiday product out on display. Already clearanced Fourth of July stuffed into 4 feet of wall space at the front of the store and behind it were aisles upon aisles of autumn decor, a smidge of Halloween, and then floor to ceiling walls of ornaments. Each store brought us unique purchase. As the reusable tote bags filled her trunk, my favorite item to come home that day was an ornament that my friend got that simply said, “Ornament Addict”. Having owned and run her own Christmas shop years ago, it was the perfect piece to add to her ever-growing stash.
After a few hours of shopping, we checked out a wine shop and bar in Ventura, with a name to match their theme. At its front, The Cave, looks like a small wine shop with a bottle or two of various reds and whites, and wine related knick knacks. In the rear of the shop is a counter, almost resembling a ticket taker at a theme park. A guest buys and loads a prepaid card, then enters The Cave. No, it’s not a ride. It’s a wine bar that looks like it’s been carved out from a cave, keeping the wines at a perfect temperature and adding a romantic ambiance. The wine selections are separated by red, white, champagne, and in a segregated room with a bubbly art installation in the exposed rafter ceilings above, the chilled dessert wines are featured. We each sampled a few different styles with our appetizers of house made chips and bruschetta. They close early unless there is a special event so we left and found our way to meeting up with some other girlfriends in Westlake Village for drinks at The Grill on the Alley, known as a high end eatery with a main location in Beverly Hills. It’s not too bad on the wallet if you only order drinks and take a stretched out amount of time to enjoy them on the patio during sunset.
I have always said that a holiday doesn’t have to be celebrated on the exact day. It is what you do together that makes a day special. I got to celebrate this Christmas over multiple days and multiple months with so many amazing people. It’s hard to remember that in the hustle and bustle leading up to December 25th. My Seasonal Soulmate and I have a special connection when it comes to those significant dates on a calendar and there is always at least a card in the mail, even if we have to spread the actual celebration over a length of time.

Fresh pastries.

Pats fans!