The Reindeer Take Victoria…

…because Manhattan is too far away…

Hi Folks:

As Christmas is nearly upon us once again, Twinkles and Krinkles knew it was time to make their annual sojourn downtown. They’ve been doing this pretty much every year since 2015… So many people lose their smiles this time of year, and these two reindeer take it upon themselves to help people remember their smiles by smiling and waving at them. Some people smile and/or wave back and some don’t, but that’s okay. Some smiles are buried deeper than others, but the two reindeer know that memory is a powerful thing and smiles have a way of bubbling up to the surface unexpectedly.

Normally the two work in tandem, but when she heard Mrs. Claus was scheduled at a high-level E.L.F. meeting, Krinkles knew her path lay elsewhere.

Krinkles at the secret E.L.F. meetingMrs. Claus and head E.L.F. at a secret meeting locationThis left Twinkles to his own devices, but he didn’t mind too much. Together or apart, they take their role of having fun very seriously. Wandering through the Bay Centre and the streets of downtown Victoria, Twinkles made sure to engage as many people as possible.

Twinkles at the base of the Bay Centre Christmas treeOf course, all of that smiling and waving uses up a lot of energy, so at one point Twinkles had to retire to a local shop for a cup of tea and a little bite to eat before heading out again.

Twinkles having a tea and a little bite to eatHer meeting finished, Krinkles and Twinkles and Mrs. Claus were united once again. With big smiles on their faces, they were happy to head home. You’ll notice that this close to Christmas Mrs. Claus was doing her best to travel incognito…like that would ever work. Her glow gives her away every time.

Mrs. Claus, Twinkles and Krinkles on the streets of VictoriaIf you come across someone today who has temporarily lost their smile, be sure to gift them one of yours! Even if they only take that smile and bury it down deep, it will find its way back out when they least expect it!

Hugs
🤶&🎅
(and Krinkles and Twinkles) 
 

P.S. For more of the adventures of Twinkles and Krinkles, click here.

It’s Our Birthday!!

Hi Folks:

This image was taken from our front doorway. When the door was opened, the front porch was covered in leaves. There's a text overlay that reads, "Can Mike come out to play?"Well, it’s now been 16 (!!) years since our blog took its first breath; it continues to be quite the journey! Our site has been much quieter this year than in the past; medical challenges have prevented us from being in the office as much – but we’re still growing! We currently have 729 blog posts and 151 pages on our site. The posts cover poetry, photography tutorials, our hugging adventures (88 countries and counting!) and Free Hugs chalk art (as well as various other musings); our pages include some of Marcia’s stories, some of Mike’s stories and free Adventures of Rainbow Mouse colouring pages to download and enjoy. We’ve shared some wonderful adventures with you through these and are looking forward to sharing more in the future! This blog is our gift to you, our readers, and we very much appreciate having you here with us. Feel free to drop by any time, check out Marcia’s books, download our colouring pages, read our stories, leave a comment or reach out, relax and enjoy yourself. We don’t have any birthday cake that we can share (this is the best we can do: ), but we send you love.

Remember to hug someone you love today, even if it’s just screen to screen. You’ll both feel better for it! ‍

M&M

P.S. Extra special thanks to our son Nick, who does all of the techie stuff that keeps us afloat!! 🙂

Happy Canada Day!!

This image has a photograph of some chalk art in the centre of it. The photo shows a large circle with a Canada Flag in the middle. At the top of the flag it says, "Happy Canada Day" and below the flag it says, "Share Hugs Here"

Above this photograph is red and white text that again reads "Happy Canada Day!!" and below the image it reads, "Hug Someone You Love Today"Happy Canada Day, folks!! Many thanks for celebrating this day and our beautiful home with us!!

Hugs,
M&M

P.S. A reminder that next Saturday (July 5, 2025) is International Free Hugs Day! Let your hugging inhibitions go and embrace the love!!

 

Happy Father’s Day!!

Hi Folks:

All of Marcia and Mike’s parents are gone now, but we have two sons and a son-in-law and five beautiful grandchildren. We are Grandy and Grandalf! 🧙‍♀️&🧙‍♂️

As with those who are moms, Happy Father’s Day today to all of the strong, loving men who are fathers, to those who are chosen dads, surrogate dads, step-dads, adoptive dads, and to the women who are also dads.

Special thanks to all those who love and support them.

Hugs,
M&MThis is a photograph made at the Victoria Butterfly Gardens. The edges of the frame are surrounded by plants, and there's a rocky stream running vertically down the center. At the top there's a small statue of a stone Buddha sitting in quiet contemplation.

Sixteen Years of Hugging

Hi Folks:

June 8 is a very special day for us, for several reasons. First, for the world in general, June 8 is World Ocean Day. Not only do the world’s oceans cover over 70% of the earth’s surface, but they hold 97% of the world’s water. Keeping our oceans healthy is vital in so many ways it would be impossible to begin to list them all.

Second, June 8 is the Anniversary of Marcia’s marriage proposal. Yes, it was 26 years ago, and after giving it due consideration (for less than half a second), of course Mike said yes. No fool he. We continue to feed each other every day.

And third, June 8, 2010 was the advent of our Free Hugs sessions in downtown Victoria. In 11 years we shared hugs with locals and tens of thousands of visitors to our fair city from (at least) 88 countries. Every hug is unique and special and we treasure each and every one of them. Our only rule was that we offered, but those who were interested had to come to us.

The illustrious Marcia, Free Hugs poster in hand, during our first Free Hugs session

The illustrious Marcia, Free Hugs poster in hand, during our first Free Hugs session (image A. Licht)

Continue Reading →

Reindeer Games

No, not that one. This one:
 
This is an image of Mrs. Claus along with the reindeer Twinkles and Krinkles standing in front of the large Christmas tree on the bottom level of the Bay Centre in downtown Victoria, BC. Mrs' Claus is wearing her signature green parka.

Mrs. Claus, Twinkles and Krinkles at the Bay Centre, Victoria, BC. Still much waving to do!

A lot of people lose their smiles this time of year, so Twinkles and Krinkles like to wander about and wave at people to see if they can help find their smiles again. 🙂
 
Mr.and Mrs. Claus do their best to keep the reindeer from getting too rambunctious; sometimes it isn’t easy as they do love their task!! 
 
Hugs
🤶&🎅
(and Krinkles and Twinkles) 
 
Mrs. Claus (sans parka) and the reindeer enjoying a refreshing cup of tea at The Good Earth before continuing on!

Taking time for a refreshing cup of tea!

Spooktacular Hugs!!

This image shows a chalk drawing on the sidewalk in front of our house. It consists of a (not very scary) ghost, and text that reads, "Share Sppoktacular Hugs Here"

Hi Folks:

We haven’t done much chalk art recently because of the rain (no complaints – it refills the aquifer and we’ll appreciate it next summer). Unfortunately rain isn’t very kind to chalk art! We’re expecting another major storm this weekend so we’ll have to put out something else for Hallowe’en, but in the meantime, remember to hug someone you love today. Or a stranger. Or, preferably, both!!

Hugs,
M&M

Put On a Happy Face 🙂

Hi Folks:

This is a chalk art drawing in front of our house. The main drawing is a large (4' diameter circle, filled in to make a happy face. At the top it reads, "You Are Beautiful." At the bottom it reads, "Share Hugs Here."As Labour Day weekend is upon us we’re starting to wind down summer once again. Vacations are (for the most part) coming to an end, children and adults are going back to school… Still, we wanted to offer a reminder that even as seasons change, some fundamental things don’t. Self-value is inherent, and not linked to what we do. And kindness is always the right response.

To that end, we wanted to offer you a reminder to put on a happy face and engage your world with love. 💗

Hugs,
M&M

P.S. This drawing took two whole sticks of yellow! But it was worth it… 🙂
P.S. II, the sequel: This is our ninth Hugs chalk art pattern for 2024. If you’d like to see all of them, click here: 2024 Hug Zones.

 

Happy Canada Day!!

A chalk art drawing in red and white. There are two concentric circles and in the middle of the smaller circle is a Canadian flag. In the space between the two circles, at the top of the image it reads, "Happy Canada Day". At the bottom it reads, "Share Hugs Here"Happy Canada Day folks … to all of those born here, and to all those who have found their way to our shores. Remember to hug the ones you love today. Or a stranger. Or, preferably, both!!

Hugs,
M&M

P.S. A shout-out today to our wonderful friend Glennis, who wrote this beautiful poem back in 2019: Free Hugs

P.S. II, the sequel – a reminder that next Saturday (July 6, 2024) is International Free Hugs Day! Let your hugging inhibitions go and embrace the love!!