Happy Valentine’s Day, folks! Remember to share the love. Hug someone you love today. Or a stranger. Or, preferably, both!
Hugs,
M&M
P.S. The roses were a gift from Marcia. Henry and Henrietta Hedgehog are among our (300+) kids.
Happy Valentine’s Day, folks! Remember to share the love. Hug someone you love today. Or a stranger. Or, preferably, both!
Hugs,
M&M
P.S. The roses were a gift from Marcia. Henry and Henrietta Hedgehog are among our (300+) kids.
Hi Folks:
Free hugs on Black Friday – the ultimate irony? Perhaps not, but we had fun anyway. It’s true we had a certain resemblance to the Michelin Man with the layers we were wearing and Marcia had to trade in her signature sun hat for a set of ear muffins but she was still as beautiful as always.
The cruise ship season is over and being a weekday afternoon it wasn’t as busy a day as some we’ve had, but every hug we share is unique and special to us. Our thanks to everyone who stopped by Friday afternoon, all of the people who offered hugs, honks, waves, bicycle horn beeps and greetings… and special thanks to the three people who pulled over just for hugs!
We’ve never before done a Free Hugs session in November. Depending on the weather we may do another one next month; it’s about time to get that red suit back from the cleaners anyway. Remember to hug someone you love today. Or a stranger. Or, preferably, both!! 🙂
Hugs,
M&M
Hi Folks!
It’s our birthday! Our blog is 7 years old today!! We’ve definitely moved beyond toddler stage; in the past seven years we’ve published 513 blog posts and 138 pages of stories and poems and the like, and there’s plenty more where those came from… 😉 In the past seven years we’ve written on a variety of topics, from photography and software tutorials to random thoughts, insightful news, and (of course) Free Hugs. Thanks so much to you for continuing to come and visit and share with us.
Hi Folks:
Victoria’s October rains are among us once again, which is very good for the aquifer but not so good for hugging (even though we did get our new posters laminated). Once we get a free day that’s clear we’ll be back out again!
As it happened, our two most recent hugging sessions coincided with the arrival and departure of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and family on their tour of Canada. We knew something was up when we saw the legislature grounds being set up the day before their arrival, but needs must so the following day we headed to our usual location at the Homecoming Memorial. We had thought they might get time in their schedule to come and see us, but alas it was not to be. Nonetheless, we had a steady stream of people passing by on their way downtown so we had a wonderfully busy afternoon! Continue Reading →
Hi Folks:
Well, since Mike’s mother’s birthday is in September, a week or so ago we departed our little island hideaway for the Okanagan valley. And (for the first time in seven years) our ‘Free Hugs‘ posters departed the island with us. Our Hug Certificates have been downloaded and given out by people all over the world, but we’d yet to do a ‘Free Hugs’ session outside of Victoria. It was time!
Mike’s mom was a great sport, not only indulging us in our madness but willingly joining in. We set up by the Sails sculpture off Bernard Street, down by Lake Okanagan. When we do our hugging sessions, we offer but people have to come to us. Those who aren’t interested are welcome to simply pass us by and continue on their way. This location offered us ample space for people to move around us and a bench for Mike’s mom to sit when she tired of standing. We had a lot of fun, and hugged Kelowna tourists and locals alike! We’ll have to remember to bring our posters the next time we go traveling… 🙂
Hugs,
M&M
P.S. Many thanks to the entire(?) wait staff at Earl’s Kitchen + Bar for coming out and hugging us en masse!
Hi Folks:
We came across this file recently, in an old computer folder. There are a number of versions of it online, but none of them (that we’ve found) know or list the original author. To that end we’ve posted it as Author Unknown, but if you know who wrote it please leave us a comment to let us know!
Hugs,
M&M
Hugging
Hugging is healthy:
It helps the body’s immune system
It cures depression
It reduces stress
It induces sleep
It’s invigorating
It’s rejuvenating
It has no unpleasant side effects
And is nothing less than a miracle drug!Hugging is all natural:
It is organic, unnaturally sweet
No pesticides, no preservatives
No artificial ingredients
And 100 percent wholesomeHugging is practically perfect:
There are no moving parts to wear out
No periodic checkups
Low-energy yield
Infection-proof
Non-fattening
No monthly payments
No insurance requirements
Theft-proof
Non-taxable
Non-polluting
And, of course, returnable.                                            Author Unknown
Love is the one thing that connects us all.
Hi Folks:
The video below from Atlanta Buzz, streamed live on Facebook, has been seen more than 27 million times (so far). If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth watching. If you have, it’s worth tucking away in a quiet corner for the next time you need a little uplifting. Last Friday hundreds of people came to Thanks-Giving Square to honour the five Dallas police officers who were killed in the line of duty on July 7, and several officers were on the scene to direct traffic. Very shortly a huge line-up of people stopped to offer appreciation to the officers present and share condolences, handshakes and hugs.
You can read more here: This video of people hugging Dallas cops has been viewed 25 million times
Wherever you are today, we send you love.
Hugs,
M&M
P.S. In seven years of hugging locals and visitors to our fair city, so far we’ve share Free Hugs with people from 53 countries (that we know about). All it takes is a piece of cardboard, a marker, a little courage and an open heart.
Hi Folks:
As last Saturday (the first Saturday in July) was International Free Hugs Day, we were out at our usual location (Victoria’s Homecoming Memorial, by Ship Point) offering hugs to locals and visitors alike. This was our 9th hugging session this year, but because it was International Free Hugs Day we extended an invitation to friends and members of our local photography group to come and join us… and join us they did! Continue Reading →
Hi Folks:
In our last ‘Free Hugs’ post we detailed the process of making our new ‘Free Hugs’ posters. Below we have the lovely Marcia modeling one of them for us.
We’ve been offering free hugs to locals and visitors (and other species) for seven years now, and (without question 🙂 ) the one question we get asked more than any other is, “Why are you doing this?” Continue Reading →