Cozying up for Fall and Mahjong Anyone?
It’s that transitional time of year, when you still have a swimsuit and flip flops laying around. When the day starts at 50 degrees, goes into the 70s, maybe even 80s and then plummets down again. But what you’re truly longing for are cozy days, entertaining inside surrounded by fabulous creatures with pointy hats and orange ensembles (not your family). Give us the pumpkins, witches, spooky candles, magic spells and our beloved – sweater weather!
At Boxwood, I also adore this time of year, September kicks off fall and holiday season planning. We conquered our summer entertaining with vibrant shades of pink, blue and yellow, with picnic baskets and acrylic champagne glasses and beautiful linen napkins. Now we welcome with open arms – the oranges, reds and browns. The fall-seasoned Geometry tea towels, the bold candles and candlesticks…Hester and Fall placemats to announce to all guests and offspring that fall will soon be here.
Here are just a few of our featured fall items:
When fall arrives, we do our own Midnight Margaritas dance (“you put the lime in the coconut”) and reenact that perfect scene from Practical Magic. But, no really we do teach our friends how to have fun – with Mahjong.
It was our staffer Mary Elizabeth, a fond player, who encouraged me to bring it into the shop. On Tuesday nights, Boxwood has Mahjong 101, where you’ll dive into the fascinating world of National American Mahjong, a game rooted in 300-year-old Chinese tradition. This is perfect for beginners and covers everything you need to get started from understanding the tiles to racking to picking a winning hand. You’ll learn the basics of the game. And on Wednesday nights, we have Mahjong 102, where our attendees put their learnings and strategies to action by playing the game. You may recognize our instructor, Judy Heiser, or her artwork which already lights up our indoor space. A former resident at the Torpedo Factory, her work now appears in many art galleries, and we’ve carried her paintings at Boxwood since we first opened, over five years ago.
As Judy shared with me, “It’s an addictive game, you will want to play every day. It brings the community together, and I’ve been meeting so many people and developing new friendships.” And now that she has completed extensive training, she brings this intriguing game to our entertaining mix. The first night you will learn how to play and the second night is game and learning strategy - actual play mode. You do not have to attend each week, you can attend one session or multiple. See more details here.
As an attendee of the class, your supplies will be provided, but once you’re hooked on the game, we also have wonderful products for sale. Get a set for yourself or as a hostess or holiday gift. These sets are an investment – but so are you, and you deserve an elaborate, colorful set as you sit down to tea and get your Mahjong game on.
We hope to see you in-store soon whether to get your fall decor game on or the Mahjong one, or both!
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