25th Anniversary Countdown to Christmas: Day 25

Throughout December, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Martha Stewart Living magazine, I will examine 25 of the most memorable and influential people, moments and milestones at Martha Stewart's company over the last quarter century: the Martha Moments that fans are especially grateful for. I hope you enjoy these reflections on twenty-five years of excellence!

DECEMBER 25: MARTHA!

It is difficult to put into words the influence that Martha Stewart has had on popular culture. Both the publishing and the television industries benefited greatly from Martha's innovation: the rise of the 'shelter publication' and interest in lifestyle content today is the direct result, I feel, of Martha's far-reaching influence and pioneering efforts. Television series and entire networks devoted to house & home content, especially cooking, were born out of the popularity of Martha's own ingenious vision of having a television show devoted to celebrating the culture of home. Click here for a brief summary of Martha's life.

On a personal level, I must say that I have learned so much from Martha over the years. I've learned things that no teacher in a school classroom would ever deign to teach, things my mother and father didn't teach me and things my friends were not always interested in learning. How to cook basic meals; how to bake a cake; how to bake cookies; how to grow an amaryllis, care for a fern, make 'green' cleaning decisions; how best to do the laundry and how best to wash the dishes by hand. She taught me how to fold a fitted sheet (still working on perfecting this, I must admit) and how to organize a closet. There are countless other lessons learned, too, and this knowledge has become part of me. Only Martha taught me these things, making her one of the most important teachers I have ever encountered.

I am fortunate to have met Martha on several occasions. I have even done a television segment with her! For this I feel so blessed because I got to tell her, in person, what her work has meant to me. And I know she felt my gratitude and the honour I was experiencing by standing next to her. 

So, without further adieu, I want to say THANK YOU, MARTHA! Thank you for 25 years of excellence, for a beautiful magazine that I look forward to each month, for all those hours of informative television programming, all those beautiful products that make my home a happier, prettier and more functional space and especially for all that information and knowledge that I consider to be more valuable than you may know! Everything I celebrate on this blog is directly because of you!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!