Looking Back to Move Forward: Vol. 12 (December)

In her letter to readers in the March, 2012, issue of the magazine, Martha Stewart Living editor-in-chief Pilar Guzman makes an intriguing comment about looking back to former issues of the magazine in order to move forward. She writes: "...we will feature images on this page that inspire us from the magazine's archives. Sometimes it's important to look back in order to move forward." As a longtime subscriber, I felt like playing along! All year I have been raiding the archives each month to showcase my favourite issue. Here is my selection for December.

MY FAVOURITE DECEMBER ISSUE: 2000
Wow! I can't believe this is the last entry of my monthly Looking Back column. Where did the year go? Hopefully you have enjoyed the strolls down Martha's Memory Lane and have gained a bit of insight into the magazine I still call my favourite. This is my last entry until late next week. I am headed to New York City for a Christmas vacation and will return with plenty of photos to share. In the meantime, please explore the blog's various highlights or read my past Looking Back columns. Below is my analysis of why the December, 2000, issue is the best of the best.

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Maybe it was millennium fever, or perhaps it was that Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia was riding high on its recent public offering, but the December, 2000, issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine is a touchstone of holiday elegance. Thicker than many soft-cover books, the issue is jam-packed with Christmas inspiration that weaves a picture of understated, sophisticated holiday magic. Every page is a tribute to the very philosophy of inspiration. Subjects in the issue include making shortbread 17 ways, variations on the traditional fruit cake, caring for and displaying christmas cactus, handmade decorations, the history of punch bowls, and a grand dinner at one of Martha's favourite New York City restaurants. The centerpiece of the entire issue, however, is the deeply-inspired editorial spread based on the lyrics to the holiday classic, I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas. The editors bring page after page of their elegant interpretation of white at Christmastime, through beautifully-styled imagery of Christmas trees, holiday tablesettings, crafts and recipes. The entire oeuvre comes together to create a Christmas volume of treasured ideas that is truly magical. Below are images from that issue.

RUNNERS-UP
The December issue of Martha Stewart Living is usually the annual favourite for readers. This is why it was so hard to pick just one issue for this month. I've chosen six more issues that are certainly worth seeking out. If you have these six below, plus the aforementioned 2000 issue, you have the very best of Martha Stewart Living's December issues.

Top to Bottom, Left to Right: The December, 1991, issue of Martha Stewart Living was the first real Christmas issue, not counting the first test issue of the magazine. December, 1998, takes us to Skylands where Martha and her family celebrate the holidays in a woodsy way. December, 2001, heralds a golden touch at Turkey Hill with additional stories on regional holiday menus, red damask and dreidels. Decmeber, 2002, celebrates the holidays Victorian style with handmade decorations and festive menus. December, 2006, is all about vintage ornaments, holiday buffets, tree-trimming and glorious greenery. December, 2008, takes us to Martha's home in Bedford for Christmas carols. There are beautiful clip-art templates in this issue and excellent cookie recipes.

Looking Back to Move Forward: Vol. 11 (November)

In her letter to readers in the March, 2012, issue of the magazine, Martha Stewart Living editor-in-chief Pilar Guzman makes an intriguing comment about looking back to former issues of the magazine in order to move forward. She writes: "...we will feature images on this page that inspire us from the magazine's archives. Sometimes it's important to look back in order to move forward." As a longtime subscriber, I felt like playing along! I'll be raiding the archives each month to showcase my favourite issue. Here is my selection for November.

MY FAVOURITE NOVEMBER ISSUE: 1998
Information. That is what I most love about the November, 1998, issue of Martha Stewart Living. There is so much of it contained in this beautiful volume. Every page offers something useful, something interesting, something factual and something inspiring. The front half of the magazine imparts helpful holiday strategies, such as a week-by-week countdown to the holidays with a checklist of what needs to be done. There is also a guide to getting pots and pans perfectly clean, preparing and organizing your desk for holiday correspondence with a perpetual calendar to record birthdays and anniversaries. There is even a guide to beautiful handwriting! We learn about trivets: their history, their uses, their materials and designs. Want to know how to make the perfect pie crust? Well, that's here too! We also learn about what drinks to serve before dinner. We don't just learn about what to serve and how to prepare these cocktails, but how and why these 'apertifs' whet our appetites before a large meal.

The back of the issue is a veritable cornucopia of inspiration and atmosphere: the Macy's Day Parade serves as the backdrop to a celebratory dinner in a turn-of-the-century Central Park apartment;  we are introduced to caramel preparation and many elegant and delicious ways to employ this sticky confection in desserts; there is a truly fascinating article on collectible silver serveware and a lulling, magical feature on something as simple and ethereal as candle light. Tartan, one of autumn's go-to fashions, is brought indoors and tailored to fit the trimmings in dining rooms, living rooms and bedrooms, bringing that luxe English feel to each of the spaces. Everything about the issue says Thanksgiving without actually saying it, which is a sign of true editorial skill: the themes, the colours and mood of the photographs, the richness of the recipes. Everything works together so perfectly, page to page to page. Below are images from the issue.

 

RUNNERS-UP

Choosing the November issue was actually very hard, since I have several favourites. The 2000 issue is wonderful. The cover alone made it a contender for Best November Issue. Only Martha Stewart would have a 50 pound solid chocolate turkey on display at her Thanksgiving party! The 2002 issue is beautifully informative and inspiring with an emphasis on family, collecting, preserving and crafting. And the 2006 issue is a nomination courtesy of David Bondarchuck, who demanded it be included this month. It is one of his favourite issues and upon looking through it at his suggestion, I have to say I concur with his assessment. Martha hosts Thanksgiving in her stables at Cantitoe Corners with stunning results and the issue is otherwise filled with festive and inspiring how-tos. Happy reading!

Looking Back to Move Forward: Vol. 10 (October)

In her letter to readers in the March, 2012, issue of the magazine, Martha Stewart Living editor-in-chief Pilar Guzman makes an intriguing comment about looking back to former issues of the magazine in order to move forward. She writes: "...we will feature images on this page that inspire us from the magazine's archives. Sometimes it's important to look back in order to move forward." As a longtime subscriber, I felt like playing along! I'll be raiding the archives each month to showcase my favourite issue. Here is my selection for October.

MY FAVOURITE OCTOBER ISSUE: 2001

The October issue of Martha Stewart Living ranks high among fans. It's right up there with the September, December and March issues, which are anticipated for their commitment to a seasonal theme: decorating, the holidays and gardening, respectively. Martha's October is popular because of Halloween, it's true. Few publications do up the holidays quite like Martha Stewart; she elevates and expands the concept of "celebration" to levels that far exceed expectation, providing inspiration and imagination in spades.

For me, however, the October issue is much more about celebrating a love of Fall, my favourite season. At the risk of sounding staid and curmudgeonly, I feel I have outgrown Halloween. I love costumes, make-up and theatrics, and I count several horror films among my all-time favourites, but there is so much more to this month than All Hallows Eve. For Canadians, it's about Thanksgiving, which falls on the second Monday in October. It's also about harvest and comfort foods, outfitting the indoors for warm, snuggly evenings alone or with loved ones, long walks along leaf-lined pathways and bundling up in your favourite sweater.

The October 2001 issue of Martha Stewart Living hits every single mark. There is a Halloween element, but it is explored in deeply imaginative ways. Pitcher plants, those otherworldly carnivorous bog dwellers, are perfectly linked to the concept of spookiness, as is an expository feature on bats, with wondrous photographs of the various species. Kids (Halloween's truest admirers) have a place too with a feature on making space costumes using everyday objects in an appropriate homage to Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey." As we prepare for holiday entertaining, we sort through our dinnerware, perhaps coming across some inherited 'make-dos and whimsies' - those thoughtfully-repaired or repurposed pitchers or platters that hold the obvious marks of committed restoration efforts: iron fittings, handmade staples or wicker bindings optimistically holding together an object that had once been shattered. There are potatoes and pumpkins and all the delicious foods we can make with them. Yes, each page is an exercise in giving Fall its due.

Looking Back to Move Forward: Vol. 9 (September)

In her letter to readers in the March, 2012, issue of the magazine, Martha Stewart Living editor-in-chief Pilar Guzman makes an intriguing comment about looking back to former issues of the magazine in order to move forward. She writes: "...we will feature images on this page that inspire us from the magazine's archives. Sometimes it's important to look back in order to move forward." As a longtime subscriber, I felt like playing along! I'll be raiding the archives each month to showcase my favourite issue. Here is my selection for September.

MY FAVOURITE SEPTEMBER ISSUE: 1999
The September issue of Martha Stewart Living has always been counted among my top three best issues of the year for that magazine. Its focus on decorating is the hook and the pages, filled with sumptuous photographs of beautiful rooms, inspire me to tweak my own humble surroundings to make them a little nicer, a little more special. One of the most classic September issues of Martha Stewart Living is the 1999 issue. Its main feature is the redecoration of Turkey Hill, Martha's former home in Connecticut. Photographs of the home are gorgeously lit, warm with gilt and pine. The essence of Martha's decorating style is perfectly captured and the hallmarks of her taste are perfectly portrayed: patina, neutrals, a mix of old and new. Also in this issue are the homes of two longtime Living editors: Margaret Roach's Victorian cottage and Gael Towey's Manhattan duplex. Both are gorgeous examples of interior design filtered through a personal vision. For Margaret, it's her love of red and green, nature and whimsy. For Gael, it's clean lines and pared-down city chic. I will go so far to say that any fan of Martha's who does not have this issue really should track it down. You can order it here if you don't have it. For the analysis of Turkey Hill alone it is worth it. Below are some photographic highlights from the issue.

RUNNERS UP: Below are runners up for my favourite September issue. (From left to right: 2000, 2001, 2002) It was very difficult to choose this month! In each issue below, there is a true commitment to the theme at hand: decorating. Other core-content areas are here but are kept to a minimum. The 2000 issue showcases the interiors of Skylands to great effect. The 2001 issue explores Martha's guest apartment at Turkey Hill and the 2002 issue is a must for its how-to and DIY lessons, from murals to kitchen renovations.