Happy Holidays! Andrew and I just returned from sunny, spectacular South Beach. It was our big vacation this year and well worth the wait. Having always lived in the Northeast, the only other time I’ve ever traveled to a warm destination in December was a decade ago in Hawaii. I gotta say, there’s something wonderfully decadent about strolling around in shorts while knowing it’s freezing back home. (Haters gonna hate.)

We splurged on an oceanfront room at the Marriott Stanton hotel on the quiet, southern end of Miami Beach. The changing colors of the clouds, sky, sun and sea constantly provided new vistas. To give you a taste, I’ve compiled fourteen photos shot throughout the day over the course of a week . (A few of them are from our balcony; most were taken during walks along the beach.) Scientific studies show these images will automatically reduce your stress levels:

6:45 am: cotton candy and yellow pastel clouds

6:50 am: trailing pink wisps

7:08 am: sun is rising

7:11 am: sunrise like an electric egg yolk

7:10 am: navy blue cloud shelf

8:38 am: feathered clouds and glossy sunshine

9:19 am: bright and clear

1:41 pm: cotton balls, gray swirls, and white foam waves

3:19 pm: Magritte-like clouds

4:33 pm: half ominous

5:26 pm: lavender dusk

5:27 pm: subdued sunset

5:39 pm: dark and fluffy

5:53 pm: dramatic view towards Fisher Island and downtown Miami

Perhaps these have expanded your own horizons on what’s possible and unpredictably beautiful. And I hope they remind you of an endless summer in the heart of winter.

Up next: a change of pace in Wynwood Walls…