A Friend Indeed

At this time of year when stores are shouting all that is new and exciting – the latest “favorite thing” – we thought it’d be fun to talk to some of our team to see what are some of each of our favorite things, during the holidays and year-round. A fun survey here at Christie & Co. had us all smiling, so we wanted to share.

Fun fact: “Favorite” comes from the Latin word meaning “to show kindness to.”

Alissa: Loyalty, passion, adventure, action, freedom, my mom, my family, love, friends, creativity, exploration, learning, growing, helping, art….

Corie: Family time, laughing, reading, school, challenges, succeeding, growing, my baby niece, monarch butterflies, Disneyland, fireworks, gardenias, getting and giving presents, soft things, pedicures, my dog Hudson, creativity…

Lyndsay: My Vitamix, holiday traditions, my Thai floor cushion, books, wellness, my family and husband, my dog…

Arthur: Anything Napa Valley, good food and drink, coaching basketball, friends, family, nice cars, traveling…

Samy: Playing soccer, the beauty of a sunset, travelling, exploring new cultures, the opportunity to grow and exchange experiences…

Lisa: Watching Love Actually with my puppies and a roaring fire, the smell of lavender, feathers dropping from heaven, wild horses running free, the sounds of waves crashing….

Michelle: The smell of Christmas trees and candles, mint chocolate ice cream, taking photos, watching a sunset at the beach, listening to waves, spending time with family and friends, touching furry things, and smooth flower petals…

Adriano: Surfing, winter and using cozy blankets, hot chocolate, NBA season, my brother…

Gillian: Rocking chairs at airports, brave and creative people, the smell of balsam in Maine, my family and friends, helping my clients succeed and bring their dreams to mainstream, Thoreau, running, adventure, moving fast, good coffee, good conversations, love, freedom, creativity, talk radio, all life, laughter…

Gillian Christie
Santa Barbara

(Editor’s note: Ms Christie, who now operates a hugely successful international public relations firm, founded her company on Coast Village Road in Montecito over 25 years ago. She was one of three people to offer significant recognition to Montecito Journal after just its first and second issues were published in 1995 (the other two were Dana Newquist, who owned Montecito Video at the time, and the late Larry Crandell, “Mr. Santa Barbara.”

Who would have thought that 23 years later, she’d come to the rescue once again? Gillian’s daughter Alissa, who we’ve known since she was, well, a little girl, now runs the Santa Barbara office. The day after the mud-and-debris slide of January 9, 2018, she called and offered us assistance with whatever we may have needed. And, we needed lots, as we could not access our office on Coast Village Circle, which was in the disaster zone and closed to traffic and the public. She gave us complete use of her conference room in downtown Santa Barbara to use as our interim office; that came along with WiFi and Internet access and, frankly, anything else she had that we could possibly use. Christie & Co. never asked for any compensation, monetary or otherwise; they were simply helping a friend in need. We owe them much.

Gillian Christie, Alissa, and the entire staff are to be admired for the thoughtful and thorough work they do throughout the world. – J.B.)