National Hugging Day

Cartoon girls hugging in winter.

Hello. Thank you for being here. This is not a hat day. However, just about everyone on the planet loves a hug. Hattingdon sends you — our visitors, followers and supporters — a big hat full of hugs.

How to observe the day

Give someone a big hug. Or, if you need one, ask for a hug and “feel like new” whoever you are. You can also give a mental hug. The most important thing is — you sent it to them. Vivian says a lady she often sees out shopping and always gives a nod and a smile, came up this time, said hello and gave her a hug.

You can also let someone know you care about by sending them warm, cheerful words of encouragement. Boost their happiness by letting them know how much they mean to you with a verbal hug — until you have the opportunity to be with them.

Happenings in January

  • The Earth always reaches perihelion in early January. Perihelion is when the Earth reaches its closest point to the Sun — typically around January 3rd. Perihelion occurs once a year,
  • The Quadrantid meteor shower occurs every year in January.
  • Pasadena in California hosts the Rose Parade each year in January.
  • Ellis Island opened on New Year’s Day 1892

Thank you for spending time with us. See you again soon.


Hattingdon Horses

Hattingdon Horses logo H in black.

Contents © Vivian J Grant. All Rights Reserved.

Cloud Dancer named color of 2026

Phthalo green header artwork.

but not for long . . .

Pantone choose billowy white ‘Cloud Dancer’ as its color of the year. They stated:

“Pantone [has] named its Color of the Year for 2026, and the choice is quietly telling. Dubbed ‘Cloud Dancer’, the soft, billowy off-white shade signals a shift away from loud statements and toward shape, texture, and intention—an approach already gaining traction
across fashion and interiors.”


Writes Vivian, “It appeared to some that they ran out of color ideas so simply chose . . . white. We were all pretty surprised and there was a lot of head shaking. It was then that social media began to look for another color. Thankfully Marie Claire took the issue in hand and chose — shall we say — a more relevant color for 2026″.

Enter ‘Phthalo Green’

Marie Claire writes:

Open quote in Hattingdon brown.

The social media rejection of “Cloud Dancer” was just the beginning. Nominations for a substitute 2026 Color of the Year quickly arose. I saw a couple of alternatives like oxblood and dark purple in the hour or so after the announcement. Within the day, there was a near-uniform consensus on Threads: The true color for 2026 isn’t white, but something prettier, something richer, something with actual color—a pigmented, deep, slightly blue-tinged shade called “Phthalo Green”.

Phthalo green is a dark bluish-green color that is used in various media,
such as oil and acrylic paints, inks, and cosmetics.
_______

Learn more about this color and it unique qualities of phthalo pigments at Jackson’s »

Hattingdon. ‘A Hatful of Smiles’.


Hattingdon letter H logo in deep green.

Contents © Vivian J Grant. All Rights Reserved.

Updated: 12/30/25


Ten colors of Christmas

Christmas tree with colorful ornaments and more. Close up.

What they mean

Source: color-meanings.com »

Red and Green

Christmas is a time for family, celebration, and for many people, for worship. And like most holidays, it has its own distinctive color palette. In almost every case, that palette includes red and green, although those aren’t the only Christmas colors. 

Red and green share essentially the same Christmas-color origin story. And when it comes to holiday decorations, you rarely see one color without the other.

The original sources of the green found in Christmas decorations are evergreen plants, thought to represent Christ’s eternal life. More »

White

White is a color that’s rich with symbolism in its own right. In Western culture, white is a color connected to both purity and peace.

The birth of Jesus was an illustration of the purity of God’s love for humanity, and it was also a sign of peace on Earth. More »

Brown

Brown might not be the most glamorous color there is, but it’s a common part of many Christmas decoration schemes. Its humble earthiness is reminiscent of the stable where Jesus was born. It’s also the color of pinecones. More »

Gold

Gold is a richly-colored metallic that looks right at home against deep green and crimson red. We know gold as the most precious of precious metals. Frankincense is an aromatic tree resin often used in perfumery, and myrrh is another tree resin used in medicine and as a fragrance. More »

Bronze

As metals go, bronze is fairly demure, but that quality makes it fit in nicely with just about any color. You can include bronze in a metallic decoration scheme with copper, gold, and silver. But you can also add it as a grounding influence in a more traditional red and green scheme. More »

Silver

You’ve probably heard Christmas songs about silver bells, but that’s not the reason silver has become one of the classic Christmas colors. Silver is associated with the Star of Bethlehem, the star that the Wise Men followed in order to find the baby Jesus.

Silver also reminds us of snowy landscapes, which may be part of why it features so prominently in so many decoration schemes. More »

Purple

When you imagine Christmas colors, purple probably isn’t the first one that comes to mind. However, purple is an integral part of Christmas, or at the very least, it’s a part of the weeks leading up to it.

In Christianity, purple is associated with Jesus Christ. It’s the color of royalty, and Jesus is regarded as the King of Kings. More »

Blue

Though it may not be one of the best-known Christmas colors, blue is still associated with this joyful holiday. In particular, blue has historically been connected to the Virgin Mary, Jesus’s mother. The shade represents her purity, captures the beauty of the sky, and marks her as royalty. More »

Burgundy

Red and purple are both Christmas colors, and burgundy strikes a middle ground between the two. It combines the joyful intensity of red with the quiet prayerfulness of purple.

From a design perspective, burgundy is also a great color to incorporate into your decoration scheme. It’s deep enough to ground lighter shades like white and silver. More »

Celebrating the beauty of the winter season, these iconic colors of the season will help you do it!

The Creative Designer

Jacob Olesen, founder of Color Meanings, is a world-renowned color expert with nearly 20 years of professional experience in digital design and a leading authority on how colors influence human emotion and behavior. Check him out here »


Yummy color trends

Pretty in pink roses blog banner. Lovely.

IN STYLE writes:

Quote. If your previous cold-weather palettes have felt a little tired, 2025 is here to shake things up. Designers went all out on the runways, experimenting with combinations that amp up the colorways you know and love.

Chanel wraps us in a soft, cozy mint green, perfect for layering as chunky knits or tailored coats. Ferragamo showed us that a bold chili red can still command attention. Dries Van Noten electrifies the palette with a deep, shimmering aubergine, a color that’s moody and mysterious.

CoCo in pink.
Coco in Pink

Meanwhile, Fendi flirts with powdery pinks so delicate they almost feel like a secret. From bold and edgy to soft and feminine, there’s a shade to match every mood. Unquote.

So delicate they almost feel like a secret“. What a lovely expression. A sweet hat.

See you soon.

Hattingdon & Co

Featured image: Wallpaper Access »


Gold H Hattingdon logo.