Today is a very special day for women with a fondness for charm and grace…  our beloved Victoria magazine has returned to us.  The first “rebirthed” issue is being mailed out even as I write, and we are all waiting eagerly to see what is inside.  How appropriate that the first issue is a holiday issue and that the cover reads in large letters, “REJOICE!”  And, indeed we are rejoicing!  What was a brilliantly written, photographed, and laid out magazine published by Hearst from 1987 through 2003, is being brought to us again by a new publisher, Hoffman Media.  With several magazines targeted to women of varied interests, from culinary to sewing to tea, Hoffman stands ready to fill this long-lamented void for Victoria lovers everywhere.  And we are anxiously awaiting their offering.

Victoria has always been, for me, much more than a magazine.  It is more like a comprehensive visual encyclopedia of charm, beauty, grace, and knowledge.  From stories on famous authors, to historical figures, to successful entrepreneurs of our day, Victoria challenged our intellect, fulfilled our longing for beauty in a magazine, and even fostered our creativity.  I, like so many others, have kept all my Victorias through six moves.  I couldn’t have thrown them away any more than I would throw away a beautiful painting or an antique piece of furniture.  I once even had to rescue them from a damp basement, and they survived beautifully.  (They now reside in my bedroom so that they are protected and so that I can pull one off the shelf at a moment’s notice.) 

I would like to go and stand by my mailbox until the beautiful magazine arrives, but my neighbors might begin to wonder about me.  So, I will wait patiently (well, maybe not patiently) inside until she arrives.  In the meantime, I think I will put the kettle on for tea…