When the owner of a premiere home and gift store prepares for the holiday season, she starts early and she has a collection of magnificent pieces for celebrating the season. For Carmen Bond, owner of Social: A Shop for Gracious Living, she began her holidays with a fresh start including new decor, tableware, and new recipes while keeping with meaningful family traditions from her Christmas past. “This is a new beginning. Out with the old, and in with the new!,” Carmen smiles with a wink. This will most likely be her last year to spend Christmas in her home of 21 years – it is going on the market (at press time, it was not officially listed). She is looking forward to the holidays, and one last celebration in her home surrounded by her children, their spouses, her new beau Nash, plus a multitude of family and friends. Part of her celebration transformation will include all her new, favorite finds, many of them from where else, Social. Drinks will be served in new barware by Artel. For more formal dinner gatherings, her table will be set with Sasha Nicholas (locally available exclusively at Social), and for a casual evening in, she will be using her new place settings from Montes Doggett and Vietri.