Happy holidays from our Home to yours!

Top row, from left: Carole Nicksin, senior decorating editor; Carolyn Weber, senior building editor; Angela Riechers, art director, Susan Weiman, assistant to the editor-in-chief; Donna Sapolin, vp/editor-in-chief; Marlene Sezni, deputy art director; Julie Taraska, articles editor. Bottom row, from left: Laura Dye Lang, executive editor; Joel Bernstein, features editor; Nicole Sforza, deputy articles editor; Kitt Harris, photo editor; Rachel Stinson, contributing photo assistant; Christine Cameron, assistant editor.

Indoor Saunas: The New Rec Rooms?

Do you like the idea of a home sauna? The stress-relieving dry heat! Which cleanses toxins from your body! Which helps you sweat away the pounds! But dread the thought of actually having to sit in that redwood box for hours, staring at nothing but the coals burning in the corner?

The Big Screen

I'm a sucker for vintage photographs and granny-like heirlooms-jewelry, linens, and china-that evoke a sense of history and have a story to tell. So I'm thrilled that a slew of my favorite home-décor stores are stocking new accessories with a flea-market sensibility: old-world pictures and designs silk-screened onto contemporary materials.

New Stores Galore

With so many shop openings over the past few months, we haven't been able to fit them all into Home's pages (although we'd love to!) Here are a few that certainly merit a shout-out.

1. Being a packrat with a penchant for vintage goods and contemporary design, I was thrilled that Sharone Einhorn and Honey Wolters came to their senses and reopened posh shop Ruby Beets. Expect everything from traditional upholstered furniture by English company George Sherlock to modern accessories to framed photography by Joseph Sheer. Ruby Beets Old and New, 25 Washington Street (Main Street), Sag Harbor, New York; 631-899-3275.

2. For Windy City fans of handmade design, Haus (FYI, that's Dutch, German, and Bavarian for "house") stocks one-of-a-kind crafts, ceramics, and handblown glass goods, most created by local artists. Owner Greg Steffens, formerly a potter himself, established the store as an alternative to art fairs (In essence, Haus is a fair that you can experience everyday!). Haus, 5405 N. Clark St., Chicago; 773-769-4000.