Johnson Family Year in Review: 2023

Here we are – in that “in between” week at the end of the year. The peak hustle and bustle of the holiday season has passed, and we are right on the cusp of ringing in a brand-new year.  

It’s an annual tradition for our family to take some time off work together and head down to our home away from home at Alligator Point. Here, we rest and recharge in the form of sleeping in, holding endless competitive card tournaments, experimenting with recipes, catching sunsets, and of course, lots of celebratory “cheersing” and reminiscing on the year that is somehow already behind us.  

As we sit here reflecting on 2023 – it's not lost on us how truly remarkable it was for our company, and especially for our family. We’ve shared many exciting moments in the recent months in the form of blog entries in a May Edition and September Edition} and social media shares, and as we have the opportunity to look back on the year as a whole, we thought a monthly recap would be a fun way to re-celebrate them! But first, let us take a moment to break down the family to make our 2023 Year in Review a little easier to follow: 

• Dee and Bud are at the helm of the family. Their three kids are: Marcie (married to René), Laura (married to Milton), and Jay 
• Marcie’s three daughters are: Courtney (mother to Parks), Taylor (wife to Thomas and mother to Collins, Jack, and Brevard), and Logan (wife to Ernest and mother to Eliza) 
• Laura’s three daughters are: Kyle (wife to Warren and mother to Emma), Sara Kate, and Mary Parker (wife to Whit). 

Now that that’s covered, join us in recapping a truly delightful year! 

January: 

• The Gwynn family moved into their new home in Atlanta, Georgia.  
• Kyle and Warren finished sharing the news of their little bundle of joy due in August with the rest of their family and friends. 
• Laura and Milton “broke ground” on a new phase of their home renovation project. 
• We temporarily closed the doors of our Coton Colors Atlanta Flagship Store to reinvent and enhance our in-store experience and re-open in a new location soon! 

February: 

• The Parks girls threw Logan a bachelorette dinner two days ahead of impending nuptials. 
• Logan and Ernest got married in St. Simon’s Island, Georgia. 
• We welcomed new Easter Collection designs and shared a light and bright Spring Awakening Curated Gathering ahead of the Easter holiday. 

March: 

• Bud celebrated his 85th birthday.  
• We added new designs to our Deco Collection to reach a whole new level of style. 

May: 

• The Parks family hosted a stunning all-white Bridesmaids Luncheon for Mary Parker, the bride-to-be! 
• Mary Parker and Whit got married on May 12 and the whole family {and many friends!} celebrated underneath the oak trees in our hometown, of Tallahassee, Florida.  
• Logan and Ernest announced they’re expecting a baby girl to be born at the very start of the new year. 
• We added {even more} punchy designs to our best-selling collections: Citrus Collection, Oyster Collection, and to our Fundamentals Collection. 
• The entire extended Johnson family gathered in our home at Alligator Point, Florida for the first time in years in honor of Memorial Day Weekend and enjoyed a traditional-to-us fish fry by the bay to celebrate.
• We celebrated one year of Toast, the {re-launched} Blog! 
• We closed the doors of our current Coton Colors Tampa Flagship Store in order to continue planning a new experience and re-open {along with our Atlanta location!} in a new location soon! 

June: 

• The Parks side of the family took a summer trip to Tuscany, Italy.  
• Courtney’s home renovation project officially wrapped up {with Kyle and Warren’s couples' baby shower held there to celebrate!} 
• One of our biggest collection launches of the year, we welcomed our Crew Collection to add a much-needed bold touch of black to our table setting possibilities. 
• Laura celebrated her birthday, and her daughters, Kyle, Sara Kate, and Mary Parker hosted the family for a Havana Nights themed dinner party as a fun nod to her Miami roots. 

July: 

• The Tallahassee Coton Colors by Laura Johnson Flagship Store celebrated its 12-year anniversary of opening. 

August: 

• Kyle and Warren’s first daughter {and Laura and Milton’s first grandchild!}, Emma Hill, was born.  

September: 

• Taylor and Thomas celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary.  
• We added several new designs to our Thanksgiving Collection to help prepare for {the most} grateful time of the year. 
• The Johnson girls threw Logan and Ernest a couple’s baby shower to celebrate their first child.  
• Taylor’s home renovation wrapped up {thanks to Logan and Ernest’s couple’s shower taking place there!} 
• The Parks family hosted the whole family for an inaugural pizza night to break in a newly installed pizza oven on Marcie’s and Rene’s porch to recap their trip to Italy and share new recipes and newfound pizza-prepping techniques they picked up! 
• We welcomed several new festive designs to our Balsam and Berry Collection and Christmas in the Village Collection. 
• We debuted 13 new Commemorative Ornaments. 

October: 

• Coton Colors Company had a successful 2023 Warehouse Sale. We were so lucky to see so many smiling faces who travel from near and for yet another year!  
• Bud, Dee, Laura, and Milton took a cruise to Alaska.  
• We debuted 4 new designs as a part of an exciting collaboration with Bauble Stockings as one of their 2023 Guest Artists. 

November: 

• With our Coton Colors Atlanta Flagship Store location in the midst of a move and our doors being temporarily closed, the Gwynn family was able to celebrate their first Thanksgiving in 6 years in Tallahassee with the Johnson family {AKA, didn't have to stay put and prepare for a Black Friday Weekend in-store!} 
• Mary Parker and Whit celebrated a half-year of marriage. 

December: 

• Mary Parker and two more members of the Coton Colors Crew traveled once again to support our partners at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at their St. Jude Memphis Marathon Expo. We created custom ornaments for the event and were able to personalize them for a $5 each donation. We were thrilled to be able to donate an additional $2800 to the hospital, one $5 donation for personalization at a time! 
• Logan and Ernest’ first daughter, Eliza, was born a little earlier than expected on December 17. 
• Ruby, Marcie and René’s dog, and her sister, Clementine, Courtney’s dog, celebrated their 1-year Gotcha Day on Christmas day. 

As our family continues to grow, so does the list of milestones and moments to celebrate. We are as close-knit as we can be and each of us at varying ages and stages of life, which allows us to not only honor what’s happening in our own personal lives, but also celebrate each other. One thing we all have in common: We are all so very grateful for the many blessings that have been bestowed upon us. 

At the core of our family and our lifestyle brand, we believe even the most ordinary moments of everyday living can be made extraordinary with only a little extra effort, ensuring they don't pass mindlessly by. Each year, we balk at how quickly time is going – every moment a fleeting one – and wish we could slow it down even just a little bit.  

While we haven’t yet found a successful way to actually slow time down, we recognize more than ever that one way to make each moment last longer is to commemorate it.  

What better way to commemorate them than to capture them in writing? 

As we bid farewell to 2023, we can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store. Take our cue and commemorate your everyday moments throughout the year, too, with your choice of one of our Celebrate Books!  

From our family to yours, Happy New Year!