Christmas 2008

I hope this post finds you doing well and enjoying the holiday season. We usually have our decorations up for Thanksgiving, when our daughter and her family come. But this year we had nothing but trouble with our lights and it set us back. I tried to take these pictures, of most of our decorations, without a flash, because I wasn't pleased with the way they turned out in the past. However, many are now out of focus, but I think you can still get an idea of how they all look. I moved our tree over to the other side of the room this year, because there was less furniture that had to be moved this way. Only to find out that the decorations that I normally use on the windows there, turned out to be just too much in one place. Now I'm without drapes and window decorations too. Our stockings hung by the chimney with care.......

The wreath above the mantel has an angel on it that was given to me by a friend, John. We worked together at a florist, a job I took when we first moved here. I thought working would give me the opportunity to meet people. But I was working alone, up in the stockroom, and most of the time they even forgot I was there. That job lasted for two years and I quit.

One of my favorite ornaments on the tree. It just has such a nice warm glow to it.

I love this book, A FAIRY-TALE CHRISTMAS. It's of the decorations at the Lyndhurst Castle, on the Hudson River in Tarrytown, N. Y.. I have a friend, Ed, who does the displays at Boscov's in Pa., he and I often shared our decorating ideas. He and his partner Jim have a wonderful row home in Pottsville and their decorations for Christmas are always top notch. I sent him a copy of this book last year, and he wrote and told me that he had been to the castle a few years prior. He said the castle is fantastic to see in person.

We had a cat named Thelma, who would always play with our tree skirt, which would end up on the other side of the room. So I started wrapping boxes and and putting them under the tree to hide the tree stand. It worked out very well, and I continue do that every year. I just put the wrapped boxes, in my Martha Stewart wrapping paper, on a top shelf in a closet and bring them out again every year.

My husband bought home this dish for me on one of his business trips to Germany. The Santa is a limited addition, The Legend Of Santa Claus, Hitching Up by United Designs. I wish I could have gotten a better picture of the eyes, they are so real looking. The Partridge is one of the many pieces I have by Homco.

Now this Snowman is my husband's favorite piece, and I made it in ceramics, back in 1972. He's such a happy little guy, you just have to smile when you look at him. The set of Raccoons are more Homco pieces.

More of my ceramic pieces (my favorites) and glass houses that I purchased last year from Gardner's Supply. I had large wooden, outdoor, carolers made for our porch just like these ceramic pieces, but I didn't get a picture taken of them yet. They are almost twenty years old and I'm thinking of ordering a new set. Maybe next year.

Now we move into our dining room. Can you tell what I made the center piece out of?

This was the easiest decoration I ever made for our table. The greens are just two 6ft. sections of garland wrapped around the center piece and curved around the candle sticks. By the way Gollum, those are some of the Colonial Candles that I told you about. They usually have a little sticker at the base of them, but they came off when I used a damp cloth to wipe them down.

The garland I used for the chandelier and on the corner cabinets is nine years old and looks as good as the day I bought it at Michael's Crafts. Everyone takes it for the real thing. (I lost the picture of the chandelier, I'll post it on the sideboard.)

And last, but not least, my Canadian Geese. :) I love this pair. We got them in Douglasville, Pa. in an antique and reproduction store named Merritt's Antiques. It was such a great place for wondering around in, we never knew what we were going to come home with. I bought a lot there for my boutique too.

Well, that's it for today. Hope you are all having a good day.