I hope you and your loved ones had a fabulous Christmas - and that you find creative ways to re-purpose those gifts that missed the mark. If you need a bit of inspiration, look to Edward Gorey's work above. 
Like many of you, I have been pretty busy the past few weeks and, unlike many of you, I have neglected the blog world as a result. Here's a little look at a few things that have taken my attention in the lead-up to Christmas:
Our mantle decorations - perhaps not enough height or color to satisfy a real decorator, but we like for the Three Kings to be the focus (plus, the mirror makes decorating a bit tricky as I found out the year I hung three wreaths of berries - the backs of the wreaths were unfinished - not a good look when reflected!). And the mantel is pretty high - about six feet from the floor - so most people are already looking up (especially those of us in the under 5'5" range!).
I tucked small, clear votives among the greenery, the light from them really makes the garland sparkle at night!
I love live greenery around the house during Christmas and can usually scrounge enough from our yard and our next-door neighbor (who's conveniently out of the country each year when we decorate!). 
As you can see, I don't worry about having perfect, symmetrical arrangements. I'm happy with something less formal, like these . . . which are sitting on either end of a sideboard and would probably distract a diner like Hercule Poirot who demands a bit more order. Of course, if Poirot comes to your house for a Christmas meal, you have bigger worries than the flower arrangements because there's sure to be a 'mishap' before the evening ends!
Our tree - which was so close to the ceiling (even after trimming a long piece from the top) that we left the top unadorned - that may become our new standard as we like the look (especially my husband who usually has to get pretty high on the ladder to reach the top of the 9ft+ tree). (Note: these pics were taken before I tidied up the cords!)
And finally, one of my favorite Christmas 'tasks' - wrapping presents! You either love it or hate it - most people I know fall into the latter category, but for me it's a fun way to spend a few hours. 
And finally, our little flocked pre-lighted bedroom tree. Isn't it cheery? I hope your week holds some fun Christmas distractions.
In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.
Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.
Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.
What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.
and
to an empty
? A tomato cage tree, of course!
Up close you can see the rings of the tomato cage, but from even a few feet away it's just a magical, glowing tree. Actually I should say trees because I made two of these - one for each side of our front steps. During the day they sparkle in the sun - the little snowflakes are holographic and really catch the light. There's not a photo of the trees in bright sunlight because: 1) the sun's barely been seen here the last few weeks, and 2) the trees are too shiny in full sunlight - it's like trying to photograph Liberace's mirrored Rolls Royce! The photo below shows it on an overcast day - the little snowflakes really raise the shininess level.
If you're looking for a quick decoration - try making your own tomato cage tree. I used two 100-light strings (one all green and one multi-colored) and two 12-ft tinsel garlands (from Home Depot) for each tree and the tomato cages have been used for several years in the garden.
Happy Tuesday!
In the late '80s I purchased a set of eight brass Santas - as seen above. (You remember those brass-crazed years, with the brass switchplate covers, faucets, etc.?) My plan was to use these to decorate Christmas packages - think how pretty that could have been, red or green foil with a shiny Santa on top! From the photos, you can guess how this turned out - I decided to keep them instead and they've been decorating my trees ever since.
Each year when I unpack them, I remember my original plan. But, then I think how cheery they've been nestled amongst the other ornaments and I'm glad I kept them; after all, eight Santas must be better than one! Mr. Pickle, however, disagrees and looks at me askance as I hang each Santa. And if your tree doesn't have a pickle, you really should get one - the (possibly dubious!) tradition is that you hide it on the tree and the first child to spot it on Christmas morning gets a special gift. Our pickle is slightly scary so perhaps his special gift will be a lump of coal!
On a slightly less selfish note, this little snowman baker was part of a set spotted at Williams-Sonoma a few years ago. I was shopping with a friend and both of us wanted these - but there was only one set. So, we purchased it and each took two - then the next year she found another set in a post-holiday sale (!) and we divided that set as well. Now we each have all four and a fun reminder of our friendship. Plus, this little snowman gives a clue as to what I'll be doing later this week - more holiday baking!
Hope you have a great week!
If you want to perform a song in your own style - write your own song (think Brenda Lee and her Christmas Tree or McCartney's Wonderful Christmas Time or even Adam Sandler's Hanukkah Song). What you should not do, however, is ruin a perfectly good song by singing it Your Way, I mean even Sinatra stuck to the basic tunes with his holiday renditions!
Of course, music is personal and there must be people out there who love Christmas music and also the James Taylor or Michael McDonald versions - so enjoy . . . and I'll stick to the songs that say 'Christmas' to me, like:
The most interesting thing about decorating this year, however, was that I realized I have lots of glittery ornaments and the glitter ends up all over the house. And glitter from this little bird . . .
The scrapbook was somewhat intact although rather worn - lots of brittle pages barely held together (I don't have pics of it - you know how it is in the Pre-Blog World- you don't photograph every mundane detail of life . . .). Some of the cards were loose, but many were still glued to the yellowed paper and in the process of removing these from the scrapbook and sorting through the almost-three decades of cards, I developed an affection for Alma and for vintage cards.
The cards from the 1920s are just cards - no fold-overs. Many have vivid colors and are hand-bordered in gold. The 1930s cards are mostly folded with those distinctive graphics that are reminiscent of old film titles.
Animals are a popular theme on the '30s cards - or perhaps it's not a trend, but a reflection of Alma's pet doggie?
The cards from the '40s are especially poignant - like this one sent just days or weeks after the Pearl Harbor attack.
As I worked to undo Alma's careful gluing, I wondered about her life. Like most of us, she received cards from many of the same people year after year. I started to recognize the names on the cards - relatives who shared the surname Boss, friends whose cards reflected their marriages and growing families, possible beaus. Some people like the Madsens below had expensive cards with their names imprinted. Others wrote chatty notes, one especially funny one from a female cousin tells Alma to "get married if you want to gain weight - I now weigh 180 ha ha" - who would write that today? (Or perhaps it was a passive-aggressive insult during the lean depression years?)
There are so many intriguing people between the pages of Alma's scrapbook - like her friend Opal Howard who faithfully sent Christmas and birthday cards for over twenty years, including this card below that appears to be hand-painted. Inside is simply her name written in plain calligraphy. Her cards show that she eventually married and then did not have time to paint her own cards!
I also found the Klein family interesting - for about 10 years Joe Klein always sent Alma a Christmas card. Then he married and he and Mrs. Klein sent the Happy New Year card seen below (note the Hebrew phrase). This was the last card from the Kleins to Alma . . .
Alma's scrapbook also contains birth announcements - a few with heartbreaking notes of the child's subsequent death. As you would expect, she preserved birthday, get well, and cards for other holidays. And on a more personal note, Alma appears to have had a love interest named Jack. He sent the card below which must have been more humorous then than now . . .
What's not visible in the photo is that Alma wrote his name 'Jackson' in the bottom right corner. There are probably 40 cards from Jack - Christmas, Easter, Birthdays, Valentines. He always signed the cards 'Jack', but Alma frequently noted his name as 'Jackson' - perhaps she felt the nickname Jack was too casual or undignified? Perhaps this is why he remained a beau for twenty years? It's obvious they had a close relationship because most of the cards have little notes or references that are meaningless to outsiders - we can only guess what he meant when he signed as 'The Hi Hat' or 'Your X Sheik' or modified a card meant for a Boss to read Bossy (again, perhaps a clue to their relationship)!
For Easter he always sent flowers as recorded by Alma on the cards. Tulips were a favorite and thanks to Alma's meticulous notes we know how many he sent and the colors. So, what happened with Alma and Jack? As I unpacked the cards again this year, I was reminded of their story. Did they marry? Was there another scrapbook that chronicled Alma's later life? What happened to all her friends? How did her scrapbook end up at an estate sale and then on eBay? I may never know what happened to Alma, but I can enjoy her beautiful Christmas cards and hope she'd approve of them decorating our mantel . . .
For a garden-loving, anglophile history buff few destinations compare to Blenheim.
It's the ancestral home of the Churchills, birthplace of Winston Churchill, with gardens designed by Capability Brown. The palace was festively attired inside and out. The trees below were very lovely - you would expect two small (well, when compared to the palace!) trees to just disappear, but these were very eye-catching.
There were also rows of tree nestled between columns on the wings, as seen below.
Very nicely done and quite cheery - don't you love the repetition and symmetry? Blenheim Palace is in the village of Woodstock which is a charming town with a variety of pubs, tea rooms, and shops. It was decked out in decorations that, while typical for English towns, were slightly nostalgic and exotic for me, like the over-the-door tree at this restaurant.
And the cosy streets leading to the town hall . . .
. . . where this tree was cheerily standing. (It's hard not to compare this with our town's fake perfect-triangle tree surrounded by tatty fake gifts . . . sigh.)
Wherever your travels take you this December, I hope you find a little holiday spirit!
