Christmas Decor 2017

  "I know what I really want for Christmas. I want my childhood back. Nobody is going to give me that. I might give at least the memory of it to myself if I try. I know it doesn't make sense, but since when is Christmas about sense, anyway? It is about a child, of long ago and far away, and it is about the child of now. In you and me. Waiting behind the door of our hearts for something wonderful to happen. A child who is impractical, unrealistic, simpleminded and terribly vulnerable to joy."–Robert Fulghum

At Christmas,  my idea of the perfect decorations are ones that recall childhood. Mine and those of beloved friends and family. I try to conjure the remembrance of what it was like to scarcely be able to sleep in anticipation of Santa's visit. To make tableaus of toys that delighted the eye of children generations before. People say that Christmas is for children, and aren't we all that child, inside?

Some of my oldest ornaments are from a wonderful old man named Dewey who went to my church when I was small. When he and his wife needed to move into assisted living, they called my pop to have him offer a bid on the things they would not be taking with them. Turns out Mr. Dewey was an only child in a fairly wealthy family. And his parents never got rid of anything from his childhood. In the basement was his first baseball uniform from the 20's, his toys, his Christmas ornaments from the turn of the century were there too. Most of the baubles in this picture were Mr. Dewey's and they give me fond memories every time I see them. The panda teddy was my pop's.

My next oldest ornaments are ones that I found in a box at my Great-Granny's when she passed away. I was twelve at the time, and after that I started cutting a tiny tree for my room to put her ornaments on. They are from the 20's and 30's and they make me so happy! The "icicles", or tinsel, are antique. It was originally made from coiled strips of metal. At the base of the tree is vintage garland that was made of dyed paper threaded on a cord. 

The Santa and the plaque were painted for me by my Grandma Tommy. The Lincoln logs and cowboys and Indians were my pop's, while the cast metal soldiers in front of the tree were my Grandpa Bill's.

Under the table are the boxes from Christmas past. My special favorite is the Shiny-Brite box from WW2. It has a picture of Uncle Sam shaking Santa's hand. I have been tempted to take the never-used strand of lights out of the box to use. But then I remember the time I went to plug in a similar string that had belonged to my grandma. I came-to on the ground a few feet away from the plug-in with all my tiny boys looking down at me. Can't say I recommend the old lights!

When the tree is up it will have the 40's and 50's era ornaments on it that decorated my pop's tree when he was a kid. When I was growing up we didn't decorate until December the 19th, my pop's birthday. It seemed like an immense wait, but I didn't know any different. Now that I am grown, and can decorate any time I want, it has crept further and further toward the beginning of December. But there is still a wait for the tree. We have a live one, and we heat with a wood stove. Both mean that you should be patient and wait a bit, unless you want a tree like a tinder-box of shedding needles before the holiday even arrives. Now our weekend is usually the one closest to my son Will's birthday on the 15th.

 Squeaky is pretending to be nice instead of naughty so that Santa will leave acorns in his stockings.

 Mistah Pig (think Lion King) is feeling the holiday love in the air, holding the kissing ball with sprig of mistletoe.

Fluffy has his present ready. Below is a music box that was Grandma Tommy's. It used to play "Jingle Bells", but a boy gave the string a pull one too many times.

 My Grandpa Bill's clock with holly. The hanging Santa is a Victorian one with metal tinsel, the paper and velvet one was my Granny's.

The stockings belonged to my Grandpa Bill and his brother in the early 20's. The tiny sock in the middle was one I found in a box of old aprons and tablecloths. There was only the one, and it was so sweet I had to keep it. Owl is wearing a stocking cap that went through all my boys.

 The nativity is set atop my Great aunt Add's Victrola, on a cloth my Great aunt Jessie brought back from the Holy Land. In our house, baby Jesus doesn't show up in the stable till Christmas morning and the wise men wander the house, searching, until January 6th. This is when tradition says they finally arrived at the stable and found the baby Jesus. We have a party then!

In the kitchen I have a tree decorated with cookie cutters and pretend candies.

In the corner with the radio I have something very special to me. When I was small, my Grandma Beeman crocheted each family a Mr and Mrs Snowman. They were put out every year. When I was a teen, my moma asked if I wanted them. Well, no. What was I going to do with them? Soon after, I moved out. That Christmas I asked moma if she was going to put out the snowman pair, because I wanted to if she wasn't. That's when she grimaced and admitted she had given them away. Oh, the anguish and wailing! Yes, she was right that I hadn't wanted them then. But now I did! Grandma heard of the turmoil and didn't crochet more, but gave me the very pair that she had set out every year. Isn't that the best?!

 My living room is too dark to be able to take very good photos. But I like it because it is very, very cozy. My mercury glass nativity shows up well against the dark colors. In here I just put up lots of Juniper limbs that I cut in the woods and add some fake berries. The nice thing is that they dry. For January I simply take out the red berries and had frosty leaves and glitter.

I recently hosted a holiday luncheon for the group at the homeschool curriculum company that I write for.

The holly on the table is from my bushes! I planted them two years ago in hopes of holly for Christmas and they are finally big enough to cut from. And I must have gotten a mommy and a daddy, because they have berries :). The fabric hanging in the window behind is my family's Stewart tartan. My Great Aunt Jessie went to Scotland and brought back several pieces for the family. There are only two left now. I have one, and my oldest son claimed the other. The bubble lights in the window are from my childhood. But they are so heavy I have always been afraid to put them on my tree. I saw a stand made to hold them, but it was very expensive. So my youngest son just made me one and painted it green. Isn't he wonderful?

My Bedroom doesn't get much of a make-over. I put up things that will carry over into January. The round sign is new this year. I found it at Hobby Lobby at half price and since the colors are exactly those of my bedroom I told myself I could have it. Aren't I just so sweet to me? ;) The little pink tree is one I had. (That's Great Granny in the photo)

In my window are dusty rose beads hung with pastel Christmas balls that used to be on my grandma's tree. Beneath is my little garden of violets, orchids, and amaryllis.

So, all the decorations are up, but no big tree yet. And I mean BIG tree. I like them to scrape the ceiling and be fat enough that it could eat several children and you would never know. I need that size if I'm going to fit all those boxes of beautiful ornaments on. Stay tuned, Dear Reader, the tree is coming....

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful." Norman Vincent Peale