Christmas Decorating

 

The snowman display was begun five or six years ago and grew each year.  Somehow, once you have three of something, the 4th and the 5th (and the 23rd!) just seem to find you.  I liked the snowmen here on the hall counter, all lit up,  but now I have been gifted a lighted village.  Is there someone out there who needs some snowmen?  The snowmen have to go! 

 

 

 These are pretties that adopted me over the years.  Gramps' miniature kitchen cupboard and Granny's pretty glass apple stay here year around but the others are temporary Christmas decorations. 

 The geometric Christmas tree ornaments take me back to my childhood.  This is the kind of ornaments I would have found on my grandparents tree. 

I used to hang these on the Charlie Brown tree before Himself started using that tree outside.  The fragile ornaments lay on the hall counter a couple of weeks before I finally scooped them up and dumped them into a blue hand-blown glass bowl where they may just stay until next Christmas.

I put this wreath together last Christmas.  I had the wire wreath and went around the house collecting all my silver/tin/wire 'things'.  Hanged them from the frame with hooks and ribbon and called it good.  I rested on the 7th day.  (ha ha) 

 

I left this little vignette up all year.  I put it together last Christmas too and after the holidays I didn't have the heart to disband the crew -- so it hangs in my bathroom and makes me smile each time I look in the mirror or brush my teeth.   

 

I love, love the old ornaments.  Nostalgia, would be my guess.  These tree ormanents are displayed in Gramma Mary Hofmeister's compote, above.

 

(Compote:  A long-stemmed dish used for holding fruit, nuts, or candy. 

I had to look that up to make sure that a compote was 'long stemmed')   

 

I think these old colored pretties have found a year-around home.  

They are out of the way, not hurting a thing. 

Today, January 1, 2014, the Christmas tree still stands in a corner of the living room, decorated. The stay of execution order came through!  The silver wreath hangs from the front door and big gold Christmas ornaments, a pair of ice skates, some garland and pretties still adorn the front entry.   The smaller ornaments, angels, Santas, tiny trees and a multitude of little things are all picked up and packed away, waiting to see if they will come out another day.  Or will they get delegated to a back shelf as the Snowmen did by the Christmas village? 

 

Dickensvale

 

LeMax Village Collection:  Each cottage and building comes with it's own little story.

 

"Outside, the Whispering snow covers the cozy village with a sparkling blanket.  The singing of Christmas Carols echos through the tiny village.  High above, Santa's sleigh drawn by eight reindeer approaches.  As the last of the Dickensvale children drift off to sleep, the sleigh lands on each rooftop and Santa Claus bounds down the chimney to leave stockings filled with toys and to bring joy to each little girl and boy . . .

 

It's Christmas time in Dickensvale!"