Christmas Decorations

 

It's that time of the year again, time for the annual photo of our house decorated for Christmas. This year the outdoor lights are almost the same as last year's, except that I added a garland of colored lights to the porch railing. Is it me, or does our neighborhood seem a bit lackluster this year? Inflation is definitely making inroads in everyone's budget.

 

 

Our tree is much smaller this year--with fresh-cut trees being so expensive, this was the best we could afford this year (FJB!). I like to think of it as our mini-tree...

 

 

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Christmas 2021

Christmas lights at our house.

 

The front walk.

Our Christmas decorations are a bit more subdued this year, but I like to think they look elegant. It doesn't appear that we will get any snow at this time of the year, but we may get some rain (which we desperately) need on Christmas Eve.

 

Our neighborhood at Christmas.

Herb on the porch.

And here's my sweetheart, greeting me at the door. May all your your Christmases be bright, even though here they won't be white!

'Tis the Season

Decorated for Christmas

 

On December 16 we had a some very wet snow that brought about nine inches. It would probably have amounted to more, but in the afternoon the temperature rose and the snow turned to rain for a few hours before turning back to snow. I had just finished putting up the outdoor Christmas lights a day or two before, and the fresh snow gave our house the perfect look for a White Christmas. At dusk, I just I had to run out and take some photos!

Christmas decorations

The following week was cold enough that the snow lingered on the ground, but alas, the day before Christmas Eve, another storm brought over an inch of rain and melted all the snow! Indoors, my Christmas cactus put forth its first flower-- a lovely pink and white bird-like creature. I thought that all three buds would open at roughly the same time, but the first flower has now faded and the other two buds will be a while before they are ready to open.

 

Christmas cactus flower

Christmas 2014

One more Christmas comes around! This year we got our outdoor decorations up early (for us), taking advantage of a warm spell. And, since some of our old strings of lights finally gave out, we had to change our arrangement to accommodate what we had on hand.

We hung the blue lights on the cherry tree in front this year, with another ancient string of faded blue mini-lights strung on the railing. The colored strings of LED's were left for the two evergreens flanking the sides; the Colonial Williamsburg style candles in the windows have remained a constant staple over the years.

Last Christmas we left our old wreath hanging on the front door throughout the month of January, which was so brutally cold. When I took it down I discovered that the two artificial birds that were part of its decorations had been attacked and pretty much destroyed--some hungry predator must have been fooled into believing they were real and went after them!

Be it palatial, ever so humble or in-between, may God bless your home and ours in this season of good will. Merry Christmas!

The Magic of Twinkling Lights

Driving to Front Royal in the evenings at this time of the year when the sun is setting and dusk sets in before one is halfway home, it's wonderful to see the Christmas lights and decorations spring up along the way. It never ceases to amaze me how a few strings of colored lights and decorations can transform the humblest bungalow or ramshackle old farmhouse into a shining wonderland...

This part of Virginia's countryside seems to make a tradition of lighting the seasonal gloom with a particular charm. The town of Middleburg with its store fronts all lit up becomes a story-book village during the Christmas season, and some of the old houses in Upperville look just like gingerbread cottages.

You can imagine my delight as I was driving over a hill on the other side of Upperville to come upon the sight pictured above: a house and pond with a small island outlined in lights. At first I thought it might be a creche on the island (that would have been gutsy), but upon closer inspection, like most decorations today, it's purely secular--a Santa, a sled and some reindeer. The ambiguity of the scene is still very evocative.

A few evenings ago I stopped to take this photo and found a plaque at the gate of the estate--Mulwyck it said. Over the summer and fall I've observed the little island furnished with Adirondack chairs, and now this lavish display! I wonder how the owner reaches the island--does he have a canoe or pontoon boat at the back? In any case, this one wins my best of the season award for the year.

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 We too have done our best this year to decorate the new house enough to match our neighbors' splendor. It's almost a necessity when you live where there are no streetlights. Merry Christmas, y'all!

Our house.