On the 10th day of Christmas….special collections!

Collectibles come along before and after Christmas.   Some people wait til everything goes on sale and then buy more of whatever they are collecting.   Some people get more pieces of their collection as a present on Christmas day.   Some collections just evolve over time as we find we have more than three of them.

That’s how my kids got some of theirs.   It started simply enough when my son got a nutcracker for Christmas many years ago.   The next year, I picked up a nutcracker at a white elephant gift exchange.  I saw an article in Southern Living about a home that had lots of nutcrackers all over the beams and mantles…..I mentioned it to a  relative, Grandma gave him one for Christmas, and there you have it…instant collection.   Some how or other my daughter started getting Christmas angels (probably something to do with all the nativity sets  that I have) and people gave her more….and she had a collection.  My general theory is that when they leave to start their own family Christmas traditions, they’ll have a collection to take with them and something to decorate their homes with (heaven forbid they not decorate at all).   The kids have a pretty good time decorating with these collegiate nutcracker.   Everyday one is moved to another position, or has its back turned, or is knocked over….or missing from its place.

We have a lot of them now.   The nutcracker held the place of honor on the mantle for many years, because they were colorful and filled space.   The angels hovered around the nativity scenes, and then took over the bookcases, and the sideboards.  We (well actually my son) have a nutcracker that is 6 foot tall, and has somehow or other had his picture taken with several of my friends, or their kids….Last year this particular large soldier was honored with a place in between the tree and the kitchen table, in my very open floor plan.   The nutcracker were all over the mantle again.  And on the windowsills, and the side tables.   When I cooked in the kitchen, it seemed that the big one was watching me…..when I sat on the sofa to watch tv, there he was staring at me again.   Eating dinner…same thing.   And a million eyes from all the other nutcrackers, seemed to follow me around the room.

I decided that this year the angels would go on the mantle and in the kitchen, putting the nutcracker in the media room and studio.  Since there is more activity going on in those rooms, the roving eyes don’t seem to bother me as much.

I find that moving things around a little perked me up, and helped to get that Spirit of Christmas moving again.  Nothing worse than a stagnant home.  The family Christmas picture taken of us with all the nutcrackers in place was from 2010. The picture above is Christmas 2011 where I moved some things around (personally, professionally and in my home) and I am now  feeling pretty good about the year.  

On the 9th day of Christmas…Is my table ready?

Dining room is decorated and ready to set the table.

Once all the large decorations get put up, I start thinking about showing them off (what’s the point to put this all up if no one sees it, I think).   So I usually set up my schedule to have some people over.   Most of the time this involves some sort of a party.  This means I get to set the table.   I have to admit, being an interior designer  means I put more thought into what my house or table look like than what we actually eat at these parties.  Eventually I get around to deciding what to eat.   Case in point, I went to a cookie exchange in my neighborhood recently.  I was actually going to bake the three dozen cookies needed for exchanging, but my mom happened to already have some ginger bread cookies already made.  So, yes, I took them to the exchange and happily brought back three dozen different types of cookies made by all my new friends in my neighborhood.   I sent a picture message to my son in Florida, showing him all the cookies I have waiting for him when he gets here.   His response to me, “Has Grandma been baking again?”   I teased him about making the immediate assumption that I hadn’t baked those cookies, but the problem was, he was right.

My answer to not liking to cook all these things, after I’ve decorated all month long?   Ask my friends to bring some food with them when they come.   I’m not Martha Stewart, but some of them could be her.

Table decorating is on my priority list, though.   I love table cloths and Christmas dishes, and all the pretty shiny things that go along with the decorations.  My elves and I tackle every flat surface, if our clients will let us.   The Chandelier is no exception, and we tie bows and pretty baubles all over them.   We often add ribbon and ornaments on the backs of chairs, making everything near us festive.    Tops of kitchen islands are not excluded, and we do try to leave enough room around them to actually put the food and beverages.   It is often these little areas that make our clients smile the most, and exclaim “Oh, how sweet!”  Food spread all around these popular spots , just seems to taste a little bit better.  Even food I didn’t bake myself.

On the 8th day of Christmas…Why do we celebrate this again?

The season is progressing and while waiting for the spirit of Christmas to “ascend on me”, I have had a little time to think.   It is not a ghost of Christmas past or present that brings me Christmas, it is my faith.  Not religion, but faith in why this was all started…the child that was born many years ago, sent to us to redeem the world.

Throughout all the decorations that I’ve put up for clients, I’ve noticed that all of them have some sort of nativity scene.  I am the one who sets these up.   I take pleasure putting up the crèche, and sitting the family around baby Jesus.  If little kids are around, they always want to put the baby in place (and for the same reason, if a figure is missing from the sets, it seems to be baby Jesus that has disappeared….I think it is the little hands that take it somewhere to do some private reflecting).  Some of my clients have several sets, myself included.

Baby Jesus is always placed in the middle of the nativity, with Mary and Joseph on each side.   Sometimes my clients wait until Christmas day  to put the baby in the scene.  At one home, we had quite a discussion about positioning the camels with the wise men coming from the east, following the star.    I changed the direction of the scene, so we could be more accurate.  But if you look closely, you’ll see most of the camels legs automatically turn them that way.

My daughter collects  angels, (only brought out at Christmas time).  I acquire  nativity scenes.  One Christmas, I placed the angels all around the manger scene, with one hanging from the chandelier, some standing in the holy family‘s midst, some hovering on nearby table tops.   It was my version of what I think that holy night looked like.  I’m certain that ALL the angels were pretty interested in what was going on that night, and couldn’t help but be near and take in the evening.  I can imagine them talking amidst themselves.  ”Can you believe HE let his son come here as a BABY?”  ”Do you think they will take care of  HIM?” “Do they know what they are doing with HIM?”  ”Does Mary have any idea what to do with this little baby?  How will they have enough to take care of HIM?”   I’m sure they were all pretty nervous about man’s involvement in all this…..     I get a little nervous myself when I let my kids go off to their own worlds (even though it is only their university) and I feel like hovering around them.  I love when they come home, walk in the house at Christmas time, look at the nativity and exclaim with awe,  ”Merry Christmas!”

Surrounded by angels, who proclaim the birth of Christ

On the 7th day of Christmas…Where are all the village people?

Fresh snow blankets the new village crafted by my elves

Christmas villages are being collected by many of our clients, and those little houses, people, trees and ski slopes have are put up by someone, usually my team of Christmas “elves”.   My elves actually like placing these little houses and playing architect in our own village.  As they take them out of their boxes (and they are almost always in their original packaging) they exclaim their joy in seeing all the collectibles of my clients.   Some clients collect only a brand, or a set, while others have a hodgepodge of brands, all forming a village on their sofa tables, buffets and tops of entertainment centers.

Pre-construction phase....the elves have discussion about where the homes will appear in the village

We take pride in setting these up in a complete village…one that makes sense to us, which is right since we are the architect of this particular village.  They consult with me, some, but usually this part I let them have a good say on the outcome, because I know they do a good job.  It is a bit like playing with a doll house, on a different scale, and it seems in our busy schedules we don’t play with dolls anymore…except at Christmas, our imaginations are at peak form.

I hear the elves talking to themselves, and each other about placing  the homes.   “We can’t put the bar beside the church, there are ordinances about that kind of thing….” was a comment that really cracked me up.   And they are right, there are laws about that in our real world and in our villages on the table tops.  We usually put the church in the center of town, based on the fact that at least in the south, where we all live, it is the epicenter.  The shops and the taverns go on one side of the church, the houses and skate parks or ski slopes go on the other side.  ”I placed Tiny  Tim‘s house beside the church because I think they go to church a lot to pray for Tiny Tim and they would probably live close”, was one comment I heard this year.

Then we add the trees, big and large, stepping back now and then to see if we have balance.  Some of our villages have hedges, neatly trimmed around the biggest houses (they can afford to have a gardener, you know).  Some of the houses are spaced a bit apart, near the bigger trees….as these people live further out in the country.  Then the little lamp posts are checked for batteries.  These are the ones that are hardest to keep lit.   We decide to place  them near the shops, because the town needs some lights, and the people walking around doing their last-minute shopping will need to see where they are going.   Sometimes we just have to let the “electric company” know that the lights don’t work.  The lights in  all the houses come next.   Very seldom do the ones in the box still light the house, and many times we switch out about 80% of these lights every Christmas.   Even been known to take a trip to the “spare parts” store at lunch time to get new lights, cords, and remote controls or timers.  But they MUST be lit….

Bright lights warm up this section of town.

Snow comes towards the evening…. making drifts over the cords and hills of overturned boxes and Styrofoam used to make the mountains.  It covers all the necessary parts that make the village run smoothly. The blanket of snow makes the  lights in the houses sparkle.  The people all come out after the snow fall, to see the kids skate at the park, or the skiers flying down the hill.   Other people run around the town looking for last-minute gifts….Tiny Tim’s family goes to pray in the church, and one man is looking at that tavern…   We had great discussion about the woman pushing the man in the wheelchair.  He just didn’t seem to fit with any of the stores….so we placed him in front of the church.   Decided he’d spent too much time in the tavern, so had been to the hospital and was now going to church to pray.

Sprinkles of  snow with a bit of glitter to them, fall from the sky (we are on ladders, you know) dusting the blanket of earlier snow storms.  The children are happily skating on the rink, and parents are wondering what is for dinner.   The day is almost over, the village is sparkling ,the lights are on a timer, and  the elves climb down from their ladders.

In our real village, we show the owners which remote control works certain areas of their home, which ones are on timers (always the exterior),  and tidy up our work area.  Our work for this day  is done, and our  village is complete. Time to go home to my home, in my village, where my tree (of course it is on a timer) and my front porch which is merrily ready for Christmas (and on a dusk to dawn timer) will be lit and waiting to welcome me.

On the 6th day of Christmas….Castles and Gingerbread houses

Asheville, North Carolina is home of the Biltmore estate, one of the largest historical homes in America and home to 53 decorated Christmas trees this time of year.

Decked out for Christmas, the Biltmore is ready

My season of decorating culminated with being able to see some of the decorations in this still privately held castle.  Friends and I traveled to view it taking in the candlelight tour in the evening, a great meal and then viewing the castle again in the morning.  The grounds around it are as stunning as the interior surroundings.  http://www.biltmore.com/  If you haven’t been….try to make it part of your next season’s activities.

Largest indoor Christmas tree in one of the largest homes in America

Only 10 minutes away is another landmark hotel, the Grove Park Inn.  I’d heard about it but never been before.  Their slogan for Christmas is “Bring us your tired, your hum and your drum….”   Not only was it brimming with Christmas trees and festivities, but it was also hosted to the National Gingerbread Contest, and I was astounded at the creativity of the top National winners.   I can not even come close to making a gingerbread house like some that I saw.   Imagine my surprise to be in North Carolina and find that a local Austell, Georgia girl actually placed in the top10!   Kudos to Heather Lewis!    http://www.groveparkinn.com/Leisure/ 

Seeing all the gingerbread houses reminded me of a time when my kids were little and we had about 20 of their friends over to the basement and tried our hand at gingerbread houses.  

My mom worked for weeks actually making the gingerbread and icing, the kids all brought in different candies…shredded wheat for the roof, licorice for the gutters, M&M’s for stones walkways…we spread it all over the ping-pong table and spent the evening making memories.   I don’t have pictures to show…but those pictures will always be in my memories.

Remember why we celebrate this lovely season

I have a friend who makes the gingerbread homes  with her girls every year, for the last 20 years.  She keeps them in the attic wrapped up and then brings them out every year showcasing the village that her children have made for her.   They are always unique and made with extreme love.

The houses we put in our homes, whether made of gingerbread or ceramic, symbolize the camaraderie we have in our neighborhoods and extended villages.   We craft our homes, the ones we live in and the ones we make with our kids with the frosting of our life.   We don’t all live in castles, but we feel like we do at Christmas time.  My castle is my home I share with my kids, my dog, and my friends who come to visit.   I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

On the 5th day of Christmas….Get the front door ready!

I’ve decided by this point, that my friends and people around me help me find the spirit of  Christmas.   While I still feel a little out of it, rushing around helping everyone else get ready for Christmas, I am starting to get excited.

Front doors tell you a little about the person inside

We worked ourselves hard for several 12 hour days helping other people find Christmas in their homes, and now that I can finally sit down and enjoy my home, I find I am getting a little more interested myself.  My tree is up, my collections are out of their boxes, the mantle has been decorated and I’m a little more rested after the long naps I had this weekend.   So now… time for the exterior of the house.

This is the part people see the most.  My extended neighborhood is not always  invited into my home, but they will see the front door.  First thing up is the wreaths on the windows.   Let me say, there is a bit of magic that goes into hanging these, and to keep some of my job security, I’ll go no further describing this part.   But I will say it is important to get them “fluffed” and hung evenly.   And there is an art form to this procedure.   Look around at your neighbors houses with wreaths, and you’ll see what I mean.   And proportion is everything.   If you have a large window, a large wreath is needed….if you have a tiny dormer, put up a smaller wreath.    We climb on roofs, scale tall ladders, and attach wreaths to windows and dormers.

Wreaths hung magically on the windows dress the exterior of the house.

But the biggest awe is always the front door.  I love to frame the entrance to homes with greenery, ribbon, sparkly trees and some of our secret weapons.  My clients who have a more natural setting for their home have the door framed with more natural looking product, “pumped” up a little with some sparkle, pretty ribbon and some extra ornaments.   If the interior of the home has a little more sparkle, the door will show this.   If an apartment, or condominium the door will have a great centerpiece on the door.  The door will reflect  the home inside….it is a peek into what most people will not see.

Let there be light (and please don't blow the transformers)

The entrances to our home are guarded by our dogs, our locks and our security systems, and few enter inside to see who we really are.   In my instance, only my closest friends gain entrance to my home.   It’s interesting, because we will blog, and put pictures on Facebook, and our websites, allowing a little glimpse of us personally, but the front door stops those intrusions, and allows us to keep  some privacy.  I am privileged that I am  invited into my clients homes and I treat their front door with respect.  As I reconnect with clients, who have become my friends, I start to reconnect with Christmas.

Natural product surrounds a stone front door.

On the 4th day of Christmas…Time to decorate the mantle!

Now that the tree  has been decorated, and all the lights are finally working, it’s time to decorate the mantle.   First needed is a theme.   I love to decorate the mantles of my clients.  I start by the color of the ribbon, then look for ornaments and other items that will support their theme.   If there are children in the home, a more festive, fun look is often called for, adding in elves, candy canes, and a bit of whimsy.

A photographer, Santa on his way, kids all lined up for the pictures....this mantle is ready.

Recently, clients have chosen to place their tv over their mantle instead of the traditional art.   This particular mantle showcases the tv, framed by picture frame molding, and much-loved stockings, hung with care…..

Framed tv over the mantle

Televisions seem to take center stage in homes now….and we adapt and decorate around them.

Whimsy on a mantle

We are often asked how do we get the garland to stay on a stone fireplace….easy answer…we wrap heavy wire all around the mantle, long ways, then attach the garland to the wire.

Televisions are not to be ignored at Christmas time

The garland and all the secrets that go into the garland mantle cover up all that wire, and it is held very securely.

Charleston themed decorations  are popular again, using traditional items like flowers, magnolia fruit and natural product.  One of the trends this year is burlap.   Add this to the mix of natural product, embroidered burlap adds a truly beautiful touch to this mantle.

Burlap embroidered ribbon enhances this traditionally decorated mantle

Outdoor fireplaces truly are special to me.  Who can resist the hot chocolate and inevitable marshmallows that  roast beside these special fireplaces.   Seems that we linger a little bit longer with the kids…..We can’t resist decorating them, too.

Time for the marshmallows!

On the 3rd day of Christmas….we need a tree!

The Grinch of Christmas can’t rule this house, only the tree….

Grinch Christmas

I’ve never decorated a house with out a tree…. we are asked to decorate front doors, mantles  and  always we have a tree!    Most people start their first year by getting a tree, even if they don’t have any other decorations.   This really is the best way to start, because every year, you can add to that tree…or another tree…

Let's go all out!

Some of my clients want “designer trees”. And they are beautiful!   But most of us start out with a tree that we do on our own.   The kids make things, and we collect special ornaments through the years of the places we visit.  The kids put up the ornaments that they make at school for us out of macaroni and  popsicle sticks.   That’s how we fill the tree when we have nothing.   Everyone remembers threading popcorn and cranberries, or making construction paper garland…it all fills in the tree.  When we put up those ornaments, it is like a time warp backwards.  And it is those same ornaments we lovingly place on the tree year after year….remembering our past…hoping for our future.   Slowly the spirit of Christmas appears on the tree.

Inspirational theme based Christmas tree

Busy parents working days on end sometimes  tell me to put up the decorations and light the tree, but leave the decorating of the tree to them to do with the kids.   The kids always run in after school to see the tree lit, and can hardly wait to start putting “their decorations” on the tree.  By taking away the stress of the parents doing the rest of the house, they can truly enjoy this time with their kids.

Patience Brewster collection

When my clients want that “designer tree”, they still have the “special tree” ornaments somewhere else.  Those special ornaments that they’ve collected over time don’t get tossed aside.  They go on the “kids tree”, or a wire tree for collectibles.   They are always there somewhere.     When I see their treasures, I am given a glimpse into their lives, and feel honored that they share that with me.  I can see the baby’s shoes, the ornament commemorating their trip to NY city, an acquisition  of Patience Brewster, or the tree just for college memorabilia.  It all means something truly spiritual to them.  As I watch the kids looking over those ornaments, I start to catch the spirit of Christmas…it is family memories.

Trying to get in the spirit of Christmas?  Decorate your tree.   Turn up the Christmas carols, invite  a friend over to help, give the children some tinsel and finish it with some hot chocolate.   When it is all done, take just a moment that night, when the house lights are off and only the tree lights are on, to sit by the tree and just look at the shiny lights….remember the spirit of Christmas comes with participation in Christmas.

On the 2nd day of Christmas….we need a budget!

When I was asked recently to do a short speech to a women’s group about decorating on a budget, I really had to think….I don’t like to decorate on a budget!  Who does?   No one I talked to really likes to decorate on a budget.   Everyone surveyed agreed they have to decorate on a budget.  Even people who hire us, have a set dollar amount they don’t want to exceed.  But how to stay on budget?

Merry Christmas ribbons

The only answer is a little bit at a time.  Start with the free things.   Magnolia grows abundantly in the south, and can be harvested along with holly berries easily.   I actually planted both in my yard at my current home, so I can get it easily.  But when I was first starting out, I kept a shovel and a trash bag in the trunk of my car….always on the look out.   Magnolia lasts for about 2-3 weeks  before it starts turning brown, and after that, it can be spray painted gold and dusted with glitter…everything looks better with glitter on it during the holidays.

Whether we are starting new in our first home, or are a downsized couple married for several years, we can all  use natural products, make our  own ornaments, work with friends to help decorate our home and theirs…and be creative to stay on budget.

The point is that every year you can add something else.   Start with the garland and a pretty ribbon the first year.   Next year add the magnolia and holly berries.   The third year, add the ornaments, etc.  While simple it is actually effective. Over the years, you’ll establish quite a collection.  And you’ll still be on a budget.

On the first day of Christmas…..The spirit of Christmas is missing

The spirit of Christmas is hiding from me….It’s December 2nd, and I’m rushing around decorating for people, but haven’t really got the spirit of Christmas yet.   For the last few years, I’ve been a little low around this time of year.  I lost some people who were important to me, and it is just not as fun as it used to be.  I keep doing it because it is expected of me.  I bring in all the decorations and I work my magic but the month just flies through in a blur and before I know it, Christmas is come and gone, and the spirit of  Christmas really hasn’t  come to me  yet.

Looking for Christmas

Designers and Decorators are called upon this time of year to  decorate their clients homes…and if I do say so, we do a beautiful job.   I went to a seminar years ago on holiday decorations, and someone in the audience made the comment to the designer making the table arrangement that their own home must be beautiful during the holidays.  The designer laughed and said by the time he got around to decorating everyone’s home, he didn’t want to even look at it in his own home.  I prayed to God I would never feel like that myself.  I don’t want it to be just a job…I want to FEEL  Christmas.

Lit Snowmen watching over Christmas

Looking for Christmas...all through the land

SO….how do we “feel” like it is Christmas?   How do we keep the spirit of the season in tact year to year even as our life transitions into a different version of what we expected it to be?  I think that is why we have a whole month to get ready….and today is only the first day!