Wednesday 21 December 2011

Yuletide Warmth


 I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
"I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
 And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”
 Hen­ry W. Long­fel­low
Christmas is almost upon us. We have been very busy decorating and baking in preparation for welcoming family and friends to our home. Here are some glimpses of what Christmas looks and sounds like in our house.

Flower, candle and ornaments above and below




This is one of our many Nutcrackers

Our house is filled with holiday decorations, treasures that we have accumulated over the years, some homemade and some gifts; each one holds memories and is lovingly displayed and then carefully packed away for another year. We pick out a real Christmas tree each year and it is brought in and decorated about a week before Christmas.



Hand painted bauble from Switzerland



Our tree top angel has seen many Christmases

This season is all about food, friends and family in our house. Here is a glimpse of appetizers for a gathering of friends and family. Our Christmas dinner includes turkey and all the trimmings, we start with appetizers including oysters (a remembrance of a Christmas my husband spent on a farm in France over 30 years ago) and end with the traditional plum pudding bathed in brandy and flamed before serving.

Appetizers for gathering of friends and family

I have a particular weakness for seasonal sweets: shortbread, sugar cookies, nut crescents, maple cookies, fig pinwheels. This year I made a Gingerbread Trifle (gingerbread cake, apple compote, apple brandy, custard and cream) which was very tasty and not too sweet.

Fig Pinwheels and Chocolate Drop Cookies

Shortbread with snowflake design

Sugar Cookies and Nut Crescents

I love having flowers in the house, especially at this time of year when the garden is devoid of them. Pictured here are a beautiful amaryllis, white lilies and Christmas Cactus.


Amaryllis

Amaryllis Bud

White Lily arrangement from friends

Christmas Cactus (blooming at Christmas too)

We fill the house with music, from early music to modern.  We start Christmas Day with a recording of Christmas Bells and then a selection of Christmas music on a tape my husband made 35 years ago.


Years ago we started the tradition of reading Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" aloud in the weeks leading up to Christmas. It is a wonderful book to read aloud - the richness of the story makes each reading different and we find new things every year.  Dickens used to give readings of his works and today there are performances by many groups mixing the story with music.  I also enjoy the old Astaire Sim movie version of the classic and hearing Dylan Thomas recite "A Child's Christmas in Wales".


All this is part of our Christmas.

We send along our best wishes for peace, warmth and friendship. However you celebrate the season, I hope it brings a glow to your heart, a tear to your eye and a smile to your lips.

"We wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year" is the music on this card image that I call "Woofers and Tweeters":


"We wish you a Merry Christmas":



Happy Whimsy Wednesday, until next week

18 comments:

  1. Your Christmas decorations are beautiful and your blog is as well - all the best to you for a wonderful Christmas, Gillian! I hope to catch up on your previous entries soon...

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  2. Hi Gillian, thank you so much for giving us a look into your Christmas. :) People who enter the warmth and memories brimming in your home are very lucky, indeed. Although not everyone is as fortunate, it is what anyone would hope that the season would bring. I can see there is a rich history of your family life in the decorations and in the reading of Dickens’ book. Wonderful … wonderful!

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  3. your house appears chock-full of joy and ready for fun, family and festivities. God bless you and yours this holiday season!

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  4. I can see Christmas is going to be wonderful at your house! I hope you have a wonderful day with friends and family!

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  5. Beautiful and lovely xmas time, I love them all.

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  6. Hi Gillian,

    Your words, pictures and music bathed this post in a glow that brought the richness of a storybook Christmas vividly into the minds of your readers. The pure joy and magical delight of the season was relayed with such enthusiasm, I think it would be hard not to have picked up on some of that aura. Thank you! I will be thinking of you and the music in your house on Christmas morning. Perhaps, I will even hear the echo of bells followed by your husband's carefully chosen melodies if I lean my ear your way :) I plan to come back to this post to listen to Dylan's reading. Oh, and those pinwheel cookies look exactly like the ones my mother made. For some reason, my sister and I called them railroad cookies. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

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  7. Your house looks wonderful all decked out for Christmas. You have a beautiful collection of decorations and the food all looks great. Traditions like reading the same book each year can be very meaningful. Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy Christmas and New Year ahead.

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  8. Just LOVELY

    I wish you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year

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  9. What a warm and inviting home you have! Wishing you and yours a great Holiday of merry!

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  10. Shortbread cookies...wow, those are one of my favorites. Love the background on your blog.

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  11. hello Gillian ! it seems to be so nice in your home! so many beautiful images !
    merry christmas to you - JOYEUX NOEL !

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  12. Beautiful post! Your decorations are lovely!
    Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas!!

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  13. Dear Gillian,
    Your home is so beautiful and festive! What a treat for your friends and family to walk into.
    Wishing you a Merry Merry Christmas!
    Peace
    Carol

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  14. It seems that you have all the right elements for celebrating the holidays in a fun and joyful way. I hope that all your dreams come true, and you will be able to realize all your creative ideas!

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  15. Thank You for your kind visit!
    This is time for sharing our Love and understanding!
    (sorry for my dreadful English- I do not use the proper prepositions…(“on”, “in” “at”….those are a big problem to me…LOL)
    BlueShell

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  16. trekking your amazing blog! keep blogging! happy holidays!

    cheers!
    ...TREK...

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  17. Gillian, your home looks absolutely enchanting. You put such great attention to every little detail and it's just beautiful. Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.

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  18. Gillian...thank you for the Christmas wishes, and our family send the same to you and yours. Have a wonderful day!!

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