Sentimental
decorations are the best, don't you think? They bring back fond
memories of Christmas past, especially friends and family we've lost.
I added two items to my Christmas decorating this year, both
inherited from my mother-in-law. Her Norfolk Island pine is now a
Christmas tree for my sewing room. We gave her the little tree one
year for her December birthday. The tiny lightweight ornaments
include a thimble and thread spool painted with Santa faces.
Her adorable
lighted Christmas Village, which was displayed on their hearth every
year, now resides on the sideboard in our dining room. There's a
church, station, hotel, school, shops, house, barn, and lots of
little people, animals, cars, fences and trees. I love the handmade
accessories crafted by my father-in-law: twigs painted with white to
simulate snow covered trees, a mailbox, and a sleigh.
I'm still keeping
my simple decorating rule, using only my favorite things like my cute
ceramic Santa bears, the iron tabletop tree, and quilted accents.
It doesn't take long to put up or take down our Christmas
decorations, but there's something festive in every room.
The freezing rain
and ice that accumulated on our pine trees early Sunday morning
brought down a dozen fairly large limbs. We'll have to get out the
tractor today to drag them down to the burn pile, but not before I
cut lots of pine branches. Nature provided easy access for me to
create fresh arrangements for the house.
"Remember, if Christmas isn't found in your heart, you won't find it under a tree."
~ Charlotte Carpenter
