Monthly Archives: December 2024

………………Yesterday, I had a Christmas visit from my nephew Chris, his girlfriend Danielle, and her son Nick…….They arrived about 2:00pm so I had some snacks prepared…..assorted cheeses with fig and walnut spread, crackers, cheese sticks and Italian bread, veggies and dip….shrimp….and of course a plate of cookies….There were other things to nibble on too…..Nick had just flown in from Texas, where he goes to university, and plays football….so of course we watched Kansas City trounce Houston on TV…..but…..Nick never made it to the end…..he fell asleep in front of the heat of the fire place….That’s him in the lower right photo under the blankets…….We had a 5:30pm dinner reservation at a restaurant in Westport Ct. called….”ZUCCA”….Bottom two center phot0s….Everything was delicious!……Then back to my house for some Raspberry Cheesecake with fresh whipped cream…..Nick who is 18, had a party to go to, and us older folk were getting tired, so they all left at about 8:00…………….Oh to be 18 again!….or at least have the energy of an 18 year old!!!!

………………Jac’s mom collected bronze ornaments from the Franklin Mint……..This is just some of them….The Mint is still producing them every year!…..Jac inherited them from her mom and they always take a special place on the tree……..They add a beautiful glow.

………………My Christmas tree is finished!….It took me three days to decorate……First, I do the top of the tree completely…on a ladder….so I do it slowly……….The second day I finish the rest of the tree, and on the third day I add the icicles, and NEW this year…the LED CANDLES….that slightly flicker…..Also new this year is the NUTCRACKER TREE SKIRT…..Nutcrackers have become a small theme in the Gathering room….there are even nutcracker ornaments on the tree and one at each place setting on the table…..Over the years Jac and I collected many many ornaments….then one year, when the tree was in the living room, it fell over and many ornaments broke!…..That was heart breaking for the both of us. Some of my dear Linea Ladies sent Jac and I a surprise package of ornaments to rebuild our collection. They all hang proudly on the tree….Wherever we went, no matter the time of year, we searched for special ornaments until we FILLED the tree….and then bought more!…..Every ornament has a story, and I can still remember most of them…..It truly is an international tree as ornaments coming from England, France, Germany Austria, Italy, China, Japan, Amsterdam, Vienna, Hungary…the even Russia……and I’m sure I’m leaving a few out! I found the fabulous wool tartan throw that had been stored away  on the third floor for years and years…While cleaning out the third floor rooms. I spotted this tartan throw, and a red and black wool Buffalo check throw that reverses to a camel cashmere throw I got from ETRO ages ago!…..I thought they would be perfect in the Gathering Room incase someone got chilly and wanted to wrap up. The tartan one almost matches my table cloth……..Sometimes it pays to go through draws you haven’t opened in years!

………………..The ornaments on the tree all tell a story…..and thank goodness many I can still remember!!!…..The clear glass star at the upper right with the fine line work that looks like frosting, came from Sweden. I bought it on my very first trip to Europe….It is very fragile and unfortunate some broke when my tree fell, but I still have three…..The raspberry tart is my favorite berry so I couldn’t resist getting this ornament….The BIG BEN and the red TELEPHONE BOOTH Jac and I found in of course LONDON!…..The St. Francis of Assisi, photo top left came from Italy……The sailing ship we bought in Mass. when we took a Christmas road trip along the water….stopping from town to town……..The pale green ornament in the bottom center…if you look closely you will notice the top is broken and the bottom right is missing a piece of the star…..This was one of the casualties of my fallen tree….We were able to salvage many even if they had broken parts…….They were still members of the family, and still get a place on the tree.

…………………The tree has a variety of all types of ornaments and different subjects….EGG shaped ornaments can be found all over the tree……..Most are very elaborate. There are a few from Russia, but most of them are from Eastern EUROPE….The very ornate ones with the stones, and the ones with LILY OF THE VALLEY, one of Jac’s favorite flowers, have all become my favorites too. I found the ELEPHANT, photo at center far left….and had to have him.