At Last The Christmas Decorations Are Up!

Photo: Chronica Domus

I really don't know where December has gone but the month has sped away faster than a Hatton Garden jewel thief.   This year we are staying home for Christmas and hosting overseas house guests who arrive this afternoon.  I am very much looking forward to both enjoying their good company and celebrating Christmas for the first time in four years in my own home.

When one expects house guests at this time of the year there is much to do in anticipation of their visit.  On top of all that, there is a laundry list of tasks to be completed before Christmas day arrives including lots of specialty food shopping for Christmas day dinner, and a few last minute presents. One of the more pleasurable undertakings of the season is tarting up the house.   As we like to keep things simple around here, we avidly adhere to Miss Pole's Yuletide Decorating Philosophy so last weekend we made time to track down our evergreen tree and bring it home.  Patience our teenage daughter was insistent that we select a "fuller" tree.  What she really meant was she would like a species other than my preferred Silver Tip which is gappy by nature and provides ample room between branches to hang my collection of antique and vintage ornaments.  We settled on the Noble Fir you see below.

Photo: Chronica Domus

Norton immediately approved of Patience's choice of tree

(let's hope the ornaments are of less interest to him)

Photo: Chronica Domus

After a battle installing the fairy lights (the upper-most strand decided to die in situ!), a trip to the store was in order to procure a further supply.  This is the sort of tomfoolery that perfectly demonstrates why I have a love-hate relationship with fairy lights.  I would much rather opt to illuminate our tree with miniature candles.  As you can imagine, my husband is horrified by my pyrotechnic flight of fancy so the fairy lights remain.  Ah well, one can always fantasize about such things.

This year's exuberant color palette is a combination of silver, green, pale pink,
raspberry, and orange

Photo: Chronica Domus

Before finding the strength of will to get back to the tree decorating, I decided that adorning the mantelshelf would be a far less taxing experience.  I used the pine cones that Patience and I collected and decorated with frosty glass glitter years earlier when she was still in elementary school, together with clippings from the tree.

Crushed glass glitter provides a seasonal frosty appearance to pine cones that perch 

upon an English Regency slop bowl and cups

Photo: Chronica Domus

Of course there's always room atop the looking glasses and picture frames for a little
seasonal greenery and a pine cone or two

Photo: Chronica Domus

I thought it would be fun to continue the pine cone theme in the dining room.  Below is the ivory colored goose feather tree decked out in ... you've guessed it, pine cones!

Vintage silver glass pine cones adorn the goose feather tree which is anchored in an
old tole container topped off with yet more (green) vintage glass pine cone ornaments

Photo: Chronica Domus

Here's a close-up of the tole container anchoring the feather tree with help from a pile of

vintage glass pine cones in shades of green and gold

Photo: Chronica Domus

Moving to the kitchen next, I simply could not stop myself.  More pine cones and clippings from the Noble Fir tree found a resting spot upon the hanging wall shelf.

Have I gone too far?  What, I wonder, would Miss Pole make of all this pine cone frippery?

Photo: Chronica Domus

Returning to the evergreen tree in the drawing room, Patience was eager to help me hang the hundreds of vintage glass ornaments in place.  We used thin gauge wire instead of ornament hangers to secure each ornament to its bough by wrapping it around the needles.  The extra effort, we hope, will insure the delicate ornaments stay put.  At least that's the idea.

Photo: Chronica Domus

I think the newly acquired old ornaments from the recent sale I attended look splendid upon this year's tree 

Photo: Chronica Domus

Thank goodness the fairy lights are still working now that the ornaments have been hung!

Photo: Chronica Domus

Although it was sunny and bright this morning when I photographed the tree, it was sufficiently chilly that we plan on lighting a fire later today

Photo: Chronica Domus

Patience was thrilled with her choice of evergreen tree, and the cheery colors

of the ornaments, and looks forward to plenty of presents being piled beneath it

Photo: Chronica Domus

I had just a few more pine cones and bits of greenery to fiddle with so here they are, atop the chest of drawers and the looking glass in the drawing room.

Photo: Chronica Domus

Now that the house is dressed for Christmas, I look forward to a few hours of tranquility before driving to the airport to retrieve our house guests. Then, at last, the season's merry making can commence!  

I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!