Merry Christmas Dear Firends 2010

I wanted to share this image (thanks to Dawn at The Feathered Nest) with each of you today. For this is so clearly

THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I want to keep this image & thought in my heart/mind today as I begin to prepare all the family favorites for our meal together tomorrow.

I wanted to tell each of you how very special you are to me. What joy you bring. What magical things you create, share, teach, challange me to do. You open my mind to so many wonders. You share your families, your homes, your hearts! Thank you my precious friends for all you do. For your love & friendship. You are truly a blessing in my life. Merry Christmas & may you be blessed by all you need or want. Much Christmas Love,

Santa’s Train

Many years ago Hubby bought me this adorable Santa Train as my Christmas gift. Knowing I love to decorate for our little GRANDSONS! You saw the track in my previous post about my tree & now I thought I’d show you some close up photos of the train & the North Pole scene UNDER my tree. Of course first comes Santa! He has a little Elf on the front that goes up & down as he pumps the steam to the engine.

Santa waves as he goes around saying Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas. The bells clang & the whistle blows. In the first photo you see the tender car with the packages & tree. Next comes Candy Dancer. Again, the elves are busy with movement making the candy & the lights on this car just dance. These photos have the flash being used so you can see the details but, I’ve included one below so you can see this car & how it looks in the dark with just the glow of the lights from the tree, village & train.

Next is Mrs Claus & an elf baking gingerbread cookies. Mrs. Claus moves as she puts the cookies in the oven & the elf uses the bellow to stoke the red flame of the fire.

And next the elves skating pond. There is a little magnet that makes that elf swirl & twirl when the train is moving. Again, an elf pumping water to create the ice for the pond. ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And at the end… a RED caboose of course! Usually I put the Department 56 Snow Village houses under the tree with the Santa train but, this year I decided to put the Department 56 North Pole there instead (It is usually on the counter between the kitchen & living room as seen in a previous post). Even though the “scale” is smaller it is still really cute with the train.

Here is a little peek at the part to the right of the tree. At the back middle is the home of Santa & Mrs. Claus with gum drop trees & other twinkling trees. To the front of the Claus home is the Elves Bunkhouse & you can see Santa’s sleigh.

To the left is Sweet Rock Candy Shop & to the right is the Ornament Shop. Elves Pointy Shoe Shop!

The Reindeer Barn with the names of those magical creatures above each door & The Peanut Brittle Factory! Of course there is Reindeer Flight School. For Elf recreation there is a skating pond where they whirl & twirl for hours. All in all… A MAGICAL PLACE with a lot of action going on.

This year I really wanted to do a Silver, Gold & Crystal tree but, the GRANDS are growing up sooooooooooooooo fast & they will only be little & interested in this MAGIC for such a short time that I decided to do all of this for them. And I am happy that I made this choice. One look at their little faces as they enter the house & I know it’s all worth it. Hope you are enjoying the preparations for Christmas at your house. Hubby gave me his terrible cold & now it has really slowed me down for this last week. Good thing I have most of it done. Now… off to sniffle, sneeze & blow my nose. Ho Ho Ho!

HUGS! Charlene

Christmas Tree 2010

Merry Christmas says Elle The Christmas Elf! In case you missed the post about Hubby’s Christmas present… go HERE. Elle Elf arrived a week ago & has taken over the house. Soooooooooooooo she wanted to show you her Christmas tree this year.

I LOVE to look at a tree at night don’t you?

There’s something magical about the lights.

Snow globes that change colors as the glitter swirls…

and sit on the counter between the kitchen & living room.

Santa wants you to come & see the tree decked out in candy, cookies, baking elves, gingerbread houses & Santa ornaments from Christmas past.

Santa’s (right) newly purchased in the last couple of years & one (left) that hung on the tree when our boys were little tykes.

Even one that hung on the tree for my FIRST Christmas.

Candy garlands, & ornaments that look like gingerbread cookies… See that little Santa in the photo above? He is a vintage Christmas tree light bulb given to us by Hubby’s stepmother when she was alive(we got 3 of them).

Ornaments that look like white iced sugar cookies & gingerbread houses. And garlands that look like ice cream cones.

Below a sparkling red jewel we brought back from Germany over 20 years ago. Memories… that’s what Christmas is about.

Did you notice the train tracks in photos up above????? Come back soon & I’ll show you the Santa Train & Department 56 North Pole Village set up under the tree. But, for now…

I’m going to turn on the lamp on the side table next to the gingerbread compote & read a magazine with another cup of coffee since Elle the Christmas Elf has decided to settle down for a long winters nap. Hey, a Mom can dream can’t she?

Hugs, Charlene & Elle

Food For Thought – A Fairy Tale Christmas!

It’s Saturday & time for another Food for Thought.  Once again, Jain has asked us to share our favorite Christmas books this month (& recipes from that book if we want to).  For last Saturday I chose my favorite story which was the 1958 version of Jolly Old Santa Claus (go HERE to see that post) but, today I want to share a book that goes OVER THE TOP for Christmas decor.  The book is A Fairy Tale Christmas – Creating Magical Celebrations by Karen Anderson.

At Lyndhurst, you will go room to room in a romantic fairy-tale castle overlooking the Hudson River in Tarrytown, New York.  Lyndhurst is one of America’s finest Gothic Revival mansions & fifteen main rooms are taken over by storybook fantasies.  The home of the nineteenth-century railroad baron Jay Gould, Lyndhurst is now owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

There are many different stories represented in the decor & in the book.  Just a few of the different themes are:Cinderella, Rumpelstilkins, Peter Pan, Hansel & Gretel, & many more.  I’d like to share a few of my favorites.

Goldilocks & the Three Bears!!!  Is this adorable or what?

Can you stand how precious this is with the 3 different chairs,blocksgreenery & porridge bowls?  I wish you could see these two pages side by side.  And yes, I want to share the rest of my decor with you but, I assure you my bed looks NOTHING like this one with that amazing garland hung on the footboards.

A nod at a very favorite!!!! The Little Mermaid is near & dear to my heart & brings back fond memories of my time in California!

Such a 2 die4 bathroom I have never seen.  Now, I have a little mermaid vignette in the windowsill above my garden tub but, I can say that it is no where near so grand as this but, IDEAS are swimming in my head like sugar plaums dancing!  That sink (above) of clear glass balls with the tiny white lights sprinkled among them is divine.

 

Again, the tub filled with clear balls & lights to look like bubbles.  And the fish suspended among the layers of sheer mermaid colors. DIVINE!

And who could pass up Alice In Wonderland?  The card garland is so clever!

After I scanned this wonder above… my scanner had a “problem”.  Time for tech support!!!! But, at least I could share the amazing Snow Queen room which I think may be neck in neck as my favorite!  The floor is laid in 12 x 12 mirror tiles & then the snowy scene is set.  AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I hope you go out & find this amazing book & enjoy looking at it as much as I do.  Also, be sure & go visit Jain & the other girls at Food For Thought HERE.  And enjoy!  What was your favorite room? 

HUGS!  Charlene

A Cup of Christmas Coffee & The Home Tour Begins!

Welcome! Grab a cup of coffee & let’s begin the tour of my Christmas decor for this year. This is the coffee station that I always enjoy decorating no matter the season. It’s the first thing I see in the morning so I want it to be pretty & welcoming.

I have a lot of Christmas mugs but, I think these are my favorites! Don’t you love Mrs.. Claus’s red boots?

Not into coffee? Well the pretty glass canister has Cocoa Mix ready too. I have always loved the little Christmas bear sugar & creamer set. And for those of you who know that my motto for the GRANDS is to “sugar them up & send them home” there is the Santa mug with a chocolate covered rice crispy pop as well as two Christmas Tree Lollipops. One RED & one GREEN.

This is the view I see as I stand preparing our drinks. There is a bar that divides the kitchen to the living room. I love to put things on the bar that I can enjoy when I am in the kitchen cooking or cleaning up after a meal. Below is a shot of this bar full of “stuff”.

The cute Santa mugs belong to the GRANDS for hot cocoa when they come to Nonna & Bop Bop’s house. And one of my favorite Santa candlesticks.

He brings a smile to my face every time I see him.

This year I bought the prettiest poinsettia plant & have it sitting behind the coffee maker. I love how they put snow & glitter on it’s leaves. Let’s go to the fridge & get some cream.

I have a wonderful shelf above all my cabinets & here you can see the grapevine with lights entwined (it makes a perfect night light for going to get a drink in the middle of the night). IF I was “Freaking Martha Stewart” as my daughter in law calls me… I would have strung garland & put Christmas decor up there to. Maybe another year.

A close up of the little vignette on top of the fridge. I LOVE the glow of the red tree, the Santa’s, my vintage oil lamp peeking out behind that MAGNIFICENT plate with the snow scene & cardinals. I have to admit that I keep that plate up after Christmas just to enjoy it a bit longer (but, the tree does go!)

There’s another little peek at the shelf that runs the top of the kitchen. I ADORE my picture of SANTA don’t you? Sorry the chandi is reflecting in that one corner of the glass but, you can see the gorgeous vintage crystals that hang from it.

The table isn’t set with any dishes but, you can see the pretty red & white checked towel with the Santa Tea Pot & a couple of mugs as well as a cute Santa cookie press & sweet Cherished Teddy in her Christmas dress. Of course this is the kitchen not the dinning room (which is done in gold & much more formal).

If, you were visiting this is the comfy rocker you would be sitting in to visit with me as I prepare things. It sits just to the other side of the kitchen table & you can see my vintage buffet sitting beside it. I LOVE the pretty little metal sign hanging above the chair!

Believe??????????

OF COURSE I DO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don’t you?

I hope you will come back soon to continue the tour. But, for now your coffee’s ready I can’t wait to sit & visit with you!

Hope you are enjoying this blessed season! HUGS! Charlene