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Christmas in Williamsburg

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Quiz: Do you own a Christmas sweater? Do you resent synthetic Christmas trees?Have you ever been to Colonial Williamsburg between Thanksgiving and New Years?
If you answer Yes, Yes, and No, I suggest you quit reading this and book a trip for next year. Because, my friend, your butt belongs in Williamsburg!
Christmas in Williamsburg is special. Yes, it’s a tourist attraction but it’s as close to authentic Christmas spirit as I have ever felt or seen in person. The Historic District’s holiday decorations are made entirely of natural materials available in 18th century Virginia. Some 700+ wreaths and swags are displayed on the various merchant and residential buildings, illuminated by candles and wood burning torches. Fife and drum marches are frequent. And on certain days, if you are lucky, the whole town smells like chocolate. Let’s go!
Now, historically speaking, the Colonials’ holiday decorations probably would have been much more humble compared to today, but the tradition here is long and well loved. Every year The Grand Illumination is the official “kick-off” for Williamsburg’s Christmas season (this year it’s Sunday, December 4, if you happen to be in the area). I was lucky enough to get to make some wreaths in the traditional fashion, and let me tell you, it’s harder than it looks! There was no hot glue in the 1700s, that’s for hell sure.
Chownings Tavern, above, who serves and excellent welsh rarebit btw, displays a new and interesting wreath each year. Last year it was oysters and dried status on a bed of Virginia Pinecones. This year it’s field flowers, shells and berries in pewter ale cups.
I have been going to Colonial Williamsburg since I was a kid, as has most everyone in southeast Virginia and the mid-Atlantic area in general. It’s just what you do. It’s a popular place. A tourist trap, I suppose.
It’s hard to explain if you have never been there in person. Sometimes people think Williamsburg is like Disneyland (fake) or Amish Country (real), but the truth is somewhere in-between; Williamsburg is a wonderland of American history. The city, the streets, the buildings and the artifacts within are all real –the people are not. The people are actors hired by the CW foundation to perform the roles of individuals who lived in Williamsburg in the 18th century—everyone from famous presidents to scullery maids can be found in costume, in character, roaming the streets of Williamsburg on any given day.
Prepare for them to greet you with a “Good Day Madam” and an obligatory bow.
It’s awesome. 
In a way, it’s sort of like a giant renaissance fair except it’s up and running all year round. And the buildings are real. And the history is real. And important stuff happened here. And there’s no one named Gilgamesh running an elf and fairy tattoo in the parking lot.
Did I mention it’s awesome?
Did I also mention that my cousin works there managing the actors?
This time we got to roam around town with her and get the background on all sorts of stuff that I had never known. That’s her in the blue coat in front of the Governor’s Palace, bottom left corner. Sometimes she gets to wear a costume, and, get this: next week her job will require her to attend a ball. IN A COLONIAL BALLGOWN.
Shut up.
Wreaths utilize everything old shoes to antlers.
Apparently the Colonials were very fond of cards, as this home uses them to decorate their front door.
Want to see more pictures of Christmas decorations in Colonial Williamsburg?
Interested in visiting Colonial Williamsburg to see it for yourself? Visit their website.

Tall Christmas

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I am tall.
My Aunt Cake is taller.
She is married to my Uncle Bob, who is the tallest.
They live in a tall house with tall ceilings.
At Christmas time they get themselves a tall tree.
How tall?
This Tall:
That was me, Christmas 1986. 
Already displaying the signs of chronic bitchface.
On the back of the photo, in my mother’s handwriting, it reads “Still waiting for that pony.”
I’ll have you know, I am still waiting on that pony.
Thank goodness I learned appreciate the tree 🙂

It’s begining to look a lot like Christmas.

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My Aunt Annie and Uncle Tom live on the edge of a river overlooking a small, school bus sized island covered with evergreens and marsh grass. Yup. It’s amazing.

For years, my cousin John has talked about decorating one of the trees with Christmas lights. Great idea, right? But, as you can imagine, running electrical chords and battery packs to marshy island in the middle of a river can be, well, problematic. Enter solar powered twinkle lights…

After a quick trip to Home Depot and the world’s shortest canoe ride, John and I waded through ankle-deep mud to string solar lights around one of the trees. The sun set a few hours later and suddenly it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

OK, so, it looks a little more like a Christmas bush than a Christmas tree. Stringing the lights up high wasn’t an option. Ladders and canoes don’t mix.

Side note: Have you tried solar lights lately? I was disappointed with my purchase a couple years ago (they were expensive and didn’t give off half as much light as the plug-in variety) but technology has come a long way in two years! They are still a little more expensive than standard string lights, but they are every bit as bright. And more convenient too –the lights automatically turn on at sunset and fade a few hours later (timing depends on how much light and energy they absorb that day). I can’t speak to the quality of every brand on the market, but for what it is worth, I can tell you we were very impressed with these solar icicle lights from GE.  If anyone else has recommendations, please chime in the comments –I am going to go out and buy some as soon as I get home.

Conversations on Christmas: Pajaki

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Pajki ornament. Museum of Science and Industry, December 2010

Real Conversation Between Myself and a Co-worker Over Lunch Today
   
      So, any big plans for making holiday decorations this year?

Yes! I am determind to make a pajaki. Maybe out of water bottles. Or cardboard. I’m still deciding.

     What’s pajaki?

It’s a traditional Polish spiderweb. 

      Why would you want Polish spiderwebs for Christmas? 

The spiderweb isn’t for me, it’s for the baby Jesus.

      Wha?

The baby Jesus comes in the Christmas tree and scares out all the spiders, leaving behind a beautiful web of paper flowers. You hang it from your ceiling.

  

      You are making that up.

No. It’s true.

      That’s crap.

No. Serious. I read all about it. 

      Where?

In a craft magazine. Or something.

     Hate to tell you, but I’m a lot better versed in the whole Christmas thing than you are, and I am pretty sure there was no Biblical mention of Jesus scaring out the spiders, and I’m positive there was no mention of paper flowers.

No, I’m serious. Look at these pictures of pajakis on the Polish Christmas tree at the Museum of Science and Industry last year (I pull out my phone–see photos above and below)

      Those are nice. Where are the spiderwebs?

Those ARE the spiderwebs.

      No, those are candy or chandeliers or something.

They are candy spiderwebs.

      So let me get this straight: On Christmas Eve, the baby Jesus comes up the Christmas tree and scares out the spiders and leaves behind miniature candy chandeliers.

PRECISELY.

      So you are going to make a candy chandelier, but out of water bottles or cardboard, not candy, and hang it from your ceiling.



Yup!

My Studio Window

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This is my studio window. But, can I even call this my studio? That sounds a little pretentious. But I don’t like calling it my craft room either, since it’s 80% storage and 10% working space and 10% ribbon wall.

I’m big on ribbons y’all.

Well, whatever it is, it’s dark in there. I wanted the window to let in as much light as possible,so I just recycled the snowflakes I put up last winter by taping them together. The end result looks a little like Tord Boontje’s Before Dawn curtain –my favorite!

The silhouette of ruffles you see around the window is a garland made from my old Can and Cup Christmas wreath. I was worried it would look too Christmasy up in here, but honestly, it doesn’t. And even if it did look a little jingly, I’m OK with that, because this girl knows how to jangle. 

 

Cookie Cutter Wreath: The Velour Sweatpants of Home Décor

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Long time ago I started a holiday tradition of making one wreath each year dedicated to one person/place/event. It doesn’t need to be fancy or frilly, just made from components that remind me of something wonderful. I hope, as years past, my home will be filled with oodles of nifty wreaths, each with a story to tell. So far I have 10 and counting. I try to make them in between Christmas and New Years, the time of year reserved for family and reflection and eating pie for breakfast.

I’ll save the story behind this year’s wreath, but, let me tell you: this sucker is snazzy. Like Pee-Wee’s Playhouse style snazzy. And, get this, it’s functional! You can even hang it up all year round.

Snazzy + Non-Seasonal + Totally Functional = Awesomeness.

This wreath is like the velour sweatpants of home décor.

I know you want it.

The idea of making a cookie cutter wreath came from this project in Better Homes and Gardens. It’s a lovely piece, but it doesn’t really allow you to use the cookie cutters once they are incorporated in the wreath. Sure, sure, that’s fine for someone who has antique pieces that are no longer in use, but what about my green plastic stegosaurus cookie cutter? If I glue him in a wreath, that would mean no more stegosaurus stamped pie crust. Can I live without stegosaurus stamped pie crust? Hello no.

So what am I going to do? I am going to use the wire branches to create little loop pockets where I can insert Mr. Stegosaurus. This way I can reach in and pull him out any time I want. Beat that!

Materials

* Cookie Cutters
* Wire based tinsel wreath. The branches need to be the sort of sturdy wire you can bend and mold easily. Just about any cheapy faux greenery wreath will work. I picked up this pink number in the dollar section at Target. Suppose you could also have fun painting an old wreath you have laying around the garage. And yes, I saw your garage, I know you have an old wreath lying around. PS: I borrowed your camping thermos. Thanks!  

Tutorial

Prepare yourself, this could get complicated.

Step 1. place your cookie cutter on the wreath.
Step 2: use the wire branches to twist in the cookie cutters
Step 3: repeat
Step 4: get a diet coke and take a load off. This is exhausting.
Step 5: insert a thumb tack on your wall and hang it up.

Whew! We made it!
The really nice thing about this is that the wreath is 100% functional. I know it seems odd to think of a Christmas wreath as an organizing tool, but hey, think twice!  Those little branches are sturdy yet super flexible. Perfect for gripping things that you don’t access everyday, but don’t necessarily want to relegate to the basement or under the bed.

When I was a kid my mom clipped all my hair barrettes and ribbons onto a tacky old wax grape wreath she picked up at a garage sale. It hung in my room and I stared at it every night wondering what barrette I would wear the next day. Pink and green polka dots bows or the Raggedy Ann clips?

Unfortunately, scrunchies came into fashion and the wreath got thrown away. Still, I look back now and realize what a smart idea my mother had back then. To this day I have never seen another quite like it. Now I think about it, there are so many things you could organize and/or display using a wire wreath….kitchen utensils, measuring spoons, pens and pencils, legos, beanie babies, barbie dolls….the possibilities are endless.

Have fun. Have fun Y’all!

PS:  In combing through my cookie cutter collection, I found one that I cannot identify. Can anyone tell what this is? It does not appear to be bent or damaged in any way. I think it might be a platypus. Or a matinee. Ideas? 

Christmas with Kermit

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Update Dec 28: Sorry Y’all, I accidently deleted this post and need to repost from scratch. Beg your pardon if it gobbled your comment or appeared in your inbox twice 🙂

The “Kermit Tree” in the central rotunda


One of my favorite holiday traditions is spending Christmas Eve at the Museum of Science and Industry. I know some people will think spending Christmas at a science museum sounds kooky, but honestly, their Christmas Around the World exhibit is amazing. It’s like that Disneyland ride, It’s a Small World, minus the annoying music and the boat that smells like vomit and Captain Crunch. Trust me y’all, this show is not to be missed!


There are over 50 trees scattered throughout the central corridors of the museum, each decorated by volunteers from various ethnic communities. In addition to being drop-dead-gorgeous, each tree’s decor is aimed to represent each individual country’s holiday traditions. You hear that: it’s got rhinestones AND educational value. Beat that!

Some trees are decked out with traditional folk crafts, while others use local exports, like candy and coffee, while some limit their decorations to the colors of their national flag. It varies widely and no two are alike. Individual plaques below each tree explain some of the more popular traditions. Did you know that the Italian equivalent for Santa Claus is a witch that flies around searching for the baby Jesus? Well, you’ll just have to go see for yourself and read more.


In the center rotunda, there is a 45-foot tree with more than 30,000 lights and 1,000 ornaments. It changes every year, usually to highlight some sort of current event or museum exhibit. This year’s tree is in honor of the Jim Henson Exhibit (more on that later!)…y’all, I wish I could show you this beautiful thing. All of the ornaments were covered in furry bits and googly eyes and curly bursts of color….like a giant bedazzled muppet!  If you are in the area, you have got to see this think for yourself.

Christmas Around the World is open until Jan 9, 2011.

Just a few of the trees from (left to right, top to bottom):Czech Republic, Guatemala, Greece, France, Lithuania, Denmark, Estonia, Puerto Rico, Italy, Native America, Bosnia, Belize, England, Belarus, Thailand, Sweden, Bulgaria, USA, South Korea 

Left to Right / Top to Bottom: Shoes and blue glory from Greece, Lithuanian straw crafts, Japanese origami, French Angels, Bulgarian folk crafts, and a plaque explaining Christmas in Guatemala

All of these trees featured “angels” in their own way. Isn’t it funny how angels look so very different to each of us?
My favorite tree! From Poland, all of the ornaments are made from polish candies. Bah! Isn’t is gorgeous?!

Look at these chandeliers hanging above lobby! Wish I had seen these before I tried my garland light. Oh well…next time 🙂



Twas the night before Christmas…

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Bow hats are coming back!

…and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

Mostly because Lola will attack anything that moves.

This is what I get for decorating my tree with nothing but birds and feathers. She thinks the living room is now her own personal Audobon sanctuary. No creature is safe. Not even the pot holders.

At the moment you are reading this,  she is under the tree, standing guard and ready to pounce. While I’ll probably be on the couch, wrapping gifts or eating cookies, and wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.

Happy Holidays Y’all 🙂

Quick-n-Dirty Tips for Taking Great Christmas Photos

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Lisa is one of my favorite blog friends. She sends me emails and gives me her honest opinion on things, and once in a while, she gives me a family recipe, like her Grandmama’s secret recipe for sweet-n-sour peanuts.

Let’s pray her sister Dina didn’t read that.

Recently, Lisa emailed me and asked me to give her some pointers on improving her Christmas snapshots without upgrading from her regular point-and-shoot camera.  I was really flattered because, honestly, if someone is coming to me for advice it usually involves chocolate covered bacon or seeking revenge on an ex husband. Why people think these are my territories of expertise, I will never know, but I am happy expand my turf to photography for a day.

So, as long as I was typing them out and emailing to her, I thought I would share with you too. If anyone reading this has any other great resources for novice photographers, by all means, please link in the comments!

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-oFive tried and true tips for improving your Christmas photos

1. Ditch the Flash
If you want to capture the essence of holiday warmth, turn off your flash. Period. Nothing alive looks good when photographed with a point-and-shoot flash. Nothing. Zip. Zero. The image may come out crisp but it kills any sense of mood or atmosphere. That’s fine for product shots, but isn’t going to help make memories. In short, the flash kills the Christmas spirit. Avoid it whenever possible. Use natural light, or even overhead lights. If your photos are looking blurry, balance your camera on a tripod or the back of a chair. If you *must* use your flash, try diffusing it with a piece of gauze or white tissue paper. Experiment!

2. Less Posing, More Candid Photos

There are two kinds of photos: Lookers and Story Tellers.

Looker photos are about looking good; school portraits, bridesmaid line-ups, real estate promo shots. Your hair should be combed and the lawn should be trimmed. They’re all about making the subject look good. Example: Imagine Little Jimmy in his plaid pajamas, smiling wide, holding Grandma’s Christmas gift next to his face. Grandma will want to see this!

Story Tellers are about telling stories. Anyone should be able to look at the photo, without explanation and instantly understand what is going on. Example: Little Jimmy in his beloved Spiderman T-shirt and dirty hair, tearing open a package with fistfuls of wrapping paper and ribbon. Little Jimmy will want to see this when he is a grown up. Oh how he misses that Spiderman T-shirt.

3. Find a New Angle
When I flip through photos on Facebook, including my own, 99% of the photos are taken at the same height as the photographer’s head. This isn’t a bad thing, but gosh, the whole world looks a lot more interesting when photographed from a new perspective! Try photographing the tree while laying on the floor, or while sitting on the kitchen counter.

How many times have you seen a family photographed standing on the stairs? Many.

How many times have you seen a family photographed from above, while the family looks upward toward the photographer on the stairs? Never.

Bonus: You know who will always look good when photographed from above, chin raised and eyes coyly gazing at the camera? You! Everyone looks great from that angle.

4. Capitalize on Twinkle Lights
Nothing screams “holiday!” like the razzle dazzle of twinkling lights. Problem is most people try to photograph them when it is way too dark. The best time to photograph twinkle lights is the 30 minute window following sundown, when there is still some light in the sky. If the lights are indoors, turn off all overhead lights and turn on any other task lights around the room. Try having some fun by photographing the lights from a few feet away, or while swinging your camera around; the results will be blurry and gorgeous!

5. Move Off-Center
Move away from taking photos in tired and conventional ways. Center-weighted photos can be boring. Try looking at your camera in thirds, lining up your subject in the mid-margins of your camera field, not the dead center. The “Rule of Thirds” is one of the fundamental lessons in photography (learn more). You can also get creative with your cropping later on down the road.

And finally, remember to have some fun! Christmas photos, at their best, are more than snapshots of people smiling in reindeer sweaters–they are about capturing memories. Don’t worry if you have spinach dip in your teeth or the wreath is crooked, that’s part of the fun!!