Friday, December 15, 2006

ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH

I have a few angels among my Christmas things, this is one of them. I like her sweet face and the detail of her gown. I put my angels on high atop the mantle. Across the room on the table under the window are a few Santas. I wouldn't say I collect these things, as I never think of myself in the same status as a collector. I don't have the focus to concentrate on only one group of items. With perhaps the exception of my village houses which would take a much bigger house than mine to do them justice. More about that later.
I like to perch on the back of the sofa in the evening and look out the window at my reindeer in the front yard and the twinkle lights and silver snowflakes on my little Amur maple. My neighbor across the street has a display of blue lights on the ridgeline of his roof and a few lights outlining the chimney and I like to look at that too. Unlike mine, his display is tasteful and understated. I appreciate it but I can't do it myself, I've never been a minimalist!
The Christmas tree is on a low coffee table so I'd have a place to put up a few village houses underneath. I haven't gotten the people figurines out yet but maybe tomorrow.
This is one of the Santas, he has a great beard. I like that he's holding a birdcage. I have a bird Christmas tree in the kitchen, but I'll save that for another day.
This Santa is in a canoe. I don't get it, but I like it, especially his fur coat and snowshoes. Santa of the trappers? His face looks a lot like my brother-in-law. My brother-in-law is not quite as old as Santa Trapper.
And now the ubiquitous village. I never gave these lighted houses a thought for most of my life. They just weren't on my radar. And then a few years ago someone brought a lighted village library into my workplace (which also happens to be a library). Some of us ran down to Lowe's at lunchtime to buy one for ourselves and we discovered they were half-price. One thing led to another and before we knew it we each added houses here and there. The bonanza came after Christmas when they were all 75% off. Some kind of frenzy overtook us and by the time Christmas rolled around the next year we were able to set up the mother of all villages right there at work. We were relieved that the fire marshall never came around.
I began to rue the day we ever started this. Exactly where does one put all this and who has the energy to set it all up? And don't even think about taking it down and putting it away! I have a basement storage room full of every conceivable village establishment, including businesses, townhomes, churches, windmills, farmhouses, mountains, trees, and woodland streams. Oh yeah, and lighthouses with beacons. So now I put up a few and call it good. But I do have a solution for this. As soon as my daughter buys a house of her own I'm going to rent a U-Haul and take it all to Oklahoma!

I read a column in the paper the other day about decorating for the holidays. They said just because you bought it on sale after Xmas last year doesn't mean you have to display everything you own. Not a philosophy I subscribe to, obviously. Meanwhile, I enjoy the angels on high and the village down below.

17 comments:

Leann said...

I just found your blog.love the christmas pictures.my daughter collects those houses to.I think they look so nice at christmas.MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Silvia Hoefnagels . Salix Tree said...

Oh how delightful!! That village is amazing! I've never seen anything like this before. Really love it. Are there little people roaming there as well?

I too have many angels, mine are small ones for the Christmas tree. I seem to get a new one almost every year. I'll have to take a few pics later on during the week.

Loving your post, Happy Christmas!

Clare and Mike said...

Hi, lovely angel and decorations. I have an angel atop the tree and another one which Niki from Nostalgia made from vintage lace etc. Clare x

Mary said...

Your comment, "I've never been a minimalist" is funny. I can relate to that. When I decorate, I use everything I have and accumulate through the years. I just keep adding trees. Your decorations are beautiful. The Santas and Angels make your home look magical. Enjoy!

Lis vom Lindenhof said...

What a beautiful post. Christmas is a special time for angels.

Anonymous said...

So nice photos.

Charley "Apple" Grabowski said...

Your angel is beautiful! I love this type of Santas but I don't have any. Your village sounds like my snow globe collection, a pain to set up and take down but worth the effort.

Annie in Austin said...

Sometimes everything comes out of the boxes, but this year only about half of our decades of ornaments and decorations were used... it is easier to move around the house!!

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

LostRoses said...

Thank you all for your nice comments!

Leann, I bet your daughter enjoys her collection of village houses and it sounds like you do too! They really are quite charming, but it takes youth and energy to deal with it all!

Salix, I'd love to see a picture of the angels on your tree! I'll check your blog and hopefully find it later in the week. These village houses are very easily found in the U.S. Even my grocery store carries some! I just saw a human interest story on the news about a local woman who devotes a whole room to her village, she has 175 houses! I don't feel so bad now.

Clare, A vintage lace angel! How lovely is that,and homemade too. Niki from Nostalgia has some beautiful things. I think an angel is a wonderful tree topper. I had a Santa Lucia topper for years (who looked rather angelic) but her intricate wiring burned out and I substituted a star for her.

Mary, I'm glad you share my not-so-minimalist attitude! I think I decorate more now than I did when the children were small. There wasn't as much time, I think, and everything was magical to them back then! Plus, like you, I've accumulated a lot of stuff in the intervening years!

Lis and Hannele, thanks for your kind words! I've visited both your sites and admired your charming Christmas photos!

Apple, tell us more! Just how many snowglobes do you have? I needed 3 little snowglobes last week for my grandchildren, as I thought they would make a good prop for the storybook I read to them, The Snowglobe Family. I went to the local drugstore and found some small ones. I was afraid the 2-year-old would think it was a ball and throw it! But my fears were unfounded. I'd love to see a photo of yours!

Annie, every year I say I am not going to use all the decorations, but a lot of them manage to find their way upstairs anyway. I can relate to the desire to move around easily! I brought an armful of fresh laundry upstairs this evening and found myself edging through a swag-bedecked doorway! I think the key thing is some of HAVE had decades to gather all this stuff!

Rusty in Miami said...

Your Christmas decorations are beautiful I bet it takes you a long time to put it all together

Diana LaMarre said...

Just beautiful! I really love those Santas.

Your tree is stunning and your village looks great. I know what you mean about villages, though. They are a big pain in the posterior!

I brought out a few pieces this year, but did not arrange them as a village. I just plugged them in next to a few trees. .. didn't even get out the accessories. I am waiting for my son to settle down so I can get rid of them, too!

My neighbors just put up a nice tasteful display of white lights yesterday. So now I, too, can sit on the sofa and, with a turn of the head, see mine inside and theirs outside.

Merry Christmas, lostroses!

MariaJ said...

Your living room looks fantastic! Those Santas look very good too, I could have them here! You have such a nice athmosphere. I can imagine when you sit there and listen the wonderful Christmas music. So very emotional.
Hey, If you check my blog again youll hear that link you couldnt open earlier. Enjoy your Christmas time!

Carol Michel said...

Your Christmas decorations are wonderful, thanks for sharing them.

I do like to have Christmas decorations out, but on New Years Day, they all go back in their boxes and get put away, and I like that feeling too, of having things all back in order again.

LostRoses said...

Rusty, I get most of it up the weekend after Thanksgiving, but you're right, it does take me awhile to actually finish it!

Zoey, at least you and I have a plan for our villages, no matter how long it takes. In the meantime, they are so pretty. Thanks for your compliments on the decorations, coming from you (the Queen of Christmas decorating) I take that as high praise! Merry Christmas to you, Zoey!

Maria, thanks for your nice comment. It is very cozy to sit in the living room and enjoy the lights and music. I was finally able to listen to the Christmas carol you have on your site, it is very moving. No wonder it's your favorite!

Carol, I'm with you. I like to get it down on New Year's Day. There's a half-forgotten tradition in Denver that says people keep their Xmas lights up through the National Western Stock Show which is in mid-January, but I can't bear to!

Dianne said...

Beautiful magazine-like photos! Love your decorations and tree. : )

Sissy said...

Just dropping in from Pea's!! Love love love your beautiful decorating and your home!

LostRoses said...

Thanks Diane and sissy! And now I'm off to visit your blogs!