Hello Friends! I hope your Christmas was wonderful. We made it through December, and today finds me in a quiet place as all the Christmas decor has been put away for another year. It is a rainy foggy and cold day, a day meant for reflecting and counting my blessings for it has been quite a year that none of us could have ever predicted.
Our family truly embraced the season and held tight the meaning as we attended Christmas Eve church service ...in our cars holding candles out the window singing Silent Night.
No question the holiday season of 2020 was by far
very different from all our past celebrations.
I truly missed those family members
who could not be with us this year.
We all needed a little joy in our lives and
so grateful for those we love whether physically near
or in our hearts this year.
Come on in our home...the door is open and our hearts are full.
Tradition at our house is cutting a real tree
and decorating it with family ornaments...
including a few Shiny Brites from my childhood.
The antique engraving over the fireplace is quite special as my husband
surprised me with "Meeting the Carriage" one Christmas.
My needlepointed tree skirt has seen many Christmas's!
Water is kept nearby for the tree drinks several pans of water a day!
Each ornament holds a memory of a special person or a place.
Each ornament holds a memory of a special person or a place.
Some of the ornaments I made before I was even married!
The handmade sled underneath the tree holds
the Christmas books that love to be read year after year.
A roaring fire in the fireplace and
the aroma of a real tree...smells of the season!
A place of honor for the nativity scene
Music plays an important role in our family as both
of our sons play the violin.
This violin was their great grandfathers.
In the kitchen of our 102 year old home is the light fixture
adorned with fresh greens, berries and white doves.
Our kitchen is tiny by todays standards, but I love it.
The green lamp was a wedding gift to my mother and dad
who had very little to begin housekeeping.
a warm glowing lantern in the corner of the kitchen.
Even my laundry room has a Christmas mouse or two.
And the Christmas cactus went crazy this year.
for our little ones to admire. Just perfect height
for a two year old to "twiddle".
A Christmas plate my mother gave me
the year we were married is a treasure I bring out every year.
the year we were married is a treasure I bring out every year.
Needlepoint pillows are my favorite.
I have such amazing memories as a child, especially of my grandmother.
This book on a side table was a Christmas gift from her teacher in 1905 !
My mother used to read it to me before bedtime.
Christmas dinner was just different this year.
Not all our family was together,
and it just seemed so strange.
No added leaves in the table, No tablecloth this year,
but a gold table runner just seemed right.
A favorite little boy helped me clove the oranges.
Though I could never forgo a candlelit Christmas meal
on my Christmas plates,
it is who sits around my table
that really matters.
So today finds me in a quiet place, as we end this crazy year...
grateful for all my loved ones and blessings granted.
However your holidays unfold, whether shared with an extended family
or a small circle of loved ones, I wish you joy in the coming year and
may God hold us all in the palm of His hand.
I love when you leave a comment.
I read every one of them!
You’ll find me on Instagram here: Alda's Magnolia Hill
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