Thursday, December 22, 2022

YULETIDE PIED de TERRE


So... it's Christmas at the Casa du Borghese!  The houseboys and I decked the halls two weeks ago. When is the right time to put one's decorations out? It seems to start earlier and earlier. But not me. I like to enjoy each holiday as it comes. I mean some people get jingly right after Halloween. I think not. During the Victorian period, Christmas trees and such traditionally went up much later in December, often on the afternoon of Christmas Eve. My family tradition always dictates the most appropriate time to deck the halls is the second week of December, while others feel the beginning of Advent is the time. Yet others feel the 6th of December might be the chosen day to honor that of Saint Nicholas, the third century saint who sold all his possessions and gave his money to the poor, becoming the inspiration for the modern-day Santa Claus. So, it was the second week. I don't think I could decorate any earlier than that. This year with being back in Harrisburg, this is the first year in 26 years my all-red lights didn't make an appearance as most of my things are in storage, and the Mother was tired of all white lights after 30 years, so we decided to go back to the nostalgic colored lights of yore. I love decorating even though Christmas is not my favorite holiday...but I do like touches of natural things and tons of candles. You just might see a bottle brush tree or two. Most of everything is vintage or fairly older. Many of the past family was felt and remembered when hauling the baubles out. Some sights around the Casa du Borghese...
Most of the tree is filled with old Shiny Brite balls, and birds.
Very old tear drop
Some pine in a huge urn we have, and simply placed more glass balls.
So easy and festive to just add balls into vessels. Instant glitz.
You'll notice we love Christmas Pyramids. We have four here and three of mine are in storage. It doesn't seem like Christmas without those.
This lit up German Wood scene was a present from Warbucks who sent it this year. It's placed with old photos of my maternal grandparents.
All these little trinkets were my grandmothers. The little log cabin was hers from the 40's from a company called Paine's. It burns the best pine smelling incense, and the smoke comes out the chimney. And the little Santa guy is very old, and the last of those little figurines surviving from my mother's childhood. It all works together to make a nice little scene.
A sparse little backdoor wreath I made.

In the kitchen in the hutch, I used all of my paternal grandparents' dishes and bottle brushes and the lambs. My father's mother must have loved lambs. I just placed them all over with the bottle brushes.
More bottle brushes!!! I added little fairy lights inside the bell jar.
Just some of the holiday cheer in the dining room. I was also able to add in some red light with this vintage white ceramic tree I found for a very cheap price while antiquing, surprisingly.

The boudoir was completely redone when I moved back...into my dark navy blue of course! New closet made bigger, carpeting taken up and the wood floors refinished. Welcome!!!

The geranium I brought in continues to bloom. And mixed with the candles it smells wonderful.
On the bed is the little elephant Agnes gifted me and the long pillow was made by a friend as a gift. And yet another pillow has a parakeet on it. 

My little Ebenezer Mouse, a gift from the Dame.

More candles, and one of the Patron Saint RuPaul!!!
My little tree I got last year from Crate & Barrel, with just a few old bird ornaments and antique balls. 
In my little necessary room, these pictures were a housewarming of sorts from MM #1 Fan
I thought they complimented just a very small selection of my seashell collection. All found too I'll have you know.
Why yes, even the pups have their own trees, right outside the back door.  I think many get surprised by how minimal I decorate for Christmas, compared to when I would do drag, over the top, or when I do interiors. When it comes to my own house, I can't take too much, with every square inch filled. Many enter and are always surprised by how minimal it is, to a point. I have some fresh flowers to add in on Friday, but that was my hand this year. But rest assure...wherever I'm at...there are always birds!

53 comments:

  1. what beautiful decorations!

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  2. Gorgeous, though I expect no less. I love bird ornaments; we have several on our tree and they're among my favorites. I love how you decorate because it all looks so natural and not staged for show.
    Lastly, the bedroom walls? Love. That's the color I painted our foyer and I just love it. In a bedroom it's serene and kinda sexy, no?
    Merry Christmas, Maddie!

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    1. Thanks Bob!!!! Im in love still with the dark blues and greys. Thank you for the lovely compliment.

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  3. I will never stop telling you how gifted you are. So much beauty. You do elegance without making it pissy or off-putting. Classy, and warm and inviting. Nobody does it better.

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  4. Beautiful decorations and so full of family meaning and history -- that's how Christmas decorating should be! Thanks for sharing your photos with us!

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  5. Anonymous12/22/2022

    HuntleyBiGuy:
    You certainly have the gift, my dear. The whole house seems to sparkle. And your boudoir does look very inviting, indeed.

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    1. Come sit here on the bed with me Huntley.........

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  6. You have SHEEP, how wonderful. The Penguins all want to go to Miami, they heard it is going to be 39 on Christmas day there, their idea of a Florida Christmas.

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  7. Very nice, that navy blue on the walls is simply gorgeous.

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  8. Anonymous12/22/2022

    Pat Lark says,
    It's all so beautiful. The main tree: I recall those birds from the tree of my youth. We scaled back this year.... Maybe if you loaned me a couple houseboys....

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    1. My tree I usually do...I have tons of birds in storage old and new!!! I love my birds.

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  9. All is calm. All is bright. Your decorations are beautiful, my love. I started decorating before Thanksgiving this year, but it took me so long to get everything right that it wasn't finished until mid-December. I enjoy the lights on the tree while I'm working. Christmas is my favorite holiday and the decorations and lights lift my spirits.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Nothing makes us happier than Christmas lights! It's the simple things right?

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  10. We finally get to see the bottle brush trees. Yay!

    I also love how the new place looks. I wish I could go overboard where I live. I'd likely have some shade of green with wainscoting if I had a say in how my walls would look.

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    1. The kitchen is next on the planning boards!! You should just look for bottle brushes and place them about. Just that makes a huge difference for a pinch of Christmas.

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  11. I liked the plate scenario on the hutch (is that what we would call a Welsh dresser?) Lovely pastel blues and greens with the counterpoint of red here and there. My Grandma always said that having peacock feathers in the house is unlucky, so you'd better get in some horseshoes. Mind you my Grandma claimed a lot of things were unlucky so perhaps you don't need to run down to the smithy

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    1. All those dishes were my paternal grandparents and my mother brings them out at the holidays.... and I added the bottlebrush trees and a little lambs.

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  12. You really know how to do it up!

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  13. Every single photo you posted here is just beautiful! Your home is lovely and so full of holiday spirit. :) Thank you for sharing it with us!

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  14. This home tour was about as entertaining as the ones where you lived in Bucks County, and just as nice. Your ancestral home is beautiful. And I love that color in your bedroom. It's interesting seeing your new setting. The tree is stunning and I am adoring all the bottle brushes. And I love those little lambs. And I also noted that there's no lack of a cocktail bar. Thank you for sharing your home.

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    1. I have no idea what was the fascination with all the lambs. But they are cute.

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  15. It's also beautiful, and just enough to make one feel festive. I am in love with your bedroom. And the Ebenezer mouse that is so cute. Now that you're finished while you come do me,oh, huh, hummmmm, I meant come do mine as in my house. Yes that's what I meant.

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  16. none this surprises me in the least. you've always been good with handling and placing balls

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    1. Oh I see you have noticed that too?

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    2. Well when one has larger, delicate balls, one learns to handle them with care.

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  17. Well, deck my halls! You have it going on, my dear. That is lovely. I especially adore that wonderful wreath you made. You have such a fine eye. No wonder you're always surrounded by beautiful things! Like attracts like. Kizzes.

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  18. Your place has the Christmas spirit. I didn't put a tree at all this year.
    Coffee is on and stay safe

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  19. Gorgeous post. What Christmas should be 🙂 Your ancestral home is very warm and welcoming.

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  20. I love your place! It really brings about the holidays of yesterday. I also enjoyed the vintage and natural touches. I always love using a mix of the pine, berries, and pomegranates. Very organic and rustic, in a tres chic way!

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  21. Your tree and all of the special Christmasy touches are beautiful! And your bedroom is very chic and cozy. I was trying to spy what book was on the nightstand?

    I spent a good part of Sunday trying to get ours straight (finally tied it up to a ceiling beam!) and am seriously considering going faux next year. You’d think that being in the business, I would have ages ago but I so love the smell of fresh pine. Wishing you a very merry Christmas, Mistress, and thank you for another year of wonderful posts. Cheers

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  22. There’s nothing like pulling out your treasured ornaments and decorating your tree. Your home and tree are beautiful! Christmas pyramids I love them but find it hard to find one that is affordable. Love all the bottle brushes too. Thanks for sharing a little bit of your home with us this Christmas.

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  23. Loving the vintage ornaments and balls everywhere. You do such a good job at placing your big balls all over the place. It's festive and yet so simple. I too love colored lights. It seems white is everywhere anymore. The trees , both are so pretty.

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  24. You know I'm dying to spend some time with you having drinks one day in your place at Christmas. I absolutely love all your holiday touches, and that everything is a treasure from the family , or has a special memory. It looks fabulous, dear. You got good taste Maddie. I just finished my decorating today.

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  25. I love your tree…… I love trees filled with memories. I also love the older items too like the pyramids and that little log cabin. I can remember my grandfather had one in his study, and it was his one contribution to the decorating efforts. I can recall sitting their being fascinated by the smoke coming out of the chimney. I also like the little simple tree in your bedroom too.The new Casa du Borghese is looking great!!

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    1. I love that little log cabin too. I don't think we had it out in years, till I moved back and went through the Christmas boxes. Agreed, the pine incense smells wonderful

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  26. What a simply warm and welcoming home. I love all your touches. Less is more too me. Too much can get overwhelming. I too like others here love the Christmas pyramids. You don't see those anymore. I do a tree and a nativity scene and that's about it. And your trees are so pretty.

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  27. Lovely post and glad to see you are using vintage and ornaments with memories. A friend of mine said she threw out all her ornaments in order to make a theme tree. I was a bit not in agreement with that as I love the ornaments that have tradition with them. It is what Christmas is all about. Have a great holiday!!!

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    1. I can't imagine just throwing out ornaments!!! At least gift them or donate them first!!!

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  28. So festive- love the special details. Are you available for hire? And you have sold me on your bedroom. Love it! You just have a touch.

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    1. Im available for anything for a price!

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  29. Merry Christmas 🎄

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  30. Thank you so much everyone for the lovely comments. I love sharing, and sharing my tips.

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  31. Love your Christmas tree and all the decorating. These are the things that make it stylish and special, not “decorated.” How lucky you are to have some old bottle brushes and ornaments left too.

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  32. You know I thought your tree was purple until I realized it was just the lights. Looks great!

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    1. I'm not very fond of LEDs, I like the feel the old fashioned colored lights. But this tree came pre-wired, and actually does eight different settings, in all white lights, or colored lights. And does various things like chasing, blinking, or we'll start out bright and slowly go to dim back to Bright.

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  33. I liked the booze arrangement most.

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    1. I had the feeling you may be zooming in on that tray! I hope you arrived at your destination safe.

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  34. It all looks fabulous Maddie, your Home is so tidy and Editorial, I need me some House Boys I think. *winks*

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    1. Thank you Dawn!!!!! And I'll send over my surplus of boys!!!!

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Go ahead darling, tell me something fabulous!