YULETIDE AT HOME

 

Well, here are a few snaps of the Casa du Borghese and the decking of the halls about two weeks ago. I'm never one to decorate early for two reasons. One, I like to give Thanksgiving it's due during the beautiful autumn time, and two I generally keep up the decorations till the week after New Years, where most people tear them down, right quick right after Christmas. Of course, longtime readers will tell you the previous Casa du Borghese was for years done in all red lights. Appropriate right? I will go back to that eventually, but the last several years I have been enjoying colored lights again. I have many things still in storage. White lights were for a while ALL OVER, everywhere and I got burnt out of seeing them too. Most of all my decorations we have are all vintage or antiques passed down. And I also enjoy not going to overboard...and I like using natural items like candles, greens and love protea all over the house too. But to be certain, when decorating, it's always like a trip down memory lane. It seems everything has a story attached to it.

A collection of bottle brush and Christmas Pyramids, two of my favorite things about the season.

We use to have a whole set of these angels...but alas, it's all that is still around.

In the kitchen on the table...

Some of my holiday spirit. I MUST talk to Ms Moorcock...the juice bar is looking a bit baren.

A view of the boudoir...

Some of the sand tarts that I made last weekend for neighbors. This year I made three double batches of sand tarts.  Below is the front door wreath this year, in addition to other outdoor lights I put out.

Do any of you recall having any of these items of yester year? They have such wonderful memories attached to them.

BEWARE THE WINTER DARK

Cultures all over the world celebrate some form of holiday during the Winter Solstice. The Winter Solstice is the darkest day of the year, literally- this is when night lasts the longest. Since fall the nights have been growing shorter and shorter until the solstice, which culminates into the shortest day of the year. All this darkness can be symbolic as well. Moods sour during the long winter months. The environment looks bleak. In most places it's gotten cooler and winds howl. With such an eerie aesthetic it's no wonder fears are heightened. This is part of the reason we hang Christmas lights. Now that we will be leaving behind the darkness and moving towards brighter days.. might I remind many of you of the creatures that make appearances during the 12 days of Christmas and well into winter. Winter is not over and take caution...many of these creatures are still lingering.....

 This creature comes across as a beautiful "White Lady" rewarding diligent homemakers or a terrifying crone who punishes the lazy by disemboweling them and filling their insides with straw and rocks, earning her the nickname, the belly-splitter. She is a complex pagan goddess, sometimes leading the Wild Hunt, or joining the 12 Yule Lads in mayhem, and overseeing domestic order and punishing those who shirl their chores during the winter months.

The Wild Hunt is a legendary, ghostly procession of spectral riders who appear in winter to snatch souls, they are a real terrifying force, led by a head elf, Eredin, who travel between worlds to abduct people as slaves.

I think we all know who Krampus is.

 

Watch for glowing red eyes. The giant Yule cat will kill or eat people, particularly children ,who haven't received new clothes or finished their chores.

Nasty little hellions. They come to the surface to play pranks, contaminate food, scare people to death and generally wreak havoc. And beware...they LOVE sweets, especially honey and sugary offerings. And they HATE light.

And the worst of all. The mother of the Yule Lads, Gryla, who is an ogress who kidnaps and eats children who don't obey their parents. She likes to come out and make appearances at the yuletide season. She has three different husbands and 72 children not to mention the Yule Cat who also lives with her.

And remember.... many passed on friends and family may be back to pop in.

Be safe and put an extra place setting out at the table.

MOOD BOARD

 

Bah Humbug to getting up today! The bed was all cozy and warm, and I sure didn't want to get my naked body out of it!!!! But to my delight it is only to be a two-day work week this week, and next week, a three-day work week. That's all the Christmas gift I need. I'll drink to that. This week is always a favorite of mine...it will be extra relaxing...we only have 5 coming for Christmas supper, and I have three friends in on Christmas eve for the "family recipe" of eggnog. Otherwise, I will take my baked goodies, candles and greens around to friends and neighbors this week. Let them know they are cherished. It's nice to let people know they are friends., so as all of you are, I feel friends too. For to be without friends is a serious form of poverty.

 

My current mood above...the Ghost of Christmas Present portrayed by the entertainingly good Edward Woodward. When I can finally eat again...this will sum it up!!!! And now...one of my favorite seasonal songs, sung by one of my all-time favorite people...the beautiful Vanessa Williams... she sings it beautifully.

HOLIDAY SPIRITS

I don't know if it's just me or not, but because of the state of the country and this lousy administration, people seem to yearn for some relief and seems to be in the spirit of the holiday more than usual. I have seen more homes with lights out then then last few years. I don't know. But it was good to finally get out and enjoy some time with friends. I departed Thursday as I and the clan got together for a bit of a jolly in NYC which didn't disappoint. We took in some of the sights, a trip to the lovely John Derian shop, and even enjoyed my first cocktails since the surgery... just enjoyed time being away, with no schedule. As always, the city didn't disappoint, but being visual, I did return last night very mentally spent. We even beat the crowds, planning out times at places smartly. But the getting up early could have killed me. 

Rockefeller Plaza! It's been a minute since I've been there.

Of all things, my favorite thing to see is the Public Library lions with their wreaths on. And the tree outside of Aster Hall inside was stunning.

Byrant Park

St Patrick's Cathedral

Inside Bergdorf Goodman. 

You can see the windows I posted early in the week here.

Meanwhile over at my old Alma mater of 18 years, Bloomingdales, I thought their windows were pretty clever. Knights Before Christmas. 

Christian Dior window.

Hudson Yards.

A trip to John Derian's is always a treat for me.

 I came out of there with four more bird clip ornaments.

Before heading back on the train, our little clan concluded with some "holiday spirits" at the Algonquin Hotel this year at the fabled Blue Bar...and spotted the hotel cat, Hamlet, who gets free reign of the hotel. It's quite funny and part of the hotel's charm. He must be the 8th in the line of Hamlets.

It's been ages since we enjoyed drinks there, But I always love it. A stop at the Blur Bar is an opportunity to sip where history was made and sit in the very space that helped shape New York's literary and theatrical scene. Everyone from Dorothy Parker to James Dean, to Alan Jay Lerner and Fredrick Loewe who composed over days the music to My Fair Lady in the hotel, to the likes of Harold Ross, founder of the New Yorker, Robert Benchley, artist and illustrator Neysa McMein,  playwright and humorist, George S Kaufman, Harpo Marx, Tallulah Bankhead, and later, wasn't uncommon to see the likes of Maya Angelou, a young Harry Connick Jr, Liza Minelli and everyone's favorite booze hound, Elaine Stritch, among a long list of others. After Prohibition, the bar reopened with a unique touch- John Barrymore, a frequent guest, convinced the hotel to install blue lighting gels above the bars' fixtures, believing the cooler hues were more flattering to everyone's, but mostly his, complexion. Today, the same lighting still reflects off the cocktail glasses held by guest and patrons, who knowingly or not are partaking in a timeless tradition, and are in a place graced once by so many colorful camp characters. For over a hundred years they have been serving cock-a-tails, it tickles me to be just a small piece of scrap in it's overall fabric.

It was a good time and an even better lie in today.