All posts tagged: Christmas ornaments

holiday decorating tradition

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While most people run to the stores the day after Thanksgiving (in America that is) to shop until they drop “literally,” I, along with my family, decorate the house for Christmas. It’s been a tradition in our household for years, to wake up, not to early and  have a hearty  breakfast. Afterwards, while sipping our morning coffees, decorate the entire house whilst still in our pajamas.  It’s actually an amazing feeling and probably the most fun the entire clan has together and afterwards, maybe, go to the mall or just stay home and watch classic movies and nibble on popcorn :). What can I say, I am most sentimental during the holiday season. {Borrowed Photographs}

fireplace mantel holiday decor

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I don’t think I need to remind anyone celebrating Christmas, how significant a fireplace mantel is during the holiday season.  It is a place where stockings are hung, Christmas cards are displayed and/or festively decorated  with holiday trim by those, like me, who do not really care for the stocking scene. In light of this subject, I found some wonderful photos of various fireplace mantel decor which I think are truly “delightful” (did I really say that) and not over the top.

holiday table decor and labels

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Of course every holiday buffet table should have some sort of centerpiece or decor neatly placed either in the center of a table or between the different dishes. In addition, it is always nice to add a stand alone label for each dish to make it easier for your guests, just in case they have allergies or food restrictions. It isn’t difficult to make the labels, you can actually purchase them at any craft or art supply store and just handwrite the name of the dish and place it by the platter. Again, this isn’t an issue if you plan to cater, they handle all of that if you ask them. In organizing a buffet table theme for a friend of mine, we opted to use the following methods  as our inspiration for table decor and dish labels. DISH LABELS TABLE DECOR   Please feel free to drop me a line if you should have suggestions or recommendations. I would love to hear from you.

a nostalgic holiday experience in san francisco

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I am a sucker for nostalgia and usually get very sentimental during the holiday season, like (I am sure) most people do. I miss the past and long for when life seemed a little simpler and less demanding, when families where closer and holidays really meant something and  Christmas shopping was truly a creative and rewarding experience rather than a search for the trends and holiday sales. In light of this topic, I can honestly say that although I cannot change what has happened to family and tradition, I can suggest  finding a piece of a reminder from the past and escaping there, if only for a day. I personally do this by taking a day  in San Francisco to go downtown and walk only through historic ( iconic)  retail stores  encompassing Union Square,  so that I can detox myself from the demands of modern-day shopping frenzy through  a “Westfield Mall”. I walk through Macy (no 4) and then cross the street over to Neiman Marcus (no 6) . Afterwards,  I cut through Union Square …

traditional christmas card etiquette

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In this day and age, women seldom have time to do most anything, while raising children and taking care of family. So, I quiet understand why some women choose the pre-printed photo of their family or children greeting cards and address labels,  to send as Christmas cards. I do want to say that although I am not knocking it or judging them, (seriously more power to you for being a super women), I truly miss receiving traditional Christmas cards with a small hand written note of meaningful wishes, from all those acquaintances who opt for the impersonal method year after year. So,  if you  happen to  be tired of sending   pre-printed greeting cards to family and friends  and long for some good old-fashioned card sending experience, consider the following pointers to make it all worth while. 1. It’s acceptable to send the pre-printed photo of your children during their first five years. Outside of that, it  becomes obvious to the recipient that  you are no longer making efforts to maintain true relations with them. …

christmas ornaments for 2010

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Early you say? well perhaps but as far as Christmas ornaments are concerned I love to get a head start each year by  eyeballing the ones I want to add to my collection. I am one of those people who refuses to have a theme when decorating our Christmas tree. So, what I do is, each year I shop and select anywhere from 1 to 5  unique decorations and incorporate them with the ones I have from the previous years. As long as there is some uniformity to the colors, it works out pretty nicely. So in essence I create my own theme. This year is no exception of course as  I have already started  shopping for those special pieces to add to my collection.  I have included the ones I am considering for now. (This list may change so stay tuned).