Tradition

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Tradition
The afternoon before Thanksgiving found me sprinting the aisles of the market, on the hunt for cranberry cheese, sparkling wine and a very specific colour of candles.  That last item was, I realize, a symptom of the dreaded disease of perfectionism but as I did find the colour I needed ( the precise hue of a ripe blood orange, to be exact) I refuse to waste time thinking about it.  I was making my way to the checkout lane when my phone rang.  Fishing it out of my pocket and placing it to my ear, I was tickled to hear the voice of an old friend.
  “Happy Thanksgiving!”, he said.  “I”m on my way to the wine shop. Where are you?”  
We proceeded to compare our list of holiday chores and then I asked him if the “green stuff” had been made as yet. 
 “Oh yes”, he replied.  “The green stuff is in the refrigerator”
 And we both laughed.  
The green stuff, as it is affectionately called, is part of his family’s holiday tradition.  It is a congealed salad - marshmallow filled and lime flavoured - the sort of concoction that is frequently found on the holiday tables down here in the south.  I have always found it to be an acquired taste, and one I myself was never quite able to manage, a sad quirk of my personality that caused relatives round the tables of my childhood to shake their heads and wonder at the oddness of my palate.  But to my friend, it is a tradition set it stone and it simply would not be Thanksgiving without the green stuff. 
Though congealed salads do not grace my holiday tables, I do have a gaggle of traditions I could never part with.  I never think of myself as dictatorial about these personal customs of the festive season, but I will admit that The Songwriter often chuckles during the opening scene of the holiday classic movie, Miracle on 34th Street, when Santa is walking down the street and spies a chap decorating a holiday window.  Santa stops, gazing in at the man and his work.  Then he frowns, finally rapping sharply on the window.  “You’re making a mistake”, he says loudly.  “You’re making a mistake with the reindeer.  You’ve got Cupid where Blitzen should be.  And another thing... Donner’s antlers have got four points instead of three.”  
When I ask The Songwriter why he finds this particular scene amusing, he looks over at me indulgently and smiles.  
Surely I’m not that bad.
Now is the season for traditions and I believe they serve us well, providing a comfortable continuity that allows us to feel all is right with the world.  They are the creators of family legend and we jettison them at our peril.  Each of us has our own set of traditions, personal and precious, and to alter even one can seem so strange, like wearing someone else’s clothes.  For instance, one year The Songwriter and I decided to open a present or two on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas morning, as was our life-long habit.
  It felt exceedingly weird and we never did it again.
Each year our main tree is purchased from the same tree lot down the street.  It comes home with us the day after Thanksgiving, without fail, and we put it up over the weekend. 
 The antique nativity scene always goes in the bookcase in front of the Egyptian mural, a blending of historical locales that matters not a bit to us.  
The first batch of fudge is always made with Bing Crosby singing in the background, and the first presents are wrapped to Vivaldi. 
Fir wreaths are hung on the inside of the windows, tied into place with embroidered bows. 
We always watch The Bishop’s Wife at least once, by the light of the Christmas tree, with mugs of hot chocolate warming our hands.
On Christmas Eve we listen to A Child’s Christmas in Wales.
I could never entertain the idea of doing any of these things differently.
Sometimes I think of spending Christmas in London, in a quintessentially English hotel room, with snow falling softly outside my window and a fire roaring in an old stone fireplace.  At three 0‘clock On Christmas Day I would walk to evensong at Westminster Abbey, in a red coat with a black velvet collar.  I would indulge in the grandest of afternoon teas and I would open one perfect present at midnight. 
 Could I scrap all my home-grown traditions for such a trip as this? 
 Believe it or not, I’m not sure I could.  
Anyway, Christmas morning without Edward is unthinkable.

JUST LOVELY

I just adore the aesthetics of these photographs from 













.... just lovely !!!
via these posts here, here and here

THE BARGAIN LIGHT

Tuesday, November 29, 2011
I found a home for my vintage cage light yesterday, 
(you may remember my bargain from this post ) ..... 

It gives off a lovely soft light near the bookshelves .....

  and I love its beautiful rusted finish .....


and wooden handle .....
...... nice !!!

BEAUTIFUL SPACE

Monday, November 28, 2011
 So loving this beautiful New York space photographed by the always inspiring Paul Barbera for his "Where They Create" series.






















See more Paul Barbera favorites here,  

NICE

Sunday, November 27, 2011
Really liking the decor of this Restaurant in New York.
via here

FRIDAY FAVORITES

Friday, November 25, 2011
This gorgeous photograph ....
via here
this great space ....
(always love a good book stack and how great is that table !!!)
via here 


 this beautiful skirt by VDC ....

.... and this book should be a good read, can't wait to get a copy. 
via here


 Loving this veggie garden on The Selby .....

this wall ....
via here
..... and this pizza, yum !!!.
via here
We are off to see this play tonight ....
 looking forward it, especially seeing Brendan Cowell ....

Oh and speaking of Brendan Cowell, did anyone watch the last episode of The Slap
What a great series, I'm a bit sad it's finished !!!

It's been a wet old week in our part of the world .... 
here's hoping for a dry weekend ...
Hope you have a good one
XXX

WHERE CHILDREN SLEEP

Thursday, November 24, 2011
I just stumbled upon this wonderful book Where Children Sleep by James Mollison .... stories of diverse children around the world, told through portraits and pictures of their bedrooms .....

James decided a way to address some of the complex situations and social issues affecting children would be to look at the bedrooms of children in all kinds of different circumstances, but he didn't want it just to be about 'needy children' in the developing world, rather something more inclusive, about children from all types of situations.
The book is written and presented for an audience of 9-13 year olds ' intended to interest and engage children in the details of the lives of other children around the world, while also being a serious photographic essay for an adult audience.

 1st photograph
Indira, 7, Kathmandu, Nepal
 
Bikram, 9, Melamchi, Nepal


Jaime, 9, New York, USA


Anonymous, 9, Ivory Coast


Dong, 9, Yunnan, China


Bilal, 6, Wadi Abu Hindi, The West Bank


Ahkohxet, 8, Amazonia, Brazil


Lewis, 10, Barnsley, England


Nantio, 15, Lisamis, Northern Kenya


Kaya, 4, Tokyo, Japan


Alex, 9, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil


Ryan, 13, North Carolina, USA


I think any child would be fascinated by this book .... 
I'm going to order a copy to have at home for all my little visitors,
oh, and for myself too of course !!!