Breathing Space

"Light be the earth upon you, lightly rest"
~ Euripides

Flickering lights brighten our path on Government Street in Victoria...

(image via gutsywomantravel)

A Tribute to an Original Christmas Story

Enjoyed a delightful play this evening at The Granville Island Stage by the Arts Club Theatre Company...

Tis A Christmas Story! Remember the classic hit from the 1980's? The theatre act is based on the film that is definately an enchanting holiday favourite. Ah, to reminiscence...

I remember seeing it as a little girl at the local movie theatre about 20 years ago, and I was captivated from get-go. But at that age, it was possible to miss the joke between the lines. Of course now as an adult, I can view it in a much deeper and broader sense. A matter of fact, every time I see the film, I am guaranteed to catch something new and interesting and hilarious (often from the narrative by the older "Ralph"). I love that.

It is a movie that makes me laugh out loud. And isn't that a wonderful feeling?

Christmas in 1938 and all nine-year-old Ralphie Parker wants from Santa is an "Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle". But all he gets in response from everyone around him (including the big ole jolly guy himself) is the dreaded line: "You'll shoot your eye out, kid."

A fabulous play chock-full of guaranteed belly laughs, top-notch acting, and creative set designs. It is just fantastic entertainment from beginning to end. Director Katrina Dunn refers to it a "bizarre, hilarious tale of the North American consciousness." And it is indeed hilarious!

I walked away mesmerized by the childhood experience of the baby boom era.. and caught myself reflecting on my own favourite Christmases of the past. And oddly, in midst of all the nostalgia, I did note a similarity that wasn't necessarily holiday related... it was that gosh-awful Lifebuoy Soap in the original, bright red color with the distinctive carbolic fragrance (and taste) used to wash out our 'dirty' mouths (such as after saying words like "Oooh Fuuudge.")

Goodness, some things haven't changed... I guess we all have been soap connoisseurs at one time or another in our lives... yuck!

Well, thy had a delightful evening at the playhouse. Some people have their favourite holiday movies, and for me, it’s A Christmas Story. It’s just not really Christmastime without it…

The Magic of Christmas

Let Me Not Keep Christmas

Let me not wrap, stack, box, bag, tie, tag, bundle, seal, keep Christmas.
Christmas kept is liable to mold.
Let me give Christmas away, unwrapped, by exuberant armfuls.

Let me share, dance, live Christmas unpretentiously, merrily, responsibly with overflowing hands, tireless steps and sparkling eyes.
Christmas given away will stay fresh—even until it comes again.

~Linda Felver

The beautiful and bright Christmas tree of English Bay... one of my favourite highlights of Vancouver. To stand under it and look upwards into the great weave of lights and colours... it is like you are enveloped in the brilliant and radiant glow of Christmas. A feeling of wonderful Light flows through and around you.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, thou hast a wondrous message....

The joy and warmth of Christmas glow in Victoria...
A luminous landmark ablaze in the colours of Christmas, casting a magical glow over our city and upon the people who stand in awe at its magnificent splendour. A beacon of Light in the darkness.. a symbol of hope, transformation, wholeness and fulfillment. Oh, the glory of Christmas...



The magical dust of Christmas has glittered on the cheeks of humanity, reminding us of what is worth having and what we were intended to be. For a few precious hours our heavenly yearnings intermesh and we become a chorus. We become ONE sharing the same season, united under the same experience, realizing that the world was indeed different this week. It was temporarily transformed...

"Come and Behold..."

In a few short hours the cleanup will begin... lights will come down, trees will be recycled into useful mulch. Size 36 will be exchanged for size 40, eggnog will be on sale for half price, and meal leftovers will prevail.
Soon life will be normal again. December's generosity turns into January's....(you fill in the blank).

But for the moment, the magic is still in the air. I want to savour the moment a bit more. A bit longer... for however long as I can.
I want it to linger forever and ever.

Holiday Breathing Space

"Christmas isn't a season. It's a feeling."

~Edna Ferber

A festively decorated bus downtown Vancouver at Burrard and Pender...

Shouldn't this sense of wonder and whimsy remain throughout the whole year?! I just love it! (:


(image from airchinapilot)

Bulbous Balls

I fancy this festive recycling idea from BHG...

Create unique decorative balls from those old non-LED Christmas bulbs you have kicking around.

Simple, insert the screw end of the lightbulbs into a foam ball and hot glue in place.
Voila... insta eco-unique festive arrangement.
Play around with the colours and it's a hot looking accent anytime of year!

Breathing Space

~

Christmas - that magic blanket that wraps itself about us,
that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance.
It may weave a spell of nostalgia.
Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer,
but always it will be a day of remembrance
- a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved.

~ Augusta E. Rundel

Embrace the moment... and love it!

~

(image from Terra Greenhouses)

Winter Window Dressings

"It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air"

~W.T. Ellis

A collage of window dressing inspirations to add seasonal flair to your home...




(top) A wreath and greenery dress the outside of a window from Windowbox.com

Add a touch of the wintery outdoors to your window by hanging cones from wire and a string of beads, from Good Housekeeping

Lustrous ornaments jazz up a white window box from PB

Multi-coloured bottles along the top of a windowsill catch the light and cast Christmas colours throughout your space from BHG





A festive arrangement of evergreen boughs, berried branches, and pinecones from BHG




Windowsill whimsy from BHG - fill small clear containers with colorful beads or marbles, and add a festive touch with a pointsettia bloom in yellow, pink, or red.





Gather evergreen cones of various sizes and scatter an assortment in a the window box for a simple winter display from Real Simple




A mix of native foliage makes for an interesting and eclectic display from Cottage Living





From BHG, glass containers nestled into sand add color to a window box all winter long. Place candles in some bottles; top others with an upside-down electrical glass insulator.

Some spruce boughs and pinecones make this a nature-inspired window box display from Cottage Living

~

Une Table de Berries and Brightness

"This time of year means fellowship, feasting,

giving and receiving,

a time of good cheer, home"

~W.J. Ronald Tucker

I adore these images from a wonderful little store in Vancouver called Drinkwater for the Home.

There is something warm and rustic about the texture of bamboo mats, and a few twigs of richly hued berries at a table setting. Bright and cheerful tableware and linens (hues de Noël) complement the look beautifully. Très inviting indeed...

Wreath de Lumière

I love this idea from Cottage Living...

Simply decorate a lantern or chandelier with a charming wreath and pretty ribbon in a high-ceiling room.
Who knew wreaths were so versatile?
Leave it up there all year round for a characteristic accent naturel... tres appealing.
A simple enough DIY...

The Beauty of Bedroom Greenery

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop and listen."

There's nothing quite like starting a dreary winter day by waking up to Christmas cheer and joy in your bedroom. Add holiday flair and finesse to your sacred and cherished abode with lush greenery and festive wreaths...

A soft-needled swag and aromatic bay leaf wreath draped on the bed from BHG




Fresh green garland adorns the mantel, and a simple wreath makes the room feel warm and festive from Coastal Living





A beautiful cranberry wreath above the headboard in a bedroom by PB



Simple green wreaths elegantly drape the wall lamps from Cottage Living

Twos square boxwood wreath make a bedroom more festive from LHG



Lush evergreen garland lines a poster bed to add some holiday cheer from Southern Accents

Bay leaves adorned with glass dewdrops, green eucalyptus leaves and juniper twigs form this classic swag from PB

Crisp white linens are accented by a rich green garland and matching wreath from Coastal Living

Beautifully decorated wreaths adorn wrought-iron twin beds from Southern Accents...

Tis the season to make your dreams come true...

~

Stamp the Season on Saltspring

Bethlehem

Angel on a Cloud

Some beautiful holiday images of hand-crafted stamp cards from The Old Island Stamp Company, located on the ever-enchanting Salt Spring Island (off the the east coast of our "Big Island").

Christmas Text

Potted Winter Berries

Shimmering Shadows

I reckon you have all seen these before, but j'adore... I must yield to the whims of the senses...

I love the way a flickering candle can cast beautiful images around a room when placed behind or inside a detailed transparent holder such as a punched-patterned luminaria. Thus, I fell instantly in love with this brilliant, glowing creation by Adam Frank...





A detailed silhouette of a pine tree flickering about as if stirred by the wind...

Lumen is a series of etched, stainless steel, oil lamp shadow projectors. These stunning lamps project soft, luminous shadows onto any surface. The farther Lumen is from the wall, the larger the silhouette.

As the flame flickers the shadow moves about, as if dancing on your wall.... pure magic!

A beautiful flock of birds soaring and gliding high in the sky....

A grand cedar as if moving about in a soft, gentle breeze...

A perfect time of year to add some twinkle to your home...

Hang Your Stocking With Care

"Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred,

and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit,

become a child again at Christmas-time"

~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Tis days before Christmas and all through my house, everything is in order in anticipation of the big man himself. My stocking is hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that he soon will be there....

The custom of hanging stockings by the chimney evolved from the Dutch tradition of leaving shoes by the fireplace for St. Nicholas to fill. Shoes changed to socks, and socks turned to stockings "hung with care" on the mantle...

As a little girl I loved the tradition of hanging my Christmas stocking on the mantel of our fireplace. It was a red and white knit stocking, but what made it so dear to me was that it was made with tender care and attention by my beloved grandma. I cherished that stocking... and the sight of it hanging from our brick fireplace was pure magic to me. It meant the days to Christmas morning was counting down one by one...

Here are some inspirations to commemorate the tradition of hanging Christmas stockings on the mantel...


(Top Picture): A mix of white-on-white stockings adds a touch of elegance to the mantel from BHG



Lattice jeweled stockings hang from a festive cranberry, green and white mantel from PB



Colourful stockings decorate a white fireplace in a bright and festive room from BHG




Elegant white stockings in an elegant white room from PB



Pink patterned socks in a pretty pink and white room from BHG



Simple long socks drape off a mantel by Country Living

Bright stockings complement a colourful, homey space from BHG


Traditional red and white patterned socks and a charming room by BHG

>

Lots of PB velvet stockings all lined in a row... in hopes St Nick will soon have his big sack in tow...


A mix of red and white stockings dangle beautifully off a fireplace from BHG



This brightly decorated mantel lends a tropical feel to the room with Hawaiian-print cotton fabric stockings by Sunset




PB stockings hang from peace sign hooks on the mantel. P.S. - Be sure to put the fire out before Santa comes down the ole chimney..



White socks and ivory candles in a classic space by BHG

A stone hearth and lace edged stockings make this setting warm and inviting from BHG

Cityline mantel all decked out in greenery and baubles ... but wait, where are the socks? Don't forget to put them out....


Or, no socks to hang... will mittens do??


Oh, and remember to put out a snack for Santa (customary cookies and milk) and carrots for his hard-working reindeer... and hope fervently for him to replace our offering with gifts of goodness! Makes up for all that naughtiness.... teehee

~