Saturday, December 17, 2011

A VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS


This time of year I often like to relax with a cup of hot tea and look through some of my Christmas books for inspiration. I shared this little book last December and decided to offer it up again for Chari's Sunday Favorites.



A VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS
By Koren Trygg & Lucy Poshek

A VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS , an Antioch Gourmet Gift Book, is a petite book of cherished Christmas traditions. It's the perfect size to slip into someone's stocking, and though out of print, it can be found here on Amazon.



This delightful book credits the Victorians for the "classic, festive holiday we cherish today". It was during the 19th century and Queen Victoria's reign that many of the age old customs were revived, "emphasizing their romantic and religious significance". The Christmas tree, a German tradition, dates to the 16th century. When Queen Victoria married Prince Albert, a German, she wanted him to feel at home and had a Christmas tree brought into the palace. Thus the practice of decorated Christmas trees became fashionable in British homes.



Gingerbread cookies decorated with red sugar were often hung on the trees for decoration.



Most of the ornaments were handmade.



Glass ornaments later became the fashion.



The Victorians took the pagan idea of hanging greens in the house as a welcomed opportunity to use wreaths and garlands of fresh greens to "dress up their homes in the spirit of the holidays".



The custom of Christmas cards dates fromVictorian times. The typical greeting of the time is the same as today, "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You."



Traditions of Christmas stockings, according to British legend, date from "when Saint Nicholas dropped some gold coins along with his gifts down a chimney. The coins would have fallen through the grate but were caught by a stocking that had been hung to dry on the hearth. Ever since then, children have been leaving their shoes or stockings to be filled on Christmas Eve."



Victorians loved their sweets and began preparing marmalades, jams, jellies, puddings, and cakes months ahead.



By December they began baking cookies and breads.



The last two chapters are devoted to special recipes that can be used as gifts from your kitchen or to host your own Victorian Christmas Feast. I selected the recipe for Old-Fashioned Gingerbread to share for Food For Thought because gingerbread is my favorite.



It's cold outside, so come on in by our cozy fire . . .



Where you can enjoy a cup of hot tea and a piece of gingerbread fresh from the oven.



"Had I but a penny in the world, thou shouldst have it for gingerbread."
William Shakespeare

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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

A Look Back at Christmas 2010

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here

is hosting a

Holiday Dining Block Party

I'm sharing our holiday table from Christmas 2010.



The joy of Christmas for me is time spent with both family and friends. Our holidays are simple times of shared meals, laughter, and friendship.




Traditional red, green, and white were the colors of the evening.



Our Christmas Eve dinner was around a table

simply set with a theme of evergreens and red tassels.



An antique ironstone tureen held fresh spruce branches accented with ornamental cabbage, white mums, and cuttings from the garden.



Christmas red tassels served as

napkin rings for monogramed white linens.




The tassels gave a nod to the festive border on the dinner plates in Queen's Rooster. The border of red gingham, swags, and tassels was the perfect compliment for the evergreen wide bands of the Zrike chargers. Larger white chargers beneath were used in place of a linen cloth on the table.



Place cards were little decorative favor boxes filled with chocolates for each guest to take home for a late night snack.



The next evening's table of pine trees, pomegranates, and red birds continued the color theme for Christmas Day dinner for four of us at a friend's home.



A simple white bowl held bright red pomegranates,

white twigs, and gorgeous tree ornaments.



A closer look at the ornaments

shows red birds among a snowy scene.



Each place setting featured this little winter birdie on the red linen mats with green borders. The Vietri red chargers with white polka dots held traditional Spode Christmas Tree dinner plates.



Spode Christmas Tree, a favorite traditional Christmas pattern, was first introduced in 1938. Even after all these years and with all the other beautiful Christmas patterns available these days, I find this pattern totally charming with its simple pine tree decorated with ornaments.



Linen napkins with a peppermint candy

design were held with rings of red jingle bells.



Petite boxes of Godiva chocolates

were the sweet little favor to carry home.



Christmas 2010 is now but a memory ~

One of joyful memories of cherished friendships!

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Saturday, December 3, 2011

A Favorite Holiday Story

Sharing a holiday favorite . . .


THE GIFT OF THE MAGI

~Written by O. Henry ~

~ Illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger~

THE GIFT OF THE MAGI is not a new publication, and no doubt many of you reading this post have read this story of a young couple's sacrifice and love for each other. William Sidney Porter's short story was first published in a New York City newspaper in 1905. Since that time it has become known as a classic Christmas story of poverty, selfless love, and generosity.


Tis the day before Christmas and Della is distraught because she has but $1.87 with which to purchase a gift for her beloved husband, James. The young couple, struggling to make ends meet on $20 a week, lives in a bleak apartment in New York City.


The couple has but two treasured possessions among them ~ "Della's beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters" and "Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's." After a heartfelt cry, Della sets out onto the streets of the cold city to Mme Sofronie's Hair Goods of All Kinds. Then with another $20 in hand, Della spends the next two hours in search "of something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim."


With gift in hand, Della returns home to "repair the ravages made by generosity added to love." With heated curling irons her short hair becomes a mass of tiny curls, and she feels intoxicated with joy knowing that she has purchased the perfect Christmas gift for her beloved Jim ~ a fob chain for his treasured gold watch.


"At 7 o'clock the coffee was made and the frying pan was on the back of the stove hot and ready to cook the chops." When Jim walks into the apartment and see's Della's short bob, Della cannot read the expression on his face. He draws Della to him and then pulls a package from his pocket. For Jim had purchased a set of tortoise hair combs that Della had long admired in a shop window along Broadway.


Holding out the precious metal watch fob in her hand, Della hears Jim say that there is no longer a gold watch to be chained. For Jim has sacrificed his treasured gold watch to buy the tortoise combs for Della's vanished hair.


Wise beyond their years and full of selfless love for one another, Jim says, "Dell, let's put our Christmas presents away and keep 'em a while. They're too nice to use just at the present. . . . And now suppose you put the chops on."


William Sidney Porter, who wrote under the pen name of O. Henry, is known for witty and playful stories that end with a twist. He was born in Greensboro, NC in 1862. Porter moved to Austin in 1884 where he later married Athol Estes. He and Athol had a daughter, Margaret Worth Porter. The young family lived in this house which now serves as the O. Henry Museum.


It is both a National Registry Property and a National Literary Landmark. Specifics about the museum can be found at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/ohenry/.



I recommend you pick up a copy of Lisbeth Zwerger's beautifully illustrated version of this famous story available here on Amazon. It's a perfect story to share the true meaning of gift giving ~ gifts given from one's heart with self-sacrifice and the generosity of love.


And now, let's eat that chop.



This post was originally published last December for


Christmas & Holiday Themed Books in December.

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Sunday, November 27, 2011

"Normandy Life"





Many of you know Maggie,

the author of the delightful blog





Maggie and her husband live in the beautiful countryside of Normandy, France, in a charming 16th and 18th century Prespbytery that they lovingly restored 15 years ago. We have been friends through the years, having first met in 2000 while attending an Annual Meeting of Quimper Club International. This past October "the chef" and I had the pleasure of experiencing Normandy Life in real time.




Each morning we woke to the most

incredible views just outside our windows.




In the quiet hours of early morning,

the fog gently rose, and the rosy pink sky

ushered in the sunshine of a new day.




All about us were pastures of fresh green grass and herds of gentle Normandy cows grazing about. Every view offered a photo perfect scene that one might find in the quintessential landscape of a pastoral setting.




Normandy cows, prized for both their

protein rich milk and quality beef,

are characteristically brown and white.




Not far down the lane is a Romanesque style church built on the site of an old chapel. The fishbone pattern, still visible in the choir and the nave, shows that it was built in the 11th century. The churchyard with its ancient tombstones and grave markers is often the subject of Maggie's magnificent images for Shadow Shot Sunday @ Hey Harriets.



More delights are found wandering

the beautiful lawns and gardens.




A perfect sunny spot for two friends to sit and chat.




Inside one is inspired by the awe of living

in such a beautiful, historic treasure.




There are wonderful pieces of Quimper.




Special touches of French symbols and . . .



Sweet Mr. Ben




Along with the frisky M'selle Fleur.



Every morning there was fresh

French bread, croissants, and pain au chocolat.




Always served on Emma Bridgewater's

pottery from the classic Black Toast Collection.

This dishaholic was totally smitten!




One morning Maggie and I drove to nearby Bayeux




To visit the famous Bayeux Tapestry

and walk through the magnificent

Bayeux Cathedral

that was consecrated in 1077.





We enjoyed a delicious lunch of a Normandy crepe

filled with fresh greens - a perfect ladies lunch.




While the girls were away,

the husbands were back at the

Presbytery reading, visiting, and lunching

alfresco on the lawn in the warm sunshine.



Delicious evening meals were prepared by Mr. B, dining on Chicken Divan one meal and another on the best Boeuf Bourguignon we've ever tasted. The mosaic above features a meal we enjoyed out at a local country restaurant. I think the photos speak for themselves.



Our four days in Normandy were a highlight of our trip.

Good friends making memories together.




As we drove off for more

adventures in the French countryside,

we bid our farewells to good friends

who live an idyllic life in Normandy.


You can find Normandy Life here.

Stop by for a visit and sign up to follow along

as Maggie shares her life in Normandy.



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