a collection of barley toys from last Christmas - avec most excellent photography assistant
I was trolling around in les photo archives this early morning looking for a photo of last year's twinkling petite faux Christmas tree. A 3ft number that I purchased at Canadian Tire a few years back and a tree that is stored fully decorated, with lights strewn in the crawlspace of this old brick house. Usually this time of the year I pull it out, fluff it up and plug it in ... Voila !! but this year I'm hooked up with someone who's actually less Christmas-ey than me ... and ya know it's kind of a good thing.
I've wrapped and mailed my only two Christmas parcels (on schedule - in fact ahead of the game - a first in many years). My kitchen window, the one that faces Black Street, is ablaze* with twinkling coloured mini lights. One string, zig-zagged through the opening a la Charlie Brown's Christmas tree. I have plans to make shortbread cookies (my grandmother Blanche's recipe) which I'll decorate with blobs of vanilla butter icing and little snippets of red maraschino cherries - an essential festive touch. I decided last night that I may make chocolate mousse truffles - an experiment and a recipe of my own concocting (to follow of course with photos if and when that particular plan actually comes to fruition).
I'm satisfied with my tres sparse seasonal plans this year. Each evening I walk with Miss D and Piper Belle up and down the streets of this little village and I'm thrilled with the displays of Christmas lights that we see. I love peering into front windows, curtains all open wide, fully decorated trees of every size and shape gleaming back at us. A few houses are so beautifully decorated that I stop each night and stand for a few minutes with the girls, wishing I'd brought my camera. I just stare - taking it all in - and thinking every night ... just how beautiful theses holiday scenes are.
It's all just the perfect amount of Christmas for me.
*mild hyperbole
These barley candies fascinate me. Do you make them or get them in the Village? So beautiful.
ReplyDeletehey ! Shamy here's a US of A barley toy supplier. www.clearcandy.com
ReplyDeleteSweet, will check them out. I think the Vermont Country Store also carries them.
ReplyDeleteI remember the photos of the little tree and the lights in the window... and it took me right back to my single days when I had a little tree and definitely insisted on window lights too..
ReplyDeleteand hey...I made Blanchie's shortbread last year too.. might do some again...plenty of time, cuz I'm ready too. Not much in the way of gifting.. Vikki's baking is on the Greyhound.. trotting off to B.C..... this time the girl even slapped a Perishable sticker on it... didn't know they had them. I bet she gets them today...
We had 5 new inches of beautiful, fluffy, white stuff overnight... I'm off out to shovel...and maybe take a few pics..... and later...we, too, will be walking and admiring trees and decor through open windows...I love that part. I also get to see great paintings... some interesting paint schemes... furniture...I'm tres nosy when it comes to that....
Take photos! Take photos! We want to see your little village!
ReplyDeleteCute white toes, Oliver.....
We call the barley candy, clear toy. So pretty!!
ReplyDeleteHave a Happy Christmas:)
Lovely, they look like carnival glass...thanks too for the links so I could learn more about them. Love the photo with the cats toes in it...
ReplyDeleteLovely to see your blog again, I've been working too hard to blog-stalk and I've missed your posts. Fun catching up tonight. Your Christmas sounds incredible. Enjoy the quilt and the fireplace and the movies - yeah all of it!
ReplyDeleteI just did that last night--looking at the Christmas trees in gloriously decorated houses. your post actually makes me want to write up about it at some point. I remember these candies from last year and that incredibly adorable little Christmas tree of yours. That photo has got to be one of the most festive ones I've seen.
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