Tis the season to be jolly........................

I'm linking to some of the seasonal blog parties happening this week in blogland.

"Deck The Halls" with Susan @ BNOTP

"The Christmas with Victoria Party" with Kathy @ A Delightsome Life

Marty's "Christmas Cloche Party" @ A Stroll Thru Life.

Thank you ladies one and all for hosting these wonderful parties.

Although our Christmas trees are not yet up I have played around with the mantles, and created other little vignettes around the house.

The Byers Choice Salvation Army Carolers are out, singing merrily, of course.

St Nicholas is due to visit tonight. so I decorated the dining table to make him feel at home. I'll make sure that the candles are lit in time for his appearance!

This is last years dining table with my white Bavarian Santa, as you can tell this is the image that I'm using for my header this month.

I've been struggling with the light exposure whilst taking these pix.
The ambient light means everything looks too dull, and the flash makes everything look cold, so bear with me, please!

Last years library mantlepiece was my blog header image for December 2009.

This year it has proved difficult to get the whole mantle in the shot without featuring in it myself.

The theme in the library is white, with silver & gold.

The red, gold and green tree will be continuing the theme in the dining room this year.

The dining room buffet, featuring The Old Curiosity Shop and Tutbury Printer from the Dickens Village Series by Dept.56, 1990.
Both cherished gifts from my Dad & Joyce (my stepmum).

I hope you have enjoyed the tour around the Presbytere and do come back soon, to see the trees, won't you and don't forget to be good....................

Oh! Christmas Tree, oh! Christmas Tree.

The last but one Monday before the holidays begin means I'm sharing my tree mosaics with everyone participating in Mosaic Monday over at Mary's little red house.

I'm always amazed at the marvellous diversity of mosaics which one can see there, so do give yourself a treat and visit Mary today.

It might be the busiest time of the year but one seasonal ritual cannot be forgone and that is decorating the Christmas Tree.

We always have two trees, one in the sitting room and a larger one in the library. For many years I withstood the cajoling from my DH to have "fake" trees but finally surrended gracefully one or two years back, and have to say I haven't regretted the decision.

So much less mess in January.

One afternoon last week I assembled my boxes in the library, popped A Wonderful Life into the DVD player, brewed a pot of tea and submerged myself in the joy of it all.

I'll show you the silver and white decorated, sitting room, tree on Wednesday.

In 1840 Prince Albert put up a Christmas tree (a German custom) at Windsor Castle. This soon became very fashionable in England.

Oh! Christmas Tree click here for words and music.

"If you wish to make the holly look snow-laden, moisten it with weak gum, or starch water, and then sprinkle with flour from a dredger"

How to Decorate the House at Christmas Time, from (Victorian) Cassell's Family Magazine.

Before you go .......................I want to tell you about one of my favourite blogs, Jane's "Blondie's Journals". For a wonderful Christmas Tree tale click here, it's magic! Even Scrooge wouldn't say "Humbug".

'Tis the season to be jolly.........

‘Tis the season to be jolly.....................
and so I created two mosaics of some of my favourite ruby red Christmas tree baubles to share
with everyone at Mary's Ruby Tuesday @ Work of the Poet, Tam's 3 or more Tuesday @ The Gypsy's Corner and Susan's Deck the Halls Party which is beginning today @ Thoughts From Over The Rainbow.

For many years I have used a Christmas List Book, which I bought during a visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, to keep a record of cards and gifts; given and received, festive decorations; where & what, shopping lists and menu’s ; what worked, what didn’t!
The book contains many wonderful Victorian Christmas illustrations and verses and I shall be sharing them with you all during December.

The Victoria and Albert Tree
In 1846, the popular Royals, Queen Victoria and her German Prince, Albert, were illustrated in the Illustrated London News. They were standing with their children around a Christmas Tree. Unlike the previous Royal family, Victoria was very popular with her subjects, and what was done at Court immediately became fashionable - not only in Britain, but with fashion-conscious East Coast American Society. The English Christmas Tree had arrived!
Decorations were still of a 'home-made' variety. Young Ladies spent hours at Christmas Crafts, quilling snowflakes and stars, sewing little pouches for secret gifts and paper baskets with sugared almonds in them. Small bead decorations, fine drawn out silver tinsel came from Germany together with beautiful Angels to sit at the top of the tree. Candles were often placed into wooden hoops for safety.
Mid-Victorian Tree
In 1850's Lauscha began to produce fancy shaped glass bead garlands for the trees, and short garlands made from necklace 'bugles' and beads. These were readily available in Germany but not produced in sufficient quantities to export to Britain. The Rauschgoldengel was a common sight. Literally, 'Tingled-angel', bought from the Thuringian Christmas markets, and dressed in pure gilded tin.
The 1860's English Tree had become more innovative than the delicate trees of earlier decades. Small toys were popularly hung on the branches, but still most gifts were placed on the table under the tree.
Source: The Christmas Archives.