Merry Christmas from My Home to Yours!

The perfect Christmas tree - 9 feet tall! This year for the first time we have white lights.

The mantle has an angel theme. Can you spot all the angels? I think it looks better in my great room than in this photo. I wanted to get two candles that come on at the same time each day but they were sold out at Home Depot and no one else seemed to carry that type.

Just a few of my collection of nativity scenes. One shelf didn't make it into the photo.

The front hall has another nativity and smaller tree.




Decorations wouldn't be complete without Santa and Father Christmas. These grace the buffet counter.

Do you have photos of your Christmas decor? Please comment and link to it.

Christmas Cookies

I realized as I set myself up to decorate these almond cookies that I hadn't done this before in this house. Time was at a premium the five previous Christmases I spent here. This is the sixth Christmas in this house and now being retired I have the time.






Now to pack them into tins to be given away. I sure don't need to eat all of these!

Author Discovered

I've discovered a new author (for me) of historical fiction: Geraldine Brooks. I read "People of the Book" first which was an intriguing account of how an ancient Jewish illuminated manuscript came into existence and was saved from destruction through out history. Now I'm reading "March" an account of Louisa May Alcott's father's experience during the Civil War with flash backs to other times in his life. Fascinating!

"thirteen moons" by Charles Frazier

Not too long ago Garrison Keillor's "Writers' Alamanac" mentioned the birthday of Charles Frazier. He made his debut as the author of "Cold Mountain", a book I enjoyed reading despite its graphic descriptions and obscure vocabulary. I thought to myself let me see what else Frazier has written and found "thirteen moons" at the library.

What a disappointment. Don't bother reading it. It's a memoir of a fictional character and it rambles on and on. I stuck with it to the end only by skimming through much of it. I wanted to find out if the main character ever connects with the love of his life again. That point in the story was totally unsatisfactory and since I've told you not to read it I will tell you that the author never lets you know what happens to Claire.

I guess Charles Frazier was a one book wonder.