Monday, December 7, 2009

Feliz Navidad


The Christmas Canoe.

We are spending the holidays at home this year.  We have house guests and thought this year we would show some Christmas spirit by decorating a little. That means I didn't unpack all the goodies this year and go crazy.  It is a subtle approach this season.   Inside the house we created this little showcase. 

We got carried away lighting up the plants outside in the zen garden and only had this one white strand left.  It is festive.

I have a collection of ornaments I either made or was given over the past several decades.  The ones pictured above are from seed pods, shells and other treasures I've collected.  I went through a long stretch where I made different ornaments every year and gave them as gifts to my friends. 

Father Christmas has done a lot of traveling and is a bit worn, but he is still looking great and found a place in the dining room.




The angel made of philadendron sheathes is still guarding the kitchen year round, and now she has some of her old friends hanging out with her. 

The little bells below are made from regular sized styrofoam cups.  I think we made these in the early 1990's when Jim was working on the research vessel.  My friends and I painted the cups and the crew took them down in a dive bag attached to a submarine.  They went to visit Loihi, the newest Hawaiian island.  It is 3000 feet below the surface.  The air is sucked out of the styrofoam with the water pressure and they come up shrunken cups.  That was a fun year painting those cups.  Putting up the ornaments brings back a lot of memories.  For me especially, since each and every ornament I own means something to me.  I have a few Christmas balls, but even those are unique and were special gifts.  So, simple it may be, still it seems to add a bit of holiday cheer to the household. 


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