Me and Mr. Claus, We Got A Thing Goin' On

This weekend, with no guests or visitors at That Old House,
Howard and I took on the roles of Mr. and Mrs. Claus
and began -- just began -- to decorate for Christmas.

Howard hauled boxes down from the attic

and I emptied them in my usual staging area, our poor long suffering dining room.

Which normally looks like this:

 

And now . . . look, if you dare:

Eeek!!!  Who ransacked the house?

 I had beautiful plans for the big blue and white bowl

that lives in the center of the dining room table.

When Howard went out to buy pine and cedar roping,

I asked him to pick up the biggest poinsettia he could find.

'Cause I just love me a good red poinsettia.

Well, he found a big one, all right.
The poinsettia equivalent of the 33-pound turkeys he used to bring home for Thanksgiving.

Witness:

It is so large, that when we put it in the big blue and white bowl,

the poinsettia hit the bottom of the chandelier!

Oops.

Change of plans.

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In the Parlor this year, we are doing two trees, one on either side of the fireplace.

The one on the left is about 70% fluffed.  The one on the right is 0% fluffed,

which is why it looks like the poster child for "Send This Tree To Camp."

Caption for this shot:  The Awful Truth.  Even the furniture is all askew.

We won't buy the fresh tree for the sunroom until next weekend,

so as to avoid having just sticks in a stand by New Year's.

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Confession:  We did all of the above on Sunday.

On Saturday, the other half of the weekend, we brought more things to my booth at

Somerville Center Antiques, and then saw a charming and very funny production of

It's A Wonderful Life at the Mile Square Theatre in Hoboken, New Jersey.

It was done as a staged radio play - and Howard, the old radio guy, liked it way better than the movie.

I didn't take an unauthorized picture.  I unauthorized-ly borrowed one from the website.

It runs Thursdays through Sundays until December 18th, and the fact that

our daughter Anne is the costume designer has nothing to do with my sharing this with you.

Although that is why we went to see it, but I can honestly say it was a terrific production.
The Jersey Journal agrees, in its review.  :-)

Plus it's perfectly suitable for children, with weekend matinees and nothing crude.  If you are nearby, go see it!

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Remember this table, below?

(The one in the lower left, shown in Friday's post.)

It went into the booth on Saturday, and on Sunday it went home with some lucky person.

Also now in the booth, the set of china I picked up in New York on Friday.

Theodore Haviland Varenne, service for eight.

For so old a set, this china is in amazing shape.

It's perfect -- not a chip or scratch, except that one dinner plate

must have been where decades of sunlight touched it, and is faded in the center.

Is it wrong that I hope no one buys this?  'Cause then it comes home to Mama.

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So today, errands, and finding a garden center that still has pine and cedar roping.

Everyone was sold out yesterday! 

We've got to drape the front entrance, the front stairs, the fireplace mantle . . . and

then it's time to begin hanging these old friends on the trees.

It may take me most of this week, what with one thing and another going on,

but I'll get That Old House decorated . . . eventually.

Meanwhile, I'll be happy when I can see the top of my dining room table again!

From That Old House to your happy home ...

we wish you a season of joy! -- Cass

Link Parties

Mosaic Monday at Little Red House.  Click here.

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On The Porch.  Click here.

At The House In The Roses, it's Show Off Your Cottage Monday.  Click here!

Visit Smiling Sally for Blue Monday.   Click here!