happy new year!

white quince branches, prosecco, friends ...
photograph by jeff mcnamara

kindling bundles

so glad I stashed away a few bundles of kindling from The New General Store holiday sale...these are days to keep the fireplaces going!

merry christmas to all + to all a good night!

Cedar trimmed stairway

A cedar roping trimmed with berries and herbs and hurricane shades with votive candles on the steps are a beautiful holiday look for this country house stairway...
photograph by Wm P Steele

Christmas lunch setting

A natural look for the table means a few simple touches such as votive candles, crates of mossy paperwhites and packaging with a bit of red and greenery...photograph by Wm P Steele

christmas films to get in the mood

I have a list of favorite Christmas movies that I look forward to seeing each year,to keep me wrapping and cooking and getting ready for the family invasion Christmas eve...Here are my top 10!

White Christmas
The Holly and the Ivy
Christmas in Connecticut(1946)
Its a Wonderful Life
Little Women
Miracle on 34th Street
The Bishops Wife
Joyeux Noel
A Christmas Carol
Love Actually

the Christmas tree

A family tradition for my brother Dennis is to decorate his old pickup truck with a red bowed wreath for the season and take the kids for an outing to find their Christmas tree ... photographs by Wm P Steele