The Rural Voice, 1998-12, Page 50How
Home Decorating
to have art enjoyable Christmas
By Patti Robertson
"People pushing, people shoving,
greeting snarl after snarl ... and on
every street corner you'll hear Silver
Bells, Silver Bells, It's Christmas
Time in the City. Oh! Sorry! I thought
everyone knew the 90s lyrics to this
old favourite.
I mean
seriously "What
is the Rush
About?"
Christmas is
coming no
matter whether
we're ready or
not, whether we
get snow or not,
whether we
know all the
words to the
Christmas
carols, whether
Christmas
need not be
stressful
we bake the family's favourite
cookies, etc. And it's most healthy to
know that if sister-in-law Marylou is
rude to you 364 days of the year, it
follows that she will be rude on
Christmas Day also.
A few years ago I attended a
course in "Unfulfilled Expectations"
and it afforded me a wonderful
alternative as to how I now tackle this
upcoming Festive Season. I
concentrate on the "good things" that
happen and the things that are in my
power to change and when the stress
starts building I try to have a good
laugh at the craziness we ourselves
have incorporated into this "blessed"
time of the year.
So my gentle readers I'm going to
close off the 1998 season by sharing
with you the good things I enjoy
about the Yuletide Season. By the
time this article reaches you, the
exterior of my home will be decked
out in its annual Christmas splendor.
Presently I'm using a combination of
green garlands, fuchsia coloured
bulbs, beautiful, generous, burgundy
velvet bows with little touches of
gold. This is very exciting on our
46 THE RURAL VOICE
dark, spruce green home.
Within the same weekend I start
decorating the inside of our home. I
enjoy getting out our rather large
selection of Christmas CD's and
tapes, turning them to full volume
and singing along as I trim the tree in
gold, rose, and fuchsia in
combination with hundreds of
twinkle lights. What fun!
I love my trip to brother Mike's bush
to collect berries, boughs and
branches to work into both interior
and exterior decor. I often gather
extras to contribute to the Christmas
decor of my city -bound daughter's
apartments. I bunch together these
branches and boughs into my outdoor
urns and planter boxes along with
dried sedum and hydrangeas, for a
wonderful addition to the festive
decor. I make up my Christmas gift
list very early and the minute I find
the gift I'm seeking, I buy it! (I must
admit to you that as a rule I do not
comparison shop at this time of
year as I find that this in itself can
be a major stress builder!) By late
November I have a good head start
and feel in charge of what happens
next.
Gift wrapping is done, while
watching Christmas specials on
TV. I plunk myself, gift wrap,
ribbons, tape, etc. down on our den
floor, and away we go! (I do hope
Dolly Parton has a special this
year. I get a lot done while I sing
along with Dolly!)
Early December finds me in
Owen Sound for my Christmas
weekend with my mom. We share
a lot of laughs, Christmas
remembrances, and love as we
decorate her huge tree (all three
feet of it). For mom it's a big deal!
We adorn the inside of her
windows with mini lights and
wreaths — being in the inside
makes it really easy for mom to
dismantle after the season without
going outside. We invite mom's
neighbour Myrt over for dinner
and then we three girls head out to
view Owen Sound's spectacular array
of "Northern Lights". (If you want to
see a bounty of incredible festive
displays, Owen Sound is at the top of
the list.) The lights along the river
and the harbour and adorning the
docked ferry boats create a magical
landscape. We also spend a day
getting mom's Christmas 'gift list
together. I always leave my mom's
after this occasion with a song in my
heart. What a charge I get from
contributing to someone else's
happiness.
Another delight is the "Christmas
Time" I spend with my most
beautiful 80 -year-old friend Marg
English. Marg always has time for
me and together we've shared many
an adventure. This year our
Christmas treat to eachother will be a
Christmas house tour and dinner out!
I spend a night accompanied by