Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Decoration Vacation: Mites and Lights

Coat: Jou Jou, Macy's


Gloves: So, Kohl's


Sweater: Nine West, Kohl's


Candy Cluster Barrette Brooch

Yellow top: Merona, Target

We all have our holiday high points.  You know.  Baking, decorating, cards.  Maybe even carols, ice skating, and/or a gag gift exchange.  My focus has been on wrapping presents, as well as reading Christmas novels and coming up with festive outfits.  Which makes sense given my still-bare Christmas tree.  It wasn't until tonight that I lifted the lid off the first storage box of decorations.  Not these, but aren't they fun?  

Anyway, as I arranged some knickknacks around the fireplace, I couldn't help but think that it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas -- at least until I ran into a cave's worth of spiderwebs and thought, more like Halloween!  Not that I was surprised; I'm no housekeeper.  Oh, I do what I have to, but to me, sweeping away the handiwork of arachnids falls somewhere between the to-do list of a Victorian maid and a '50s housewife.  Still, the dust-choked filaments served as a reminder that all was not as it should be -- and, indeed, seldom is.  I guess that's why I liked this passage in Leslie Meier's Christmas Cookie Murder:

"Lucy flopped on her back and stared at the ceiling, gray in the dim light from the hall nightlight.  Above its smooth blankness, she knew, was a jumble of wires and insulation, a century's worth of dust, insect colonies and, no doubt, families of mice.  Tinker's Cove was the same, she thought, a quaint little fishing town with a drug problem." (182)

We're all harboring webs and insects and rodents (although hopefully not in the form of narcotics).  Some of us are just better at keeping them hidden -- whether in clean houses or behind other fronts.

On an, ahem, lighter note, despite getting a late start on my decorating, I made it a point to check out the lights at nearby Smithville.  That's where I am in the first pic.  If you're from across the country or world instead of here in South Jersey, then suffice it to say that Smithville is a faux old-timey shopping village with a big lake and an inn.    

It was crowded and raining a little.  But seeing the sparkly reds and greens gave me all the old Christmas feels.

Unlike those spiderwebs.

12 comments:

Ivy's Closet said...

Aw..that's good you got to be out there, in such a wonderful holiday outfit, for a little while. So many smiles I felt in this post. So colorful. It looks like the tree is going to more and more beautifully Christmas. Thanks for sharing that interesting paragraph with us too. I have to say, I haven't been reading much lately.

Thanks so much for going through the Christmas challenge. Now if I can get through today's Christmas' luncheon and the forecasted Wind storm..oh it might be scary. The schools have shut down in fear it might be as big as what happened in Kentucky and those other states. I hope we won't end up like that. Such strange weather we are having.

It's hard to stay safe these days.

Caitlin'nMegan said...

So much Christmas fun! Love the outfits and those lovely broches too! Such fun times! Let's not talk about housekeeping. Oh, I just hope I find everything to wrap soon. I am so far behind. Oh, this is a fun mystery author you are reading!

Hope you are doing well. Thanks for your comments. Oh, the wonders of Christmas and of course, letting things happen when I told myself I wouldn't...well..as in storylines. But it's been fun finally getting around to different characters too..and of course a new one or two. Of course, I am anxious to see where things will go with Frankie and Bea.

Wishing you some great holiday memories!

ellie said...

Such a spectacular post! Love these fun outfits. Glad you had those earmuffs too! Oh, and the gloves! I so need those. Although, it hasn't been that frosty in the mornings yet. Oh, such strange weather we are having. I did burn some rubber over the weekend trying to get out on an icy road. That normally doesn't happen in our neck of the woods..because they usually treat the roads so well. Lovely Christmas lights!

I did find this one toy a friend had been on the look out for. Of course, I had to really dig deep to find it. And then no price. Luckily, it didn't cost me an arm and a leg.

Oh, I may be mixing it up a bit with the stories. Hoepfully, it's not too much. But it's the holidays🎁🎁🎄💕

Hopefully, I can keep our of harms way.

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

First let me say that when I was a young adult in the 1970's, I used to go to Smithville every year for dinner with my parents around Christmastime. It was a charming and elegant place. Has it changed? It was such a fabulous place to visit. Next, I love your tree- and your outfits are fun and outstanding. I'm still in love with the yellow heels! Your sweater with the red tights and yellow heels and peppermint candy purse are eye catching.

Samantha said...

Wow, Smithville looks amazing - and so do you in your festive outfit!! The earmuffs are glorious; I love how fuzzy and bright blue they are. I totally love your new barrette brooches!!! They're all lovely - my favorite is the Candy Cluster one! And those Kohl's gloves are the most stunning gloves I've ever seen. I love how you incorporated the candy pieces with your necklaces! The storage box of decorations is a great photo op of colorful goodness. Lastly, I enjoyed reading about your run-in with the spiderwebs; that was Halloween's final farewell spook! Hopefully you find more Christmas feels rather than the ol' webs. :)

Samantha said...

P.S. - somehow I totally forgot to mention the other two outfits!! I love the peppermint bag with the red tights and cute sweater, and your pose with the Christmas tree is absolutely adorable! The gingerbread man purse with the outfit is the perfect touch!

Kinga K. said...

I love your gloves❤

Better Left Unsaid said...

In love with that coat! Hope you are having a fabulous week. Was in the basement during the horrid wind storm. Luckily, it only left us with dirty cars to contend with. However, a few branches here and there and power outages. Such strange weather we are having.

All the best to your holiday happenings!

Pattie @ Olla-Podrida said...

I love a good Christmas mystery and have been reading Leslie Meier for ages. You highlighted a wonderful passage there. I am loving the felt pieces here. Back in the day I used to work with felt, and really enjoyed it. I think it's time that I do it again.

Królowa Karo said...

The gloves are wonderful!

Azka Kamil said...

Awesome your post

Jewel Divas Style said...

We have a big box of decs but we don't even use them. Not much point in our situation. We do have a few things up all year round, though. Lol. And, ironically, I'm in Smithfield, similar sounding to Smithville.