Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love! ~ Hamilton Wright Mabie

The legend of Father Christmas is such a wonderful old story.
The details are different from place to place, but the central idea remains the same. A kindly old man bringing rewards for good children (be they rich or poor) at Christmas.




I've heard that the chubby Santa Clause we see depicted in this country originated with an artist working for the Cocoa Cola Company. He is a much more earthy figure in older cultures that perhaps aren't so commercial.






The tradition of poinsettias originates in Mexico.
Children picked bunches of weeds along the roadside to decorate the village nativity. On Christmas day the humble weeds were blessed and turned to bright red flowers.



Christmas is the time for all things gaudy, glimmery, and glittery.








Fail not to call to mind, in the course of the twenty-fifth of this month, that the Divinest Heart that ever walked the earth was born on that day; and then smile and enjoy yourselves for the rest of it; for mirth is also of Heaven's making. ~Leigh Hunt




Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.
~Laura Ingalls Wilder



39 comments:

Deb said...

Hi! I stopped by via JEllen Black Hills blog and am pleasantly surprised to find a Santa loving blog!
I'll be sure to stop by again!

Dee/reddirtramblings said...

The best ornaments of all are those two beauties with big smiles. I love the idea of St. Nicholas, Father Chistmas and Santa Claus. He adorns our house along with poinsettias and nativities. Merry Christmas, Marnie and God bless your family during this wonderful season.~~Dee

Susie said...

Merry Christmas to you and your family Marnie. You have two cute little angels there!

Tatyana@MySecretGarden said...

What a warm, wonderful post! Thank you Marnie and Merry Christmas!

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Merry Christmas to you, Marnie. I love the butterfly ornaments and those cute smiling kids (your grandkids?).

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Merry Christmas, Marnie! I love your glitzy butterfly ornamants. At Christmas time, there's no such thing as "gaudy." I prefer the old images of Santa Claus/Father Christmas/Kris Kringle/St. Nicholas. They have more charm and more of a connection to the earth and nature.

Carol said...

Merry Christmas Marnie! Love your Santa notes and photos... sweet children! Best Wishes, Carol

Roses and Lilacs said...

The two lovely little girls are my nieces Heidi and Madelynn. It's wonderful to see Christmas thru the eyes of children.
Marnie

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Gorgeous post, Marnee.. Love that last picture of those two precious gals. Who are they?????

The butterfly ornaments are incredible. I have never seen ones like that before.

Love the Santas also.. Their faces are incredible.

Merry Christmas.
Hugs,
Betsy

BeadedTail said...

Lovely post Marnie! Merry Christmas to you and your family! Wishing you a happy and healthy new year too!

Chloe m said...

Hello Marnie,
Merry Christmas to you too! I love your quote by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Such poignant thoughts!
Rosey

Dog_geek said...

Merry Christmas to you and yours! And I hope Santa, in whatever form, is good to you this year!

Dawn said...

Merry Christmas Marnie, from my family to yours..have a wonderful celabration!

sweetbay said...

Merry Christmas Marnie! I love your quote from Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Anonymous said...

Hi Marnie~~ I hope your Christmas is peaceful and memorable. Beautiful photos!

beckie said...

Marnie, a lovely Christmas post! Of all the delightful quotes, I like Leigh Hunt's the best. More remembering the real reason for the season. But, oh how I love all the glitter. :) Your decorations are delightful, especially your neices. And I love your Father Christmases. I have a collection that I haven't put out in years due to lack of space-need to remedy that. :)

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year! Hugs!!

CONEFLOWER said...

Merry Christmas, Marnie! I loved your post, very warm and Christmasy. Merry Christmas to you and yours and a very Happy New Year too.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Beautiful post Marnie. I hope you and yours have a Merry Christmas. I just love those bejeweled butterflies. The snow coming down on your blog really enhances the tree full of ornaments.

Gail said...

The merriest of holidays to you Marnie...I hope the sun shines on your celebration and it is filled with celebration and joy. Gail I like the earlier earthy Santas.

JC said...

I hope you Enjoy your Holidays ...

garden girl said...

Such a wonderful post Marnie! I love delving into the history of holiday traditions.

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Cheryl said...

Hi Marnie....such a lovely Christmas post. I have just love visiting blogs and looking at the ornaments on the tree.

Children is what Christmas is about....I am still a child at heart...

Have a wonderful Christmas and a peaceful and blessed New Year......

"Daffodil Planter" Charlotte Germane said...

Thanks for the extra dollop of Christmas spirit!

Rose said...

I love the opening quote! So true, and it's also a time best viewed through a child's eyes, as your adorable nieces show. The butterfly ornaments on your tree are my favorite!

Wishing you a blessed Christmas, Marnie!

Jann said...

Merry Christmas Marnie...I don't think your tree bling is gaudy at all LOL...peace and joy to you and your loved ones. Lovely post!

Pat said...

What a delightful fun post !
Best wishes.

Diane said...

Those butterflies are so beautiful!! Happy holidays to you and your family!

troutbirder said...

Very nice post Marnie. You caught the spirit just right. And Merry Christmas to you. :)
troutbirder

Balisha said...

Merry Christmas, Marnie...
from, Balisha

A Colorful World said...

Wonderful Christmas post! Merry Christmas to you and yours and may God bless you in this coming year!

Marie

Meems said...

Happy Christmas wishes to you, Marnie. Thank you for all the beautiful photos and bits of information in this year of blogging. This was a fun post. Those two girls are adorable. Blessings in the New Year, too.
Meems

Sherri said...

Marnie, I hope your Christmas was a wonderful one!! Enjoy!

oldcrow61 said...

You're right about the Santa in the Red suit and Coca Cola. I do like the much older Santas best I must admit. Your ornaments are lovely. I just love gaudy, glimmery and glittery...any time of the year but particularly at this time.

Gayle said...

I forgot about that quote from Laura. What a delightful one! Love the smiles of the children. Children really make the holiday special!

walk2write said...

Marnie, sorry I missed stopping by earlier. The past couple of weeks have been more hectic than usual. I don't care if Christmas is officially over. The spirit of it is still here, and I just can't get enough of it! I hope your New Year finds your fondest wishes coming true.

tina said...

I want to wish you the very best for the upcoming year Marnie-not the very best-THE VERY BEST!

Yarrow said...

I hope you and your family had a lovely Christmas, Marnie :)
I prefer the older more traditional Santas, many of whom were dressed in green! I only found out today where our current image came from and here you are confirming it!

We nearly had a white Christmas, but it turned to treacherous freezing rain instead! Your snow pictures are so beautiful :)

Anonymous said...

A belated Merry Christmas Ms. Marnie! And Happy New Year!!

Kathleen said...

Your nieces are ADORABLE Marnie. Such a great age too. What's this about Christmas being the time for gaudy, glittery and glimmery? I thought that was all year?!!! ;-)
Just kidding. I guess that's only at my house.
I love the Santa's ~ it's so hard to believe the holiday has already come and gone. It happened so fast this year.
I like your blog header too! Happy New Year Marnie!