COVID-19 restrictions aren't the only things repeating themselves this holiday season. I'm stuck in something of a rut when it comes to holiday decorations. We decided to skip our holiday smorgasbord for friends and family for a second year in a row and, with no plans to host visitors, decorating was a perfunctory exercise. But we're as ready as we're going to be for Christmas.
Here's the run-down.
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| Our ancient string of multi-colored outdoor lights gave out but our online order for a white string was quickly filled |
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| The front entry is once again decorated with a small faux tree featuring bird-themed ornaments |
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| Despite many new reports claiming a shortage of Christmas trees, we had no problem getting hold of one (although it was more expensive this year!). It's decorated with the eclectic ornaments I've collected over decades. |
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| The ornament on the upper left was given to me last year by a friend. I've situated it on the tree near the two red and silver ornaments made for us as part of a collection by my stepfather decades ago, most of which have slowly succumbed to age. Despite their unfortunate similarity to the COVID-19 virus molecule, I still can't bring myself to throw them out. |
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| A snapshot of other ornaments in my collection. A few, like the glass penguin and the resin choir mouse, are part of smaller collections I cluster together on the tree. |
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| I've been collecting snow globes for years too. The one on the upper right, the only holiday decoration I added this year, isn't a true snow globe but it is made of glass. It's lighted from within by a string of LED fairy lights. |
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| Two of my Santa figures |
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| Not of my doing, this is the view from our back garden of a house across the canyon that puts up a tree-shaped light display each year |
I had a chance to have lunch (on the outside patio of a local restaurant) with a group of friends last week and saw another friend last weekend. Gifts were shipped and e-cards were sent. Despite my disappointments over suspended holiday gatherings, at least my biggest wish for the holidays has materialized. It started raining in the wee hours of Thursday morning and it's kept coming, light but fairly steady. We expect the rain to continue today, followed by spotty showers this weekend and then more rain next week. Thus far, this stretch of rain can't be called a drought-buster, at least for Southern California, but every drop helps. The snow accumulating in the Sierra Mountains is even more critical to the state's water supply and recent storms in the north have helped there, although I understand that premature melting of the snowpack due to warming temperatures can still present a problem.
Whatever you're wishing for this Christmas, I hope your dreams are realized!
All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
