The Magic of Santa

Santa has come and gone for this year, but as I pack up my Santa collection I smile. I remember when I was a little girl on Christmas Eve, my sisters and I would get up at 2 am to see what Santa had brought us. My most memorable gift from Santa was a Madam

Alexandra doll with beautiful clothes that my mom had sewn during the year when I was asleep. And in the very tip of my stocking was my very first ring - my birthstone. We never questioned how Santa was able to get to so many homes in one night. That was the Christmas magic.

So this year when my almost 3 year old grandson was ready for bed on Christmas Eve, I took him out to the porch and pointed up to the night lights to show him where Santa was coming from tonight. He immediately flew up the stairs and was asleep in 5 minutes. And the next morning, he awoke everyone in the house and came down the stairs to find his adult magical memory- Santa had bought him a large fire truck! I don't know how Santa got so lucky and knew what Logan had wanted - Santa had found it at Costco several weeks before. Logan had only told us the night before what he wanted from Santa- a large firetruck with a big ladder. See - there is magic!

Collecting beautiful Santa's has been a passion of mine for many years. But this year, I met a new artist that created life size Santa's for Romancing the Home. We sold six of them this year to create a little magic for the customers that purchased them. Next year, we will have them again and customers can customize them to fit their home's decor. All of the Santa's I have in my collection have been made by artists that I have found during the past 30 years. Many of them have been customized with vintage fabrics and trims that I have collected over the years. Every year I cherish getting them out and placing them in a special spot for the holiday season.

Last Sunday of 2009

I love Sunday mornings- just time to putz around the house and contemplate upcoming projects.

This morning my son Todd and I are getting ready for an informal open house this afternoon, so there's a pork shoulder in the oven smelling good. My daughter in law Deena is making flatbread for the pulled pork sandwiches and the grandbabies are watching cartoons. My husband is playing with our new coffee maker and getting ready for his favorite show- Sunday Morning.

I am going around freshening up Christmas displays. Our foyer this year is decorated with natural hedge apples, frosty ferns, and white paperwhites . The crusty old cherub relic is a favortive new find this season. A collection of old silver, an antique Visitors log, and a wonderful old clock make an interesting collage for the holidays. Maybe for tonight I should burn our new Godiva Candle - Peppermint Bark. And maybe freshen up the flowers a little--- otherwise, I think we are ready for a party!

Powder Room in Holiday Dress

Scented candles, beautiful hand towels, and luscious soaps are obvious necessities for the powder room. But at Romancing the Home we love to "dress" the sconces in beautiful ribbons and garlands. A hand made doll from Venice graces the table in the powder room. Petite angels with velvet sachets sit in the soap dish above the sink. Soft lights create a romantic ambiance for the holiday season.

First Snow of the Season

I love the smell and look of the first snow of the season. Fresh greens and garden statues look beautiful with fresh snow on them. These are pictures of my front porch this morning, taken while the snow was falling. What a great way to bring in the spirit of the Christmas season!

Fresh greens are layered with lit garlands, iced branches, and chartreuse mercury balls.

Red berries pop the colors- and the velvet ribbon is opulent with it's silk lining. We carry this beautiful ribbon in the store in many colors this season, just call us with inquiries.

Thanksgiving before Halloween?

My husband and I spent a long weekend in Quebec City last week, and it just happened to be the Canadian Thanksgiving. The narrow cobblestone streets were lined with boutiques that were decked out to the nines with fall decorations- I can't imagine what they do for Christmas??? I loved the pumpkin on the hand of the angel at the top of a very tall statue- I wonder who climbed up there.

Pumpkins, white lights, and sometimes unexpected things - like chairs - embellished the fronts of stores. The most astonishing arrangement was of succulents, mums, and mosses attached to chicken wire to form the shape of an urn. Ghost walks and haunted gardens were packed with tourists. The architecture, the restaurants, and the rainy weather created a surreal atmosphere perfect for a fall get- away. More to come on the architecture later.