Handmade Christmas

You should be here this afternoon. It's about to rain and the trees are lit. Christmas music is playing and outside the wavy glass windows the wind is blowing. Cookies are in the oven and the kettle is on. And, if you get around the mile-high pile of packages awaiting the postal truck, it's somewhat cozy in here.

I've knitted so many House Helper Sets this holiday season that I'm sure I'll be sick if I have to do another. Madelyn ordered 14 sets as gifts, which I was thrilled to do. I finished her pile the week of Thanksgiving and have since been working on five others. They'll land in the Freeman House Shop tonight. After that I'm retiring from knitting. At least for a week.

This past weekend a car-load of folks and I drove to Jefferson for the annual Christmas Candlelight Tour. We stood in the cold and waited to traipse through the beautiful old homes (and one restored Civil War saloon) and get Christmas decorating ideas. I have such an enormous crush on Jefferson. If you've never been, you must. Make plans to go next year. My favorite house on this season's tour was the Sagamore, a circa 1852 home built exactly like Freeman House. (You can see it by clicking on the Tour link above.) Although the rule for all houses on the tour is natural decorations and candlelight only... no artificial or electric nonsense... the Sagamore went a step further and displayed only period decorations. There were bowls of apples and cranberries and nuts. There were stockings and pastries. There were swags of greenery and berries and pine cones. There were rag balls and a simple tree. And the candles and fires in the fireplaces were wonderful. The four of us stood huddled around the dining room fire and I felt like I was living a homespun Christmas, Charles Dickens' style. Lovely. I adored that night.

As much as I'd love a sit-and-chat, I must be off. Two enormous party trays await henrybella's brownies, cookies and truffles, and for some odd reason, the goodies won't make themselves. Ah well. It's the handmade things that are best after all. Whether we're talking knitting, decorations or food, handmade is always best. ...