Sunday, December 5, 2010

E is for


E is for

evergreen. Almost nothing symbolizes the holiday here in the northern hemisphere more than evergreens. We drip drape it everywhere. On our doorways,


across the dining room table,


on the mantle. (I lurve magnolia leaves. Just sayin')


It is lovely down the banister. Shoot, this one is multi function. You could have breakfast on your way downstairs. I think this would only fly in a house without 8 year old boys! Mine would have had this destroyed deconstructed within days!


You find evergreens entwined in the chandelier,


you even find it festooning a mailbox.


Evergreens shaped into wreaths are one of my favorites. I love them adorned with lots of ornaments, ribbons and trim or a simple red bow is often enough.

Evergreens are everywhere. The most enduring and universal evergreen symbol of the holiday season is the


Christmas tree.


I'm a real tree gal. I admit to sometimes feeling my resolve weakening towards an artificial tree. I just can't do it. I love the smell, the look, the feel, the everything about a real tree. Only one time in my life can I remember having an artificial tree. It was the year #2 daughter was an infant. She was quite sick with bronchitis. The doctor thought perhaps the tree was making things worse. So we took down the tree and put up a "fake" tree. It wasn't the tree and we were back to a real tree the next year.


When we lived in South Dakota, we would go up into the Black Hills and cut our own tree down. The farther into the hills we would go, the more beautiful it was. The snow would be deeper, there was no city noise, often no wind. It was quiet. One year we went, it was snowing great big ploppy flakes, it was warm (relative term here) and the trees were all covered in snow. It was magical. (This idyllic scene was shattered later that day to discover the plague at our house. The worst case of holiday chicken pox to ever strike four of the sickest kids on the planet.)

My husband would always have to rein me in, the trees out in the woods appear much smaller than they really are. EVERY time we would have to chop two-three feet off the bottom in order for it to fit in the house.

Like everything that is important to us, we immortalize it. On cards, artwork;


even china. And so it is with needlework. The Christmas tree has been worked in every medium. Canvas, surface, cross-stitch, shadow-work, cutwork, needlepoint, it is endless. I have some precious needlepointed trees my mother did for me right after I married.

As smockers we love Christmas trees too. The very first ornament I smocked, has Christmas trees on it. (Sorry, it is in the same box mentioned a few days ago.)


 Both available at BessieMary.com

Available at Farmhouse Fabrics

These are just a few of the options available for Christmas smocking. This doesn't include the dozens in our favorite magazines of Creative Needle, Sew Beautiful and Australian Smocking and Embroidery. 

I had good intentions of smocking some Christmas trees this year. It didn't happen. Baby's Christmas dress is in the works, but I didn't want to limit it to only Christmas. Pictures with Santa are December 17th. That is my drop dead date I am told. I better get to it. Right after I turn the heat up again. It is COLDDDDDDDDD here!

3 comments:

  1. I love evergreen... and christmas trees... need to put one up!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful post, Martha! :) In our house "E" is for Elizabeth... the 15 year old delight of our lives! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. such a lovely post!!! I am enjoying all your embroidered letters!!

    ReplyDelete

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