Sleigh Bells Ring

A light blanket of snow fell over the village this weekend, wreaths were hung and a few hundred tiny white lights strung through the evergreens outside. Christmas decorations here are generally on the simple side, no dramatic statements, just favorite treasures and collected objects taking center stage...from Tone on Tone a marble urn filled with vintage ornaments.

I love a touch of red here and there, particularly at this time of year. In an alabaster vase found at my favorite shop in New York City - Lexington Gardens - a spray of fresh winterberry.

I go through hundreds of tealights at this time of year. I light them at about a quarter to four when the sky begins to darken and they burn until we go to bed. These votives were bought during my visit to Norway in 2004 - the trip that started it all. Read this previous post for the full story and perhaps everything you ever wanted to know about me.

Candle clips from one of my favorite haunts in Burlington, Vermont - Vintage Marketplace - a, multi-dealer shop and vintage lover's paradise inside an old warehouse on the shores of Lake Champlain.

Never is my aesthetic more influenced by Scandinavian style than at Christmas. This year I have been inspired and awed by Norwegian blogger Vibeke of Vibeke Design. She is an authentic creative talent who crafts astonishingly beautiful vignettes, art and ornaments. I was inspired to hang these petite boxwood wreaths from Splendid Avenue in the dining room windows after seeing something similar in Vibeke's own lovely house.

 

We bought these sleigh bells the first Christmas we spent in Church Street. I meant to put them away come January, but we all liked the sound they made when people came and went. When our Lab Gus began ringing them at about five-months-old to alert us to the fact that he needed to be let out, we realized they would always be a permanent part of the decor, just dressed up for the holidays.