Faith Family Friends

Celebrating the Joy of Living & Home Making ~

Baking, Cooking, Decorating, Tea Time, and taking Inspiration from those I love and the world around me...

A sharing of my heart and my home from a Christian perspective

...with a wee bit of whimsy added.

Monday 23 December 2019

{There is No Place Like} Home for the Holidays


Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays
'Cause no matter how far away you roam
When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze
For the holidays you can't beat home sweet home! 
- Perry Como

Happy Christmas, dear friends! I love those old holiday songs, don't you? Those songs are so nostalgic and bring back so many lovely memories. I like the instrumental version even better.

We're looking forward to spending Christmas at home with some of our family. It will be a quieter Christmas compared to last year when we had eight for dinner and we will miss those who can not be with us this year. We have family in Ontario, British Columbia, and our youngest is spending Christmas with his in-laws in NY. So, we're spread out quite a bit.

From home to home, and from heart to heart, from one place to another, the warmth and joy of Christmas brings us closer to each other. ~ Emily Matthews

My menu for Christmas dinner this year will be fairly simple. There will be turkey of course, dressing, potatoes and gravy, brussels sprouts and carrots. Cranberry sauce and pickles will also grace the dinner table. Dessert will be pumpkin pie with whipped cream,  chocolate cake with raspberry sauce and whipped cream, as well as an assortment of homemade goodies. 

Hearts are aglow when we fill our homes with domestic warmth, nostalgia, and the beloved trinkets that symbolize the season. ~ Victoria magazine

I have taken a few photos of my decorating to share with you. Some things you have seen before so I won't share those.

In the dining room, the pink poinsettia graces the table with a new runner. The little red rimmed pitcher holds tea spoons.

I hung this wreath I fashioned a few years ago, in front of the patio doors this year. 

Here is my little tree that sits on the green cabinet which houses a number of dishes. The tree used to have pink and gold striped ribbon like that on the wreath above, cascading down from the top, but I think I like it better without the ribbon. It was a bit too fussy before.


I made the wreath above this year to match the little tree and the big wreath in the window.

The tea towel with Rose Chintz Cottage on it is displayed on the cabinet doors; a gift from Kitty, several years ago, which I keep there year round. It fits right in with its tassels and gold trim.

This large shelf is on the wall behind the table and it has a collection of red transferware on it. The sheep were both gifts from a friend.


I absolutely love red transferware at Christmastime!


In the kitchen I have my Hallmark Gingerbread house. As you know, the gumdrops keep time to the music of "The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" when the doorbell is rung. The little ones always loved to ring that bell!




And here is the main tree this year. Much the same as last years only I did the ribbon differently.
Lights off

Lights on just before sunset. 

The nativity is sitting on a table in the corner. I have more pieces but I think they take away from the Holy Family. The little Testament is opened at Luke 2.

A little Child...a shining star...
A stable rude...the door ajar.
Yet in that place, so crude, forlorn,
The hope of all the world was born. ~ author unknown




Christmas is a season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame for charity in the heart. ~ Washington Irving

I am sipping a cup of tea which I have stirred with a cinnamon stick. It is delicious!
A cinnamon stick makes it just a wee bit more festive, don't you think? 
I made some butter tarts and mincemeat tarts the other day as well as some sugar plums. My family loves these treats.
My son who lives in the US tells me they don't have butter tarts down there and he misses them. So I made some with him in mind even though he isn't here. Someone in the house keeps sneaking them however so I had to hide them, at least long enough to snap a photo or two. The kids have long since left the nest so you know who the guilty party is. If he wasn't so cute, he wouldn't get away with it!

Well, my break is over and I have lots yet to do so  I had better continue on with my day. Thank you to all of you who have visited my blog this past year and left such lovely comments. 

From my home to yours, I wish each and every one of you a Very Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with many blessings.


Love, Joy, and Peace to you all!


Christmas is forever, not for just one day,
For loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away 
Like the bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf. 
The good you do to others is good you do yourself. ~ Norman Wesley Brooks - 1976, from "Let Every Day Be Christmas"




Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

12 comments :

  1. Sandi,
    Your home looks lovely, my friend!! The wreaths and your Tree are stunning!! I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your Christmas decor is beautiful, Sandi!

    I only have blue and white transferwares so I always enjoy seeing the reds and whites on the blogs.

    My mom has recently started boiling cinnamon sticks and lemon or orange peels when she cooks. It smells good and absorbs the cooking odors.

    Merry Christmas! Enjoy your holiday time with your family.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Everything looks so lovely. Wishing you a blessed Christmas.

    Jocelyn

    ReplyDelete
  4. I always have ham for Christmas, but this year, and I am Swedish, having swedish meatballs,which my daughter is bringing mashed potatoes, and my son-in-law, makes the best devil eggs, so bringing them, for dessert, scandinavia almond cake and swedish rice pudding. MERRY CHRISTMAS

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your home looks so cozy, warm and lovely, Sandi! All of your wreaths that you made look so beautiful. Merry Christmas to you, dear friend!! Enjoy your time with your family and your sweetheart who keeps snitching those treats! xo

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh, Sandi - I love all your beautiful pink and red Christmas decorations. It is so "you!"

    You know it is funny - until yesterday I had never heard of a butter tart - and then I visit you today and you mention them too. I think I had better get with it and make some so I know how they taste. I kinda already know they must be good - they have the words "butter" and "tart!" haha.

    I wish you joy and peace this Christmas and good health and special moments all through the coming new year. God bless you and yours, Sandi.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Merry Christmas Sandi! I have enjoyed looking at all of your decorations! Simply beautiful. Your treats look fabulously tasty as well! I hope you have a very blessed Christmas and all the best in 2020! xo

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear Sandi ~ Your home looks extra lovely with all of its Christmas finery. I love your wreaths especially the one in front of the window and your trees, you have a wonderful gift in decorating.

    May you and yours have a beautiful Christmas and a great 2020 ~ FlowerLady

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your home looks so warm and inviting, and I love those little tarts. We will be having something different this year...my sweet daughter in love is making a Hamloaf, which is a tradition started by my paternal grandmother. I gave Rose the recipe, and she has added her own special touches to it making it even better, but I know Grandma would approve. We will also have scalloped potatoes, fresh green beans, perhaps some roasted or glazed carrots (I'm still thinking about this), dutch crumb apple pie and pumpkin pie. I haven't done any baking this year...we've had rounds of sickness and between that and everything else, something had to go...but today is a day that miracles may still appear...we shall see. Have a blessed an wonderful Christmas with those who are near. Love to you, and see you in the New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Everything looks so festive and beautiful! You are correct...there is no place like home for the holidays. And quiet, laid-back Christmases can be the very best at times...more time to just sit back and take in the joys of the season and why we celebrate it! Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Sandi...I am late but I wish you Merry Christmas...As you wrote : "Christmas is forever"!Love your gorgeous vignettes and sweet post. Happy 2020!Blessings!

    ReplyDelete

I am delighted to have you visit me and I read every comment. Please forgive me for not being able to visit you all as there are so many of you lovely bloggy friends now. I will visit as much as possible. I wish you a day filled with JOY!

Also, due to the amount of spam I've been getting, I have had to set Comment Moderation. ~ Sandi

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.