Happy Holidays!

I love this festive holiday season, especially decorating our house in the country. Our barn in Connecticut is the perfect Christmas space with its’ high ceilings, big fireplace, and conservatory. We always get a HUGE tree and decorate it with masses of ornaments and tiny white lights. Each ornament has a story and brings back wonderful memories. My favorite part is setting up a collection of antique Neopolitan creche figures I found on a trip to Italy years ago. Each one is hand carved and the costumes are extraordinary. I always set up the tableau in the conservatory. We cut fresh evergreens to form the base of the creche and I tie the angels with fishing wire and place them over the scene so they look as if they were flying. Colored votive candles add the most heavenly glow. It is truly magical.

John has an exceptional creche in his shop in New York. His collection is also Neopolitan, from the 60s. The figures are extraordinary and a bit larger than ours at home. John uses burlap, straw, and evergreens for the base of his display. A carved wood pergola in the center adds architectural detail. If you travel to Naples, ask the locals where you might find a set of contemporary creche figures. They could begin a new tradition for your family. Holidays always need a bit of kitsch. And, if you know me, you know I love to have fun and don’t take things too seriously. Well my toast to tackiness is my light-up plastic Frosty the Snowman watching over my garden. He is always smiling and never melts!