Innholdsfortegnelse for Christmas 2016 i The Cottage Journal

When you place holly berry and evergreen wreaths on the gate or door, the message is clear, “Welcome to our home.” So to help you welcome family and friends, and celebrate with plenty of holiday cheer, we’ve gathered stories from homeowners, stylists, and artists from around the country. Traditions that create wonder and anticipation are the focus of the holidays for the family in Traditions All Through the House, page 49. For many people, the process of decorating is what gets them in the holiday spirit, whether focused on past, present, or future. Collected baubles and handmade ornaments evoke memories of the season for the family of the artist in Decorating with Memories, page 33. Greenery abounds as a Maine couple use the natural evergreens from their gardens to decorate…

Joy to the world This musical tree bursting with brilliant gold and hints of rich red was inspired by the uplifting classic carol “Joy to the World.” We three kings This glittery silver-bedecked tree was based on the carol “We Three Kings” and its majestic star of wonder. When using glitter ornaments, make sure to balance them with matte or metallic ones. This ensures that the light from your tree has a perfect pairing of both bright sparkle and muted shine. I’ll be home for christmas Don’t limit yourself to orbs and stars to deck the halls. Character ornaments snug in their warm woolly coats and mufflers complement the vintage suitcases and plaid scarves set under the tree to carry out the theme of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” By…

Crazy schedules are a way of life for the Albright family. The three teenage boys are constantly coming and going, mom is the owner of Paige Albright Orientals rug shop, and dad is a full-time banker. So what’s Paige’s secret to keeping her angst to a minimum during the holidays? She starts decorating at the beginning of Advent, four weeks before Christmas. While the boys attend an annual children’s Advent workshop, Paige and husband Carl set up the live tree in the living room. Paige says, “I like to have it up early, otherwise time gets away from us.” But she confesses, “One year we never did get around to adding the ornaments. We just called it our Festivus,” referring to an episode of the popular 1990s television sitcom, Seinfeld,…

For years Vanessa Hudson tried to create the beautiful holiday family vignette with carols playing in the background, hot chocolate in festive mugs, and the children hanging their favorite ornaments on the tree. “But,” she says,“they would pretend to enjoy it for about five minutes and off they went. I eventually realized no one enjoyed it but me. So I decided to play the music and fix the hot chocolate for myself while I decorated when everyone was out of the house.” When the family returned they would ooh and ahh, and she found that was gratitude enough. Decorating inspiration comes easily to Vanessa. As far back as she can remember, she wanted to make things prettier, and she thought crafting was a way to accomplish that. Her parents had…

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“We start decorating before Thanksgiving so we can enjoy it. The holidays go by so quickly.” —JENNY REED Christmas at the Reeds cottage is a busy time with the two older kids home from college, the high school boys out of school, and Horrible Henry (the family dog) looking for trouble. But, according to Jenny, this is her favorite thing about the holidays—having family together. Once upon a Christmas, the family decorated the tree with beautiful fragile ornaments. But that was before Henry. After the dog ate some baubles and broke others, Jenny purchased wooden ornaments that the children ended up painting and glittering. Henry improved his manners long ago, but the painted ornaments are the ones they still hang each year. Garland and what appear to be stockings are…

Menu Herb Roasted Turkey Crispy Brussel Sprouts Garlic Duchess Potatoes Roasted Butternut Squash with Cranberries Triple Chocolate Tart Apple Brandy Spritz Herb Roasted Turkey Makes 8 to 10 servings 1 large yellow onion, quartered 5 garlic cloves, smashed 3 lemons, halved 3 bay leaves 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup kosher salt 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns 1 (1-ounce) bag fresh sage 1 (1-ounce) bag fresh rosemary 1 (1-ounce) bag fresh thyme 1 (10- to 12-pound) turkey, giblets removed and rinsed ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil Garnish: fresh sage, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, pomegranate slices 1. In a large pot or tub, place onion, cloves, lemons, bay leaves, sugar, salt, Creole seasoning, peppercorns, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Add about 1 cup water and stir to dissolve…

Advent calendars are popping up every where this time of year. The Advent season of Christianity is determined by the feast day of Saint Andrew (November 30) with the closest Sunday becoming the first Sunday of Advent. It is followed by three more Sundays to focus on the upcoming celebration. Indeed, preparing for the coming of Christmas has been a seasonal pastime since children first discovered presents under the tree. In the 19th century, the tradition of marking the days until Christmas with chalk or lighting candles was a common practice. But counting down the days until Christmas on an Advent calendar ignores the Saint Andrew tradition and simply begins on December 1. The first printed Advent calendar originated in Germany in the early 20th century with Gerhard Lang. When…

When you walk through the door of artist Lauren Dunn and husband Nathan’s 1970s colonial cottage you’ll notice a gentle nod to the homes of Williamsburg, Virginia, and thoughtful touches of Americana architecture. But as you look past the moldings, the hardwood floors, and the charming curb appeal, you’ll find the Dunns and their two young sons, Stratton and Parks, spending time together celebrating family in a home they’ve artfully curated in a style Lauren calls “rustic traditional with a twist.” The living room is where the family spends most of their nights together. “I wanted it to have a comfortable, cozy, and homey feeling,” Lauren says. At Christmastime, the fireplace is lit and casts a warm holiday glow as they sing carols and unpack the ornaments, including collected glittering…

When Leslie Naff and her husband decided to downsize, they were looking for a place that had lots of character and charm. What they found was a modest 1960s cottage perched on a hill with small rooms and intimate gathering spaces, which seemed to make their nest feel not so empty. The Naffs moved into their historic charmer just seven days after Leslie donated a kidney and just weeks before her son graduated from high school. This made for a chaotic season, but Leslie says, “It turned out to be a great thing!” During that time, Leslie discovered new and interesting quirks the old house had in store for her. “I remember walking in and there was a cord coming down from the living room wall and I realized, ‘I’m…

Artist Vicki Lee and her husband, Jimmy, appreciate the stately, elegant simplicity of their 164-year-old home in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans. That’s why both their everyday furnishings and their holiday decorations are designed to let the house take center stage. “We only have what we feel is appropriate to the house,” Vicki says. “We don’t want it cluttered. We like to see the old mantels, the old woodwork, the furniture, and we don’t want to cover them up with a lot of stuff.” A fresh Fraser fir sparkles with white lights and glass ornaments in one corner of the airy, light-filled living-dining room. Arrangements of fresh Christmas greenery decorate the twin mantels, and Vicki sets the long dining table with holiday china and fresh flowers for dinner…

The boxwood sprigs are flying. But then, so are the prunings from the blue spruce, holly, and magnolia. The furnace is rumbling, the wreath making machine is rhythmically stamping out a beat, and there’s a strict gag order against singing Christmas tunes. Years ago, the staff at Broken Arrow Nursery was trying to figure out how they could remain employed over winter. And that’s when they came up with the wreath idea. But these aren’t just any wreaths. Broken Arrow Nursery in Hamden, Connecticut, specializes in rare shrubs and trees. They don’t bother with the typical garden center inventory that you can find at any corner nursery. Instead, they search out and propagate unique plants to make them available to fellow plant connoisseurs and people who want something totally different…