Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2022 i Victoria

Dear Friends One of the joys of Yuletide is seeing how loved ones express themselves in their seasonal decorating. While my own home gleams with silver bells and cascades of rich red ribbon, I also appreciate other looks. My sister collects snowmen, and she displays these treasures of porcelain and glass on her holiday table, which shimmers with shades of pale blue and white. The sight of her frosty winter wonderland always warms my heart, and I never spy a snowman without thinking of my dear Janice. Our December issue opens the door to interiors across the country, allowing us to step into the worlds of homeowners who greet this time of year with signature flair. My sister will especially love the simple beauty of fresh-cut boughs added to a…

The shores of Cayuga Lake lead to a remote sanctuary, the home of MacKenzie-Childs at Aurora, where cheerful polka dots and bold stripes find their home, and where painterly landscapes are as equally appreciated as a recognized and admired black-and-white motif: Courtly Check. The complex is a vibrant playground of sprawling acreage, comprising a dairy barn–turned–artisan studio, a retail shop, and a Second Empire farmhouse outfitted in the label’s fantastical designs. “We represent a world view that what we surround ourselves with matters and that a positive outlook in our homes radiates outward,” says Carol Ryerson, director of customer experience at MacKenzie-Childs. The brand specializing in unique hand-painted ceramics, enamelware, and home décor was founded in small-town Aurora by Victoria and Richard MacKenzie-Childs in 1983 and operated out of the…

FUN FINDS * PLACES TO GO * ENTREPRENEURS TO MEET Visit our website to read this issue’s online stories and to find more of the content you love. Take a closer look at some of our favorite December features: Decking the Halls In this Steamboat Gothic–style residence, antique treasures shine brightest at Yultide, when stories of provenance unfurl alongside the ribbons during decorating. At Haverstraw Hill Victoria’s test kitchen chefs offer our recipe for panettone, an Italian specialty dressed for the holidays with a homemade glaze from Mary Jane Calandra. Scents of Nostalgia As Aromatique marks its fortieth anniversary, the home fragrance brand reflects on the milestone, as well as the path that led founder Patti Upton from the foothills of the Ozarks to peaks of success. Tokens of History…

As Aromatique celebrates a milestone anniversary, learn more about the brand at victoriamag.com.…

In 1837, years before acclaimed titles such as Great Expectations and David Copperfield were written, Charles Dickens, his wife Catherine, and their ever-growing family settled into a modest brick residence in the Bloomsbury district of London’s West End. Within these walls, the burgeoning author completed installments of The Pickwick Papers, the syndicated series that gave voice to Britain’s working class and helped launch his lifelong career as a writer, and began drafting another recognizable work, Oliver Twist. “I WILL HONOR CHRISTMAS IN MY HEART AND TRY TO KEEP IT ALL THE YEAR.”—Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol When the Dickens family’s lease ended, the building was used as a boarding house for several decades until the Dickens Fellowship, an international association dedicated to the life and works of the novelist, purchased…

When most people are still coping with the sultry heat of an endless summer, designer Donna Tronolone, founder of home décor enterprise Haverstraw Hill, is already dusting dozens of trees with faux snow and turning her elegant and inviting residence in Upstate New York into a joyful Yuletide wonderland. Named for Haverstraw Road, where her late father’s recording studio was located, Donna’s business is truly a family affair, with her husband, Anthony, daughters Alyssa and Alexa, and her mother, Mary Jane Calandra—affectionately called Grammy—all contributing. Donna is quick to credit her mom as her tastemaking inspiration, and everyone perusing the posts of Haverstraw Hill’s Instagram account will spy images of Mary Jane’s beautifully dressed quarters, known as the “Grammy Pod.” At 83 years of age, this beloved matriarch still styles…

WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE Pages 13–14: Erica Bauermeister is The New York Times best-selling author of four novels, including The School of Essential Ingredients. Her most recent work is the memoir House Lessons: Renovating a Life. To learn more about Erica, visit ericabauermeister.com. ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE Page 15: Lesley Holmes captures the Cornish countryside and coastline, along with scenes from the Cotswolds, in her idyllic paintings, such as the watercolor Blockley Snow-Scene. To learn more about her works, visit lesleyholmes.com or email the artist at lesley@lesleyholmes.com. SCARLET RIBBONS Pages 17–22: Caspari: Berries and Leaves Gift Wrapping Paper on Gold Foil, $9.95/30"x6' roll, Antique Gold Foil Gift Wrapping Paper, $9.95/30"x6' roll; 434-817-7880, casparionline.com. D. Stevens: Ribbons, call for similar styles; 623-582-9915, dstevensllc.com. Pages 17–18: Caspari: Oh Christmas Tree Decorative Die-Cut Gift Tag, $6.50/set of 4; 434-817-7880,…

How dear to my heart are the holidays of my youth. If my family was not at home in Rhode Island having a big feast—prepared by my paternal grandmother with the help of numerous aunts and uncles—then we were in New Canaan, Connecticut, at the home of my maternal grandmother. She was a kind, gentle woman who was always joyful and never complained. In her kitchen there were always baked goods: both homemade delights and specialty cookies from the Swiss Chalet Bakery. In 1968, which holds particularly beloved memories for me, the Yuletide festivities began with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at my aunt and uncle’s before we all drove back to Grandma’s house. She was busy preparing the Feast of the Seven Fishes—an Italian-American celebration of Christmas Eve—while the rest…

When John Gulley built his unique Steamboat Gothic–style residence in 1840, he used only the highest quality materials, such as gleaming Honduran mahogany for the staircase. Christened Wakefield, the home features a two-story grand hall and, as a nod to its nautical influences, twenty jib doors, which visually blend in with surrounding walls and open to double loggias on three sides of the house. Wakefield stayed in the Gulley lineage until 1943, when the house and most of the original furnishings were purchased by Dr. Elkanah G. Burson. His granddaughter, Dr. Sylvia Burson Rushing, and her husband, Tom Rushing, are the present keepers of Wakefield’s legacy. Using family letters and old photos as a guide, the couple, along with friend and neighbor Lance Britt, owner of The Brittany House Antiques…

Cindy and Tim Morrison have lived in myriad houses from coast to coast during their 45-year marriage, but their move to a tranquil and secluded Southern community in 2013 proved to be “the most beautiful, the most peaceful place” they’d ever lived. When they decided they wanted more space for their expanding family, which now includes eleven grandchildren, the couple found just what they needed in the same serene neighborhood: an impressive residence designed in the Châteauesque style of the Biltmore Estate. Since the dwelling boasts towering ceilings, breathtaking architectural details, and an abundance of natural light, Cindy worked with her trusted designer, Kathy Ellis, to ensure the furnishings complemented these majestic features. As is often the case with longtime collaborators, Kathy understood Cindy’s vision for her home. The marriage…

My story begins with heartbreak and healing, slowly but steadily. Along the way, a cherished friend bought me a silver sterling necklace from Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, home of writer Louisa May Alcott. Engraved on one side of the pendant is “Hope and Keep Busy,” the famous motto of Louisa’s mother, Abigail May Alcott, the muse for Marmee of Little Women. Dangling from a chain, the medallion comforts and inspires me. Most know that sadness accompanies you wherever you go. It sits heavy in your metaphoric backpack—some days compartmentalized but, at other times, seeping out through the pockets and zippers. I try to live focusing on the good, taking one day at a time. One morning, I meandered into a dollar store, looking for little surprises to send my…