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Saturday, December 18, 2021

INA'S CHRISTMAS MEMORIES, DAY 18

 

Don’t feel bad that the box of gifts you sent us didn’t arrive before Christmas. It prolonged our festivities, and we had more opportunity to enjoy it. – Ina, 1936

 


Ina continues on the excellent Christmas of 1936:

Vance called us Christmas morning, starting the day off fine. He was disappointed to hear that we had yet to receive his box of gifts, but it came the day after Christmas and so prolonged the celebration for us. I gathered everyone around to open the box, and all enjoyed the beautifully wrapped gifts and the verses on them. The holly decorations were so lovely, too.

 

Shirley and Henry immediately began to further embellish the house with them. They took down the big etching over the mantel and hung the large cluster there and used the silvered branches over the other two.

 

What a lot of time Vance must have spent on them and how beautiful they were! He has such a wonderful imagination! We reserved some and the ball sprays for our Sunday dinner decorations, making a lovely centerpiece of holly, the sprays, and candles. We dined in state with the best cloth, dishes, etc., all by candle light. How we enjoyed those decorations!

2 comments:

  1. Did Grandpa (mine) ever make holly decorations that you remember? I wish I could see them.

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  2. Your grandpa was a master of greenery, but holly was generally not available. He substituted Oregon grape sprigs which he spray painted. This subject is yet to come up in the posts.

    In the '80s, before he passed, he told me that fir boughs were becoming scarce, and he didn't know how he would continue to decorate. I guess that problem was solved for him. Our neighbor, Sonya, also decorated with greenery, and she also said that boughs were scarce. Decorations are mostly artificial now.

    When I worked at the museum, I trimmed our arborvitae so that volunteers could make wreaths.

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