Merry Christmas, and thanks to Liz for inviting me to be a guest today. I’m Beth Carpenter, sending you greetings from Alaska. After my husband retired, we began spending some of the year in Arizona, but we always go home to Anchorage for a white Christmas, where I set up the tree (we finally caved and bought an artificial one) and get out all my favorite Christmas things.
I’m a great admirer of people who can pull off “theme” decorating—the candy land extravaganzas, the nostalgic woodland cottages, the blue and silver fairylands—but I’m not one of them. My Christmas decorations are a complete mishmash. The only thing my favorites have in common is that they all have a memory attached.
There are the travel memories, like the paper-mâché ball I bought at Herod’s in London on my first trip overseas. I believe it cost me a pound.
And there are the ones that commemorate special moments or remind me of home.
Some of my Christmas favorites belonged to people who are no longer with us.
And some were gifts (sometimes handcrafted!) from people I love.
Every item has a memory, which means it takes me a ridiculously long time to decorate, but it’s worth it, because each one makes me smile.
What makes you smile at Christmas? Follow the link below to answer the question for a chance to win two of my Christmas books, An Alaskan Family Christmas and A Gift for Santa (signed copies if you have a US mailing address, e-books if you don’t). Must be 18 or older to enter. Not affiliated with Liz Flaherty or this blog. Void where prohibited.
Visit Beth’s Amazon Page.
Thanks for coming, Beth. I love your memories. I have that red candy dish, too, but it doesn't have a lid--evidently our family was rough on it at some point! :-)
ReplyDeleteThat dish sat in my Grandmother formal living room, where the tree was set up. My cousin and I used to sneak in and eat the butter mints she kept inside.
DeleteThanks, Beth, for the lovely photos. And mish-mash is the way to go for me! I like your explanation of why it takes so long. That makes so much sense.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I'm almost done reading Lights, Camera, Christmas Town! So fun!
DeleteI'm so glad you're enjoying it, Roseann!
DeleteIt's always fun to pull out ornaments that hold a special memory. We used to buy ornaments that related to our family vacations. Enjoy your white Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThanks, I will. Hope you have a Merry Christmas, too!
DeleteMerry Christmas and Happy New Year
ReplyDeleteThanks! To you as well.
DeleteLike you, I decorate with many ornaments/dishes that have many memories of Christmases past attached to them. Merry Christmas to you and yours, Beth:)
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, Carole!
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