I thought I'd share
the holiday card I made
for 2010.
I love sending real mail,
and in their shiny gold envelopes,
I picture these guys
winging their way
to family and friends.

Around the wreath are my favorite words
from a beautiful old carol,
The Holly & The Ivy:

O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the organ
Sweet singing of the choir.

----

And so with this I wish you
joy
& warmth
in this last month of the year
and look forward to seeing
what the next year
will bring.

It was good to go away,
& good to come back.
I think I will wait to share vacation photos
until the New Year.

The Christmas deer
(a new purchase
for this year's celebration)
and twinkle lights
(encircling our windowsill plants)
are two of my favorite holiday decorations.
I bought a second stag
as a present for a friend
so that their mantle,
like ours,
will bear an emblem
of what I see
as powerful grace
& sincere good fortune
in the heart of wintertime.

What are your favorite holiday decorations?

Heading off on a last-minute vacation with the boy.
It's been quite the whirlwind around here the past few weeks!
So many changes,
so many decisions to be made,
but as the new year fast approaches
it is just a reminder
to pause.
I enjoy making intentions
(I never call them "resolutions")
for each new year in January,
and my mindset in this recent busyness
has made me aware
of things I'd like to work on
in 2011.

I'll be back in this space on the 20th.
Until then, I wish you a warm and happy week.

----

Bloom Magazine
Selvidge Magazine

Shades of rose in December.

----

Preparing for a short winter's night sleep:
I will be closing up the shop for the holidays tomorrow evening.

Part of my plan to make many of the gifts I'm giving this year.
Block printed linen with hand-carved stamps,
sewn, stuffed, and finished off with a rustic twine loop.
Fun to work on, and I am thinking they will be fun to give.

Inspired this season by old-fashioned carols,
bits of nature brought indoors,
& the the quietness of trees under snow

----

Come Darkness (MAV has outdone herself this year) &
Elisabelle's recent posts (here and here and here) of snow in Paris.

I am so enjoying these depictions of Winter,
a beautiful, too-often-maligned season.

The last of the snow photos.

I know a lot of people complain about the snow--
the hassle of it all, and whatnot (in Seattle, at least).
But each year I hope we have a white Christmas,
and this year is no exception.
I love the way it changes the light
and the color of the sky.
As a child, I remember
priding myself
on the fact that I could tell
when I woke in the morning
if it had snowed in the night
before I even looked out the window,
just by the way
the light
spilling into my room
was different from what it had been before.

----

Small Hands by Caroline Gaedechens
Letterpress Reindeer by EasyKeeper

On one of the many walks I took last week,
we waded out through a field of white
(so unusual for Seattle in November)
and chanced upon
a flock of geese.
They were on both sides of us,
in front of us and behind,
and their coarse calls
sounded so loud in the stillness
and came so fast
that it all ceased to be
the sound of many geese
and became instead
one sound that was ringing
all around;
melodic
and monumental,
it did not seem
at all to be
from anything ordinary
or mundane.

----

A Happy December to you--I do so love this time of year!

Preparing for various feasting (Thanksgiving and otherwise), at home with the fam.
We spent so much of the holiday in the kitchen--my favorite room in the house, I think.

Thank you for the birthday wishes! It was a lovely celebration indeed.
I feel so lucky to have a birthday near such a homey holiday.

----

My answer on Hei Astrid to the question Why do you shoot film?

Bits of nature, inside & out.

It's my birthday tomorrow, and then Thanksgiving the next day
(they are always tied together for me),
so I will leave you for the week with this mix of music
(all instrumental)
that I find quiet and lovely,
and perfect for afternoons full of industriousness
and preparations,
and projects.
I hope you enjoy,
and I wish a happy holiday (to those in the US),
and a happy week and weekend
to those elsewhere.

Burgundy, Slate, & Umber - November Playlist, 2010
+Intro - XX
+Hei Hei - Fredrik
+Fiona - Mason Daring
+For Every Day You Lost - Brave Timbers
+Across The Black Prairie - Black Prairie
+I Used To Do - Clogs
+What Is Human - Nancy Elizabeth
+Rugla - Amiina
+Junesong - Talkdemonic
+Pilsdon Pen - The Imagined Village

This Fall (and I can say this now, as it feels like the switch to Winter has been made with the lightest of snow flurries this weekend) has been a season of walks.
The changing trees were too beautiful to admire from inside,
and the variable weather kept calling me to take advantage of the moment.
We walked through these marshes before
here and here,
(almost exactly a month ago)
on those early Autumn days
when the sky is sharp blue, and the sun crisply shines.
This time it was grey, and dark,
with purple shadows in the depths of every bush.

To me, this is what November looks like.

----

Lately loving this post (it's an idea after my own heart),
Anna's snowfall,
& this lady's sense of style (adorable!).

On my dresser right now.
It's always a changing show
of the seasons,
the weather,
and what is inspiring me at the moment.

Right now it's pretty new candle holders
(so we'll be set for bright and cozy holiday meals to come),
and some natural findings
as we move from Autumn
to Winter.

----

Sharon Van Etten - Love More

Brunch over the weekend at one of my favorite places.
It always seems to set the tone for a good day.

----

I didn't get a chance to mention last week:
I participated in Mallory's fantastic Book Week!
I loved everyone's fiction recommendations the best.

Right now I'm reading The Go-Between
(a borrowed copy from my Father's college years--the cover says it cost 95 cents).

How about you?

Two different kinds of messes, in two different kinds of places.
Taken about a week ago, and I've barely had a chance to make messes like these since--
been busy and letting things distract me.
A promise to my self: the little stresses don't need to be so important.
November is a beautiful month--
I need to reclaim it.

----

Lord Huron helps
(and we are seeing Junip tomorrow!)