Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Christmas in California

Today, Camille's twin girls asked if they could spend next Christmas in Albuquerque.  When I asked why, they said, "Because we want to make a snowman!"  Here is the front of Camille's house...
 Evergreens in baskets on the gate contrast with the blooming camellias on the left!

And while we don't always have snow for Christmas, this year the snow is lingering on the north slopes around our house, so the twins could have made a snowman.  Instead we are all taking walks in shirt sleeves in sunny California.  

Camille has little touches of Christmas all around her house, but my favorite of her decorations is this nicho (niche in English) at her front entrance.


It is lovely at night, although my cell phone camera would not cooperate well enough to take an effective photo.  The twins also made "putz" or glitter houses. And I made 18 of them for the St. Mark's Celebrity luncheon centerpieces.   As my husband said, "The Glitter Fairy bombed the house!"  Indeed, I imagine I will be vacuuming up glitter for some time to come. 

Glitter houses by Caroline and Sara.


One of my centerpieces...


 And if that were not enough glitter, here are the ornaments the children at St. Mark's and I made for the tree in the Sanctuary.

The excitement is high here on Christmas Eve.  Yesterday, we made tamales for this evening's dinner. We are going out to put up the luminarias this afternoon if the forecast rains lighten up.  Enchiladas and pecan pie are on the chore list for this morning.    

Max, the Elf on a Shelf was particularly naughty on his last day with the twins. While playing soccer with his friends, he knocked over all the collection of Santas that my sister had collected through the years...






 And, he made a banana split.  However he did not eat it as he had mistaken shaving cream for whipping cream.

4 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Merry Christmas Steve. Your natural tree is just lovely. I did not even have a real tree this year, so yours look quite luxurious to me. Hope you also have a love Christmas. I am still coughing and sneezing from my Christmas gift from some sick bridge playing friends!

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  2. Her house looks beautiful,a bountiful Christmas. You are talking my kind of food. I ache for tamales. Merry, merry.

    Xo J

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    Replies
    1. The tamales are very labor intensive! When Camille suggested that homemade ones might become a Christmas Eve tradition (my sister, Rosalind, always purchased them from a Hispanic family in Albuquerque who came every year to her office) I was a bit taken back, but probably because my bad cold is making me a bit draggy. Next year, I might think it is a fine idea.

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