DECKING MY HALLS

I finally got all my decorating done. I had to ask myself “why bother?” since I live alone. People tell me I don’t live alone because there are always friends in and out. It’s been particularly pleasant to have company this December because it is still porch sitting weather. We can light the candles and drink wine on the front porch in the evenings. It is not usually like this, so I consider this a Christmas gift from the Universe to Southwest Alabama.
I decorated as much as usual, pretending that it is cold December even while I write this sitting on the porch with the birds still singing in the trees. It is like having the best of both worlds – the joyous Christmas season and shirtsleeve weather.
This appears to be a red year in decorating. I used red amaryllis, my favorite flower as the main element. I have collected them for years. I like clear reds, not deep reds. Living in the country ( I think of it as a small town, but I realized it wasn’t so when a friend from California said she lived in a small town of 40,000), I save ribbons and decorations over the years. I reuse them as much as possible, but this year, many of the old ribbons bit the dust. I bought one big roll to start over with. All my ribboning this year is red tartan. Many of us residents of southwest Alabama have a Scots/Irish heritage. I am not particularly celebrating that, I just love red and green. I notice many of the magazines this year are using white accented with silvers and blues. To heck with that, I like bright and colorful for Christmas. My tree has colored lights. They are gold with touches of red and green. The tree is loaded with ornaments then beribboned all over with gold, red and green ribbon I bought at the flea market in Mobile. I never think of myself as a fan of Victorian decorating except at Christmas. For the holiday season, I festoon and drape with the best of them. Usually, I am a fan of the country English look because I love the way they collect all kinds of books and art, finding places for it all. I love the way that everything is used and lived with, including the finest antiques. If I can’t sit on it and prop on it, I don’t have it. At Christmas, there are a lot more people around to sit and prop. In the past four days, I have had different overnight guests three of those nights. They have all enjoyed my decorations and sitting on the porch with me. It is has been a great treat to me to have one on one time with some of my favorite people and cook some authentic southern foods for them. I made some Conecuh sausage cheese bread, chicken salad, pimento cheese, and soups (even though it is hot weather).
I do have a full time job, but being with friends and entertaining is a fine southern tradition that adds to the quality of life. I can rest when I’m dead. I take a full regime of vitamins and herbs to keep me going. I never go to the doctor because I’m never sick. Okay, I confess, I did go to the doctor recently. I was shopping at the Talbot’s outlet in Kentucky where my mother lives the day after Thanksgiving. I looked down in the dressing room and saw a blue circle like a bull’s eye on my stomach (which I try not to look at ordinarily). In the middle of the circle was a red spot. I didn’t feel bad, but my family got all upset, so when I got home, I went to Dr. Frank. He gave me a tetanus shot and took blood work to see if I had a dread disease. I didn’t, but the tetanus shot got me down for a day or two. I don’t believe in taking medicine if I can help it, but I took my first round of antibiotics in 20 years. I have recovered sufficiently to keep up my social schedule. In rural southwest Alabama, entertaining and being entertained is a way of life.
I am including some photos of my Christmas decorating to share with you. I have recently discovered that I like to make pictures now that digital cameras provide instant gratification. I don’t think I’ll ever Ansel Adams’ successor because that kind of photography takes patience which I don’t seem to have much of. I can’t wait for the light to get right, I just have to snap it and hope it comes out well. There must be some magic in my digital camera, because so far, pictures are turning out well. If you don’t thinks so, don’t tell me. Keep my simple faith alive. This is the essence of Christmas.