I'm not going home to England this year,
but yesterday, with a little time to spare (how on
earth did that happen with Christmas now so close),
I looked through the photos I've taken
of Christmas decor about the cottage and
decided to improve on the English 'cottage feel'
with a wee bit of cheating/editing.
I think receiving Christmas cards from England,
some depicting authentic country cottages,
made me realize I don't really have one of those.
Who am I trying to kid!
This year my favorite card arrived from my cousin.
Cousin David in England gets it.
He lives in my hometown, we grew up there, spent a lot of time together, and he knows how much I love coming home. Last Christmas Day I enjoyed dinner with him and his entire family. We indulged in everything English, from soup to Christmas pudding, gathered together around a big table in a lovely restaurant on the cliffs above the English Channel. It was the one day of our trip home when the rain stopped for a while and the sun popped out from behind the clouds......it was a perfect Christmas surrounded by special people. It was worth a long journey across the pond and brought back lovely memories of my English childhood.
This year we will be here. The cottage feel is important to me at the holidays. I admit I'm somewhat envious of those at home who will be cozy, tucked into a real country cottage, sipping a pre-dinner sherry, enjoying dinner, munching on mince pies with brandy butter, flaming the Christmas pud', listening to the annual message given by our gracious Queen.........then sitting by the crackling fire, sipping a nightcap, listening to the last of the carols as Christmas fades into the night.
I will soon be baking my mince pies..........we have the Harvey's Bristol Cream sherry ready for a toast - there are two bottles as we don't play Scrooge here - come by and join in. The firewood is stacked and ready to crackle and pop on the hearth, the candles are glowing, the carols are waiting to be played.
Christmas happens wherever one is.
You can make it happen.
You can dream and remember.
It's etched in stone.
It's etched in stone.
It's in your heart....isn't it?
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This is just beautiful, Mary. I can't believe how much your English Christmas sounds like ours when I was growing up. I didn't drink the sherry but my parents did. Dad always had a sherry before dinner, every day! At Christmas we would have dinner at my Grammies or an aunt and uncles where we had flaming Christmas pudding (we children loved that!) with rum sauce, the adults had their sherry and wine (and maybe something a little bit stronger!), and we always listened to the Queen's message on the old black and white TV. The latter is something I carried on in our own home but it's not always available on our TV these days. You bring back some wonderful memories for me. Our British roots in my father's family were very strong in the mid-century and they were part of our tradition. Your photos are beautiful and do look like an English cottage Christmas. Enjoy your Sunday. Hugs, Pamela
ReplyDeleteDear Mary,
ReplyDeleteYes, Christmas is in my heart and in the memories of my great mother, who made it special every year. A bit of nostalgia is wonderful this
time of the year. Your lovely edited photos help satisfy the longing for the innocence and wonder of childhood.
Warmest greetings, Sieglinde
Your home looks like a beautiful Christmas cottage Mary. It feels so cozy. I would love to sip a sherry next to your crackling fire with you and Bob....
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Penny
This post is beautiful, Mary. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. You really have an abundance of wonderful memories to share and be enjoyed by someone like me that has yet to "cross the pond". Maybe someday. Your pictures are very beautiful...I think you very much have a cottage feel year round!
ReplyDeleteXO,
Jane
It would be such a treat to sit beside the fire with you for a long, cosy chat. I love those quiet moments that take on a deeper glow each year. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Eastbourne, East Sussex! Lovely post, enjoy your Christmas across the pond!
ReplyDeleteI love your photo treatments – they look so warm. I also wish I were in England for Christmas – I went there at that time when I was only 13 and then again almost all the Christmas after that until I left for the US. At home Christmas was not much of a holiday (after I grew up, until then it was fun) – my family celebrated the New Year more, but in London my friends had so many friends around, we sang, we ate, we exchanged presents. England will always mean a great Christmas for this French woman.
ReplyDeleteOh Mary, yes it is in our hearts and the feel created here is so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful week and a half until Christmas. Mince pies will be on
my agenda for Tuesday to bake. I am just now gearing up do a bit of baking
for the family. How I would love to sit by the fire, sip whatever is on the agenda,
and nibble on a mince pie or cookie with you.
Such lovely memories you have. You are very fortunate to be able to bring these memories back each year and think on them. Not everyone has such lovely memories of their childhood. Your cottage is beautiful - it seems very cottagey to me, anyway. We have worked hard through the years to make christmas fun and memorable for our kids, and now our grandkids - we so look forward to the togetherness of family and friends this time of year.
ReplyDeleteYour cottage is lovely and who wouldn't want to join you next to your crackling fire. Also congratulations to Jasmin and her high school choir for singing so beautifully.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Penny