A Crystalline January
I wrote those words for an ad I embellished a few years ago. I like to re-read them on January 1st to remind myself that there is life after the holidays. And many embellished things to look forward to.
Instead of taking my little Christmas tree down completely, I followed advice from my friend Kay and kept the tree up but only with the white fairy lights on it. It looks charming and so I spread the word throughout the house that I’m creating a beacon for when the light has a mind to return on its own. I kept the white tapers on the mantle and strung mini-lights across the hutch’s top shelf. Three stems of white lilies, when opened, will fill the house with the promise of spring. The frost outside colludes with what is taking place indoors – I want everything to be crystalline.
Even in bleak winter, nature can be breathtakingly beautiful with elements of wonderment not to be missed. And although January is a wonderful month for hibernating there are still those of us who must brave the elements to get to work each day. Returning to an incandescent home with whispers of silvery frost can be energizing and may even help with seasonal moods. With that in mind, I tossed a cream wool throw on my couch for coziness as well as for Netflix-binging and laid out an old tole tray on the kitchen table, chock-full of teas, tea cups and saucers, all nestled on a snowy cloth. I fluffed my bed after adding an extra layer and splayed white votives about my bedroom like candy. My private rebellion against the dark unforgiving sky above. Even the bathroom shower curtain got a reboot with the addition of plush coordinating towels I forgot I had, found in the recess of the linen closet when I went on a search and destroy for the humidifier. Christmas is over but my home is ready for winter, come what may.
5 Comments
cherre henderson
This is beautiful Donna. Sounds so cozy. 💕
La Contessa
SOUNDS perfect for the cold winter days ahead……Love the fact you kept the tree up with just the lights!SO, many people are in such a hurry to get rid of the TREE!MIne is still up lighting my way to the kitchen on these dark early mornings!HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Karen
The beautiful part of winter is that the bones are revealed. Summer's lush foliage can smother the delicate tracery of the trees' branches…I love to see them penciled against the sky, as so many poets have admired. I love the white, frosted, icy, snow-banked winter, too, having been raised in Maryland, where white winters were scarce! Love this one, Donna! XO "Kay" aka Karen
Donna
Your writing evokes such beautiful images…
Dana L.
Your writing is lovely and I love the imagery you depict. I am a rare soul who actually enjoys winter and finds beauty in the bare trees, the frost covered ground, the stillness in the air. Very much enjoy how you made your home cozy and inviting and will borrow many of your ideas. Thanks for writing this blog- it is a pleasure to read!