Decorating for Christmas with Treasured Vignettes: The Magic of Miniature
At Fox Hall, our Christmas tree touches the 15-foot ceiling, though we learned our lesson about live trees when, after Christmas, my son needed a chainsaw to get the stiff branches back out of the front door! (The following year? Hello, beautiful artificial tree!)
The holidays are here! Norman Vincent Peale said it best: “Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.”
A simple lesson I learned firsthand from Mummy: the true enchantment of the season often comes in smaller, quieter packages.
Have you considered creating “petite vignettes,” discerningly placed around your house? A few serene, almost “little secret festive displays” are a tender tribute to the magic of the season and can conjure the sweetest memories of Christmases past.
I treasure pieces that tell a story. Here are a few Lilliputian displays that make their appearance every year since…well, as long as I can remember!
A collection of Austrian bronze deer quietly bound onto our sideboard in the dining room, peacefully grazing near a miniature gold candle tree; a tranquil scene.My much-loved “circle of angels,” which once belonged to my grandmother, continues to dance around a miniature tree in the front hall. I would never dare touch up their chipped wings and missing paint! Their well-earned patina reminds me of the Velveteen Rabbit— worn and loved.Mummy loved this miniature musical tree. It is a treasured gem! I wind it up every year as we are decorating our Living Room tree. Just hearing the first notes of music will immediately remind me of my parents, and I feel them near me in spirit. As the musical petite tree plays, I arrange the charming orchestra of hand-carved German angels that surround it, a collection thoughtfully given to us by my son-in-law’s family. Our eight grandchildren, too, have loved playing and rearranging the orchestra… a gesture I find as sweet as can be. An angel has never been broken, yet if it did happen, like the “circle of angels above,” I would rejoice because they have been well-loved!
With the oversized, commercial Christmas decoration bombardment these days, the true meaning of Christmas is often neglected or masked. Enchantment and charm can come in small packages; a few well-placed petite decorations will serve to tenderly delight your family and friends. What a treasure it is to discover unexpected, yet meaningful vignettes.
Grandmillennial Tips
When presenting a tray of hors d’oeuvres, place a beloved ornament as an embellishment. Use a little dab of poster board clay on the bottom of the ornament to keep it from toppling over.
This little Herend bunny elf, given to me by my thoughtful mother-in-law, dances and kicks his festive gold-tipped shoes up at my guests!
What little treasures grace your house at Christmas?
