Christmas Memories & End of Year Blog. Maybe Commentary. Happy New Year!

Small trees this year. This could be "vintage" Dollar Tree but with the vintage one-of-a-kind shabby chic ornaments it takes it to another level. I don't see good stuff like this in average shopping anymore. (not my locale) Most of my goodies I have had for years...

View from the side. Setting on a French looking chest of drawers. I have another one of these in the garage. Why don't I bring it in?? The clock, not old maybe 20 yrs old, stopped working. I like props so I use it as an accent. I bought that from those glossy ads that used to come with my Gulf Oil credit card.

Oh boy where did I get this beauty; have more than 2 but 2 are on the tree. Angels are always in style in my house. The ethereal is nice.  Whispy.

Metal 2-part tree that I got at Target last year way after Christmas. So good to shop off season. It blends well with all the true vintage and is a nice display, easy storage.  All the ornaments were made by my mother many years ago. Mom was a beautiful seamstress but due to health reasons, she had to switch creative outlets. This is called 'yarn on canvas.' I was to the Descanso Gardens (or it could have been Huntington) in the Los Angeles area one Christmas. They had a very large tree decorated with only these handmade ornaments. Yes, I was surprised too but nice to see equal opportunity to varied artists.

Another Mom gift. Three angels holding song books made from old greeting cards. The pink convertible, vintage inspired, came from Goodwill. Sometimes, it is just right place, right time. True in vintage shopping, true in life. The pink tree is a repro.

Grandma (Martha) made Ice Box Cookies. That is what I did this year with sugar cookies and decorated them with silver sprinkles. Fun to make into logs, refrigerate and bake the next day.

My corner shelf with goodies found through the years. This shelf rotates from one season to another. The sheep are props for Etsy photos.

Mom's all cotton Christmas tablecloth from the 1950s.

Alice. What can I say about Alice? Good name for a novel. She was my boss when I was very young and we remained friends through the decades. She made and sent me these reversible placemats. Cherished.

New Year's Eve is coming soon. These 1940s liquor bottles are available in my Etsy shop.

• I hope I have given you some inspiration and ideas. Elevate the simple.  Mix. Mismatch. Be who you are. Think outside the proverbial box. 
• I guess this is commentary.

https://graciouscottage.etsy.com

What I Learned From An Empty Box of SALTINE CRACKERS.

My parents had 3 stair-step boys, and as they grew especially into teenagers, their appetites blossomed. Farm boys work hard and they get hungry. I came along 10 years after the last boy and was more like a second family.  Being raised in a rural area of the Midwest, 2nd & 3rd generation European immigrants; family, church and community were everything.  My Dad's side had lots of relatives. "Everybody was a cousin."

We went to lots of potlucks, picnics and family reunions. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, an occasional treat was to go "up north", rent a cabin, fish for Bluegill (especially) and of course, we took our own food along to share. Most times, it was Grandma & Grandpa, aunts, uncles, cousins but that was a tradition on my Mom's side of the family. We had ice chests and food for days. All made from scratch. Farm-to-Table long before we knew that was so cool. Pop, ohhh those were times we might get to drink pop. Only special occasions.

Whatever or wherever it was, my Mom knew that her family ate more. No one ever complained. My Mom packed her picnic containers, her Tupperware and then she looked for "extra containers." That is how empty boxes of Saltines came into my life. She saved these. They were great to pack extra sandwiches in. Perfect shape, nothing got squished. More sandwiches to share, and for the boys.

Now, I cannot look at an empty box of Saltines without thinking of my Mom's awareness (now called mindfulness), her generosity and her sense of fairness. My Dad and her were on the same page with this. 

Best to stop my beloved vintage story here.