Merry December friends! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Weekend!
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)
The Christmas season is here! Have you started decorating?
It is the December edition of Monday Morning Blooms with my friends Mary and Lidy! You will find their links for beautiful Christmas inspiration at the bottom of this post!
Sunshine Cottage provides a quiet place for a dinner for two. It elevates take-out or a grilled cheese sandwich during this busy season, bringing together classic traditions and simple casual style. After all, it is our little cottage in the country!
Thanksgiving week is not the easiest time to find red and white flowers. There were flowers of burnt orange and gold that were perfect for Thanksgiving, but not so great for a Christmas table. Finally, I ran across a bunch of red alstroemeria and white carnations. No worries, my RM cut fresh pine and cedar and collected pine cones!
Royal Stafford dinner and salad plates were chosen for their multicolor scenes. The pattern reminds me of an old time Christmas! The salad plate is ‘Christmas Home’ and is made in England.
The children’s Christmas tree provides a ‘sweet’ ambiance! The cottage is half decorated. Hopefully, I will finish today and I plan to share it with you all in a future post!
Ruby red stemware is at least twenty five years old. It has graced many Christmas and Valentine’s tables thru the years. If only it could share all the memories of years past!
You may wonder why the guitar is on the table. It was a gift many, many years ago to Butch from a friend who has now passed away. I can’t remember or find the paper that came with it, but it was purchased in a museum shop. Long time readers know that we love music…Butch plays guitar and sings. Our son also plays guitar and sings. My guys are quite talented even if I say so. There is rarely a night that we don’t listen to music! I especially love Christmas music and Karen Carpenter’s rich alto voice kept me company while I set and photographed the table! I love sharing something unique on a tabletop, it can definitely start a conversation!
The Royal Stafford dinner plate is called ‘Santa’s Sleigh’ and has a lantern border.
My beloved Mother’s Old World ceramic Santa’s that were made in the late 70’s line the shelves!
The fragrance of fresh pine and cedar says…”It’s the most wonderful time of the year”.
The sunlight piercing the glass casts an amazing red glow in the window of the salad plate!
A favorite Christmas hymn:
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.
Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love, and wonders of His love,
And wonders, and wonders of His love.
~ Text – Isaac Watts, written in 1719
~ Music – George Frederick Handel
Be sure to visit Mary and Lidy!
Mary ~ Home Is Where the Boat Is
Lidy ~ French Garden House
I hope you will join me and 17 talented table stylists for a Christmas Tablescape Blog tomorrow, December 2nd!
Thank you for your visit and gracious comment. Wishing you a joy-filled first week of December!
Linking with:
Good morning Pam, Your Sunshine Cottage looks so festive with table and your twinkling tree in the background! I know it must bring you joy to have your mom’s creative spirit live on with her beautifully painted ceramic Santas on display. Hooray for Butch foraging for evergreens for your centerpiece to pair with the alstroemeria and carnations. I love the sunlight streaming in and shadow play on your table (appropriate for your cottage’s namesake!) Your Royal Stafford ‘Santa’s Sleigh’ plates are so charming and the guitar is such an appropriate symbol of the music your family shares a love for. As always, it’s a treat to share blooms with you. Looking forward to joining you tomorrow too. Merry December 🎄❤️
Thanks so much, Mary! I enjoy our Monday Morning Blooms!
Pam, I smile each time I think of you in the Sunshine Cottage. It’s magical! A table for two also makes me smile. Setting a special table for you and Butch touches my heart. I miss my tables for two!
The guitar is an adorable touch with your red berry centerpiece. I always admire the sun streaming in on your tables. It’s just the best!
Happy Holidays, dear friend. Merry, Merry!
Sarah, your sentiments warm my heart. I often think of you when I set a table for two because I know how special it was for you and Monnie. Merry, Merry Christmas season dear friend!
Good morning and happy December, Pam! Your floral arrangement of carnations, alstroemeria, cedar, and pine is beautiful and the perfect thing to welcome the Christmas season. The Royal Stafford Christmas plates are so pretty and create the perfect ambiance of an old fashioned Christmas. The glow of the grands Christmas tree in the corner is magical, and I always enjoy seeing the collection of your dear mother’s Santa’s. When you share her ceramic creations, I am always impressed by the detail. It is so cold here this morning, and it is starting to sleet. Casey headed to the airport early this morning and is headed to Birmingham. Hopefully, you are enjoying more pleasant weather. Enjoy your day my dear friend! I look forward to joining you tomorrow for the tablescape blog hop.
I am so excited that you will be joining the blog hop tomorrow. You have been missed. Our weather is cool and rainy for several days.
The pine and evergreens speak to me. You use them so well and store bought flowers look so well with their use. The sun shining through your window to make the window shine on the royal Staffordshire plate is beautiful, and your mom’s ceramic Santa’s are sure to be seen on future posts. Christmas is now all about precious memories for me.
Thank you dearest Alice. I know how important memories are. I am happy you have them and they are precious! Blessings dear one!
I enjoyed learning that one of my favorite Christmas hymns, Joy to the World, has been joyfully sung for over 300 years! It’s a joy to be apart of that tradition…
Your Sunshine Cottage with the sunshine streaming in over your beautifully set table is so pretty with beloved pieces and cherished stories and flowers with gathered cedar and pine branches…sigh…I think I am actually enjoying their subtle aroma! The magic of the Christmas season, no dought…
It’s yet another joy to glimpse your mother’s beautifully painted santas on the shelves of your Sunshine Cottage…
Yes, we’ve started decorating! The Advent Wreath is on the table and the Nativity is on the sideboard in the dining area, the Scandinavian Tree goes up next week. The living room holds the big Memory Tree with all of it’s treasures…it takes awhile to decorate as we must review all the precious memories, Ha! The wreaths were hung outside by the front door with care…
followed with Christmas cheer and theMannheim Steamroller…
Loved your Sunday post and looking forward to seeing you tomorrow too. Thank you for all you do to make these days so special!
Thank you for your sweet and thoughtful comments, Sue! You are well on your way having your decorated for the Christmas season. Butch and I made the Advent Wreath for our church and were excited to make it! My favorite are memory trees and we also review all the precious memories. Thank you for reading and commenting. It is really special to us!
Sunshine Cottage looks so pretty. I love the story about the little guitar. What a wonderful way to think about a friend that has passed. Happy New Week as we slide on down to Christmas. Enjoy every song and moment of this season to celebrate. Hugs. Kris
Thank you, Kris. We love the sweet and small guitar. Wishing you a season of joy!
Pam, Sunshine Cottage looks so pretty all decked out for Christmas. Cedar and evergreens and berries are so festive and smell fabulous. Love the sweet little guitar as your centerpiece. How special for Butch to have that treasure, especially after losing his friend who gifted it to him. Your table for two is so pretty all decorated with Royal Stanford Christmas plates. Love the lantern border. I am looking forward to seeing your table for tomorrow’s hop. Happy Holidays. 🎄
Thank you Linda for your sweet comments. I look forward to your table tomorrow! Wishing you joy this Christmas season!
Your Royal Stafford Christmas plates are so pretty, I’ve never seen the pattern before. It is so nice that Butch can go out and cut you fresh greens. That is one thing I miss about New Hampshire.
Thank you Karen! I love fresh greens and the fragrance they offer!
Love, love this setting, “Royal Stafford dinner and salad plates were chosen for their multicolor scenes. The pattern reminds me of an old time Christmas! The salad plate is ‘Christmas Home’ and is made in England.”
Thank you Mary!
What is yet to finish? It looks complete in all detail. Your beloved Mother’s gifted creations, the reminiscent Royal Stafford with ruby goblets and your artistic settings of table appointments, floral arrangement and tree..and O the lush, woodsy aroma of cedar and pine. Your camera clicked at just the right moment to capture the sun blessing it all….You certainly have instilled Christmas inspiration for us who are just taking down the storage bins and replicating our own Yuletide traditional setting. Hope I can catch up-….
Mary, I have missed you. I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful. Thank you for your sweet comments. Wishing you joy this Christmas season dear one!
Pam, what a beautiful way to begin the holiday month of December! Your sunshine cottage looks so cheer-filled with its bright reds and greens. We just returned from our daughter’s home and decorated their tree, and she brought out her very same dishes as yours. I love them!
That guitar is so special in so many ways! It’s touches like that that make your tablesettings so wonderful. Happy December dear friend, as always it’s a blessing to share our Monday Morning Blooms together. Xo Lidy
Thank you Lidy for your sweet comments. I am so glad you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your daughter and family! Happy December and wishing you Joy this Christmas season!
Pam, Your Sunshine Cottage is like a fairy house, decorated to perfection whatever the season. But, I think Christmas is when you bring it to its most beautiful. So many special pieces, love your mom’s Santas, the red stems, of course the dinner plate patterns, favorites of mine too. The greenery from your garden dressed the flowers perfectly and nothing smells as fresh and festive. I love the hymns, “Joy to the World” is a favorite Christmas carol. I have a sign on my front door, made of brass that hangs there always. “Joy to the World.” Thank you Pam for a joyful and beautiful post…….Happy Merry December.
Emily thank you for your sweet and thoughtful comments. Wishing you a most joyful Christmas season, my friend!
Thank you Rita. I was so surprised when I began to look at my photos and saw the glowing window on the plate! I love fresh greenery for Christmas!
Your Sunshine Christmas Cottage looks so festive, Pam! I have just two of those salad plates and I just love them. The dinner plates are beautiful that complement them. How I love your ruby red stemware and your adorable flower arrangement Isn’t Karen Carpenter’s voice so angelic? Wish I could hear Butch and Seth sing a duet. Happy December!
Thank you, Kitty. Yes, I am a fan of Karen’s voice. Wishing you a joyful Christmas season!
Everything looks so pretty, colorful and so festive! A blessed Advent season to your both.
Thanks so much Michele for your sweet comments! Wishing you a joyous Christmas season!
I accidently stopped getting this because I decided I didn’t want the comments coming into my email. When I opted out of that I also stopped getting the blog posts which saddens me and no matter that I have tried to get the posts again as I did for the third or fourth time just now I still don’t get the posts!
Marilyn, I am so sorry you are having trouble receiving our blog posts. Blogging is not for the faint of heart. We are always dealing with issues. I will try to check into it. Again, I am so sorry!
Wishing you and The Sunshine Cottage a beautiful Christmas season – it already looks gorgeous! Merry Christmas from The Blue Cotton House!
Thank you, Maryleigh. Wishing you a joyous season!
Merry December, Pam!
I am so glad we are in your Sunshine Cottage. Your centerpiece with the red and white flowers and the fresh pine and cedar is heavenly. The fragrance must fill the cottage.
I love the Royal Stafford plates. The one picture of sunlight shining through the plate’s window was gorgeous!
Seeing your Mom’s Santas always makes me happy. They are such treasures. I also enjoyed the guitar. What a sweet, memorable story it has.
I am enjoying your Christmas decor. I kept ours simple this year because of my hip surgery. So you know, I will be back to see your tablescape in the blog hop.
Merry December, my dear friend!
Thank you Nancy. Your comments always warm my heart. I have kept the guitar in a bookcase for years, I think it is so sweet. Merry December, my dear friend!
Pam, it is always a joy to see Sunshine Cottage decked out for Christmas. Decorations full of sentimental memories are my favorite. The arthritis in my hands is really acting up, and I dropped an ornament from Paris and one from Austria a few days ago. My darling sister said “well, I guess we need to go back!”
Roxanne, we are both sentimental and love our memories. I am so sorry about your arthritis, I am also dealing with it. Kelly has the right idea, a trip back to Paris and Austria would be perfect!
It’s all so beautiful! You have such a gift of not only setting such an amazing table, but your photos are outstanding, catching the light in just the right angle and drawing the viewer in to feel like we are right there in the room! I always love the days when I have time to sit and catch up on your posts!
Thank you Cheryl.Your sweet comments are encouraging!
Such a delightful visit here today Pam. I sang every part of that song, as I read lol!
I haven’t started Christmas decorating yet, although I do have the gifts all finished & ready.
You have inspired me to begin 😊
Blessings sweet friend, Jennifer
Thank you Jennifer. I could almost hear you singing! Blessings always sweet friend!
Pam
Pam, The Sunshine Cottage is all decorated for the holidays! The little guitar is just adorable! I can see you and Butch enjoying a quiet meal together then singing Christmas songs together with Butch playing a regular sized guitar. It’s nice to have a little escape so close to home! Your MMB centerpiece is beautiful. I have been decorating so that’s why I’m behind in my reading. I’m not finished yet but making progress! Clara❤️
Clara, I totally understand. I still am in the process of decorating. Thank you❤️
lWhat a lovely spot for a table for two — and I love the idea of elevating grilled cheese with such a glorious setting. It’s all lovely but my favorite piece was the guitar — so personal and with memory, along with your own connection to music.
Thank you, Jeanie. I thought the guitar added a sweet touch to the table!
Pam, we must be sisters that were separated at birth! I know we share our love for John Denver and each have one son about the same age, but when you enjoy Karen Carpenter as much as me there can be no doubt we are somehow related. We consider the Carpenters Christmas Portrait the best Christmas album ever and we have been listening to it in the car all of November. Your Sunshine cottage is lovely and I really love those pretty dishes. Thanks for sharing your decorating talents with all of us. Merry
Christmas.
Darlene, I agree! We seem to have much in common. Karen Carpenter’s voice is pure magic! I have been playing the Christmas Portrait album since November! Thank you my friend for your sweet comments. Wishing you all a joy-filled Christmas season!
Beautiful! I love the little guitar.
All the verses of Joy to the World are so moving, definitely one of my favorites!
Merry Christmas!
Thank you Amber. Merry Christmas!