Monthly Archives: December 2023

Ephemera

Still Very Merry

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I am not one of those persons who goes crazy for holiday decorating. Years ago I decided to get rid of the ordinary round balls and tinsel and only go with ornaments that remind me of trips and special moments. I do love the gradual accretion over time of each years’ ornaments. And this year is no exception, as I have added new ornaments to the cast of characters. They were what appealed at the moment, there isn’t really a decorating theme, just lots of sub-themes.

It’s not crystal, it’s a plastic deer, but I love it and it joins a number of others in my collection. I don’t know where it fits in the theme of Christmas, but I like to look at deer. (Even though the local herd has gone somewhere else this year and I seldom see them.)

I saw this fire-breathing felt Welsh dragon in the shops last month and I thought it was adorable. So this joins the felt dinosaurs of last year.

I mentioned at a ladies luncheon that I had acquired a new dragon for my tree and that I also had another dragon from prior years. So my friend decided that this dragon needed to live at my home. She had this for a number of years, but it was the lone dragon on her tree, so she gave it to me to join the crew.

Lions are supposed to be the “king of the beasts” and they probably got the title because they are an apex predator. The lion has been used in British heraldry since people noticed that they are apex predators, and who doesn’t want to be at the top?

I didn’t have a proper nativity set (and I still don’t), but I thought that this one was rather nice. As I looked at it more closely, I noticed that it includes a teapot, a detail missing in most sets. And the baby has a tiny mouse stuck to the bottom of it’s foot, so it’s possibly not a newborn. Peace on Earth is always a good idea.

So this is the current display, and as you can tell, I went a little crazy with the Welsh dragons. I was going to give the excess away (is there such a thing as too many dragons?) but they looked so fabulous as a herd that I couldn’t part with them. This is the current line-up, until they are displaced in turn by whatever I find for next year. (Except that the dragons are so cool, they may have to stay up year round). You will never find this particular decorating tip on Instagram and that is probably for the best.

Town

Skeletons about Town

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Well one expects to see skeletons, etc. during Halloween (formerly only Oct. 31st, but it now lasts the entire month of October), although there are also iconoclasts that just love skeletons.

This cheerful skeleton sits out on the front porch as if to watch the world go by (if only it had eyes). Before television this was allegedly something that people did (I don’t know this personally, it’s just a rumor).

This stern skeleton is encouraging one to get something done to one’s car. I’m not sure what that thing is, but I feel a strong urge to obey.

This skeleton can be found in a rather trendy restaurant/bar. The place is crowded with ephemera and smug young persons. It was once a lovely place to have a leisurely lunch, but now it is infested with hipsters and tourists. Perhaps it is there to remind people of their ultimate fate, or it may be merely decorative.

Skeletons seem to be nosey, like this local, peering onto the porch of a neighbor. It’s ever vigilant to guard against the possible doorbell ringer. In our time, the skeleton is there to prevent whatever neighbors might call. And it’s protection against evangelists, politicians and random solar/window salespersons, so well done Mr. Bones.