Nordic Trees Pan~Seasonal Sunday

Pullllease, don’t mention it if you have already taken down your tree!  I never knew  anyone did that  till I started blogging.  But I never knew anyone had guests on Christmas Eve either.  I guess everyone has their own customs.

I can’t imagine having to do that.  I feel like I just got the decorations up.  We always kept ours up till the Epiphany.

Maybe it is a regional thing, but New Years Day there are many open houses and people like to see the trees and decorations.  What is the rush, unless you have a live tree that has been up too long and is bald?  Or maybe if you are headed South for the winter.

I dread the thought of the hours and hours of work taking it all down.  Then everything looks so bare.

We will be here, so not till the Three Kings arrive will the decorations be leaving! 

We always refer to this as Christmas week, lots of visiting and entertaining, and of course, some happy returns!

I haven’t gotten out yet, but I have a few bags that have to go back.

My friend Gail gifted me with the Nordic Pan. I know, all of you want to be Gail’s friend! 

I like that it can be used all winter, which here in NY lasts till March.  I think that is another reason we hold on to the Christmas lights, it brightens the dark, cold nights.

Here’s what the cake looks like on the label.

It has chocolate on the bottom, and white on the top.

Here’s mine.

The inside…

I had to make 2 recipes , a chocolate cake and a vanilla pound cake. I use Ina Garten’s with a few additions.

That was too much for the pan, so I made this.

This came to 1.59 with Gail’s 20% off coupon from Snip Snap.com at Christmas Tree.

It is a good weight, I think it will last for many years.

I poured the light in first, then swirled the chocolate through it.

I haven’t cut it yet though.

I think the tree pan will be used a lot  this winter. (It came from Christmas Tree Shop, great prices on Nordic pans!)

  A simple dusting of confectionery sugar on a very moist pound cake is all you need.  Yes, of course, a scoop of ice cream couldn’t hurt!

Please join me this week for Let’s Dish.  You can still link up your Christmas table, I left the link open  as the next Let’s Dish is for New Years or non Christmas tables.  You can link a second on to that link if you have another Christmas table, that way we will keep all the Christmas together.

Hope you are enjoying Christmas week, relaxing and enjoying your Christmas lights!

I am joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday.

If you missed last week’s Let’s Dish, stop over and see some beautiful tables. There are some good ideas for New Year’s too!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Let’s DIsh Christmas Edition~Irish You a Merry Christmas!

Nollaig shona dhuit! (Happy Christmas!/Merry Christmas!)
Pronounce it something like /Null-eg hunna ghwitch/

I knew you would want to know that, LOL!

Only a day left before Christmas!  I wanted to do an Irish Christmas table.



I started with a cream colored cloth as the dishes are not a true white.

I used my faux Belleek, the ones I got at Christmas Tree Shop.  A green glass charger  by Gorham is underneath.



A dark green cotton napkin and a cream colored trimmed with green is tied with ribbon to look like a SHAMROCK.



An Irish Santa carrying a tiny lantern graces each plate. I got them from Factory Direct Crafts.com for less than a dollar.

Green stem by Gorham, and Waterford Lismore wine glass.



The centerpiece is a silver compote, filled with fresh greens, pine cones,  baby’s breath and green and silver ornaments.  I put a candle in the center.



Both sides of the centerpiece are flanked with Mikassa candlesticks.

  I took a block of oasis and pushed in over the top of the stick. The candlestick has a little lip to hold the oasis.   I cut it to fit, and then added fresh greens from the yard.

Be sure to soak your oasis first, overnight is best.  Weight it down.  Make sure you don’t get the foam for dried silk flowers, easy to make that mistake!






Our crackers are adorned with holly, an important symbol of an Irish Christmas.

When I was young, my mom would fashion wreaths of holly wrapped in ribbons for my 3 sisters and me to wear on our heads to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

Thank goodness for bobby pins!

It wasn’t our tradition to have company on Christmas Eve, our celebration was Christmas Day.
  Our tree was put up on Christmas Eve, and not a day sooner.  The first time we saw it lit was Christmas morning!


The flatware is by Wallace, trimmed with gold.



We had a little “veranda” built out side the French Doors  when we replaced all the porch railing in the Spring.  I think I will put a tree up there next year! This year I just hung some lights.






My very own Irish Elf on a Shelf!

Wishing you all the joys and blessings of the season!  Merry Christmas!

Same rules to link up…ONE table related link, no word id, a link back to this party, blog name first, PLEASE!  Visit at least 5, and please leave a comment!

I will leave the link open until Monday  this week so you can share your Christmas tables.

Next Wed. is Jan 1, New Year’s, so please show something NEW... New Yearsy, but not Christmas. lol!  If you have a Christmas table to show, please link it to this post,and  look back tables too. 

Thanks for your visits and comments, they are very appreciated.
I am joining Susan for Tablescape Thursday .

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays

Santa Can Leave My Gifts on the Porch~ Seasonal Sunday

Good evening, everyone, and it is a mild one here on Long Island.  At 5:30 the temperature is reading 56!  I hope wherever you are you are enjoying the season, and not exhausted from all the busy ness!
I wanted to show you my new porch tree.  Last year in January, I picked it up for 12.00 after all the discounts and coupons .  I got it at BBB with the porch in mind. 7ft. pre lit.
It was an experiment, I didn’t know if the wind would constantly knock it over.  So far so good, so next year I will add some ornaments.



My wreath is faux, with a French Horn wired in, and real greens from the yard.  It is battery operated, so it lights up at dark.  Look mom, no wires!  I added pine cones, baby’s breath and some ornaments.

See the speaker under the tree?  Christmas music fills the air!

Here’s how it looks at night.







I have a small one on the back deck so we can see it from the den.  It kept blowing over, so I took it out of the stand, and put it in the umbrella stand.
Ta Da, problem solved.  Next year I will do that on the front one too!  In the background you can see my white bench adorned with a wreath and some battery operated lights . Did I mention that there is no one here in winter and it is so DARK!

Please excuse the cord, I will have to hide that tomorrow!

I bought one of those Bliss lights (QVC) like they have in Disney World to see how it would work on the tree in front.  DH wasn’t up to climbing the ladder to put the lights on this year.
I wish they made them in white!  It would be so much easier than putting lights up!  If you look carefully, you can see the Holy Family in the lights.  See them?  If not you still have a few days to straighten up your act and get on the good list before Cmas! 
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!  I hope to post my special table Mon or Tues. for the Let’s Dish Christmas edition.
Tuesday the weather was a very different story, ice and snow.  Our gkids Christmas Concert was 90 miles away, but it was the Kdgn gson’s first, and I didn’t want to miss it!


Another gson in 2nd grade…

The third graders do the Nativity…

Seeing the whole school from Kdgn to 8th grade perform is such a spirit booster.  The grandparents eyes fill with tears as those little voices sing Silent Night!
Wishing you all the blessings of this holy season!
Hope your kitchen smells heavenly!


I am joining Alma for Seasonal Sunday. I am also joining Susan for Metamorphosis Mon.  Please go over and visit!
Thanks for stopping by!