In a bowl on Monday: Holiday decor

I like to go over the top at Christmas with cooking, with decor, with books and magazines devoted to the subject. I have a big closet in the basement filled with boxes of decorations so there's lots of material to work with. As a result, I decided I would not buy any special items to use around the house.

Instead I recreated something on the order of an arrangement I did last year. Along with the holiday decorations, we also replaced or re-hung two dozen pieces of 2-D art throughout the house last week, as well as a number of sculptural objects. One of the changes was moving Tom Sargeant's beautiful painting to the wall above the Chinese wine tables. I love Tom's painting too much to ever relegate it to the basement storage. 

I didn't want the holiday arrangements to distract from the painting so I kept it simple. A little drama from the scale of our Italian putti candlestick and Mark Skudlarek's bowl. The bowl, pomegranates and pebbles are all the same as last year. But this time I added some cherries to enhance the red theme. And, no, those cherries are not real.

I aways buy a few fresh pomegranates at Christmas and let them dry after the holidays, so I didn't count them as a special purchase. There is nothing like their rosy glow to bring a smile to my face.

Given all the pomegranates I've dried over the years, I needed to find a use for them as well. They go in a big bowl that was originally filled with dried seeds, pods, pine cones and pomanders. Slowly I've added glittery items including mini lights.

This bowl (by Win Byers) sits on a long embroidered red and black fabric table runner from India. It looks great going down the length of the table but then we are always pushing the whole display out of the way when we eat dinner or want to work at the table. So I've relegated the display to the end of the table where we can enjoy it even when we are working there.

Saturday night we had another couple over for dinner. We told them to decide at the last minute if the snow storm was bad enough to keep them at home but they decided to brave the weather. I tried a new recipe that was good enough that I'll make it again. We sat by the fire enjoying drinks and hors d'oeuvres with candles aglow around the room. The dining table was set with my grandmother's glam china and crystal but we were all casual and comfy in jeans and winter sweaters while the snow piled up outside. A perfect evening.

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what kind of arrangements other gardeners have created today.

Comments

[Barbara H.]

Lovely. I've never thought of buying pomegranates and letting them dry like that. It sounds like a perfect evening.

[Lisa at Greenbow]

Your "stuff" looks very holiday with the red and lights. Doesn't a good snow storm add an exciting tension to a gathering? I just love it.Happy Monday.

[Linda from Each Little World]

​Barbara —The pomegranates lose a lot of bright color when they dry and they shrink down. Every now and then one gets moldy before it totally dries but usually I don't have any problems. Some of them are quite old.

[Linda from Each Little World]

Lisa — I must admit that I enjoyed the snow more knowing that I did not have to drive home in it! Luckily they do not live very far from our house.

[Susie]

Linda, it's lovely to surround yourself with special decorations for the holidays. Do you have any tips for drying pomegranates. Bought one before Thanksgiving that I haven't used and it seems to be drying on its own. The Tom Sargeant work is terrific.

[Linda from Each Little World]

​Susie — I usually just set them on a paper towel in my pantry which is off the dining room and has louvered doors. So they get air circulation but limited light and it's not too hot or cold. I think too much moist heat will make them rot. I check them periodically to see how they're doing and if they have any soft spots. I've actually had some get a bad spot but then it all dried up and just left a black mark on the outside of the pomegranate.

Tom Sergeant and I were in a number of summer art classes so it is very nice to own such a lovely piece by an artist whose progress I got to watch.

[Peter/Outlaw]

Delicious food, stunning, festive surroundings, good friends, and casual dress coalesce to create a perfect evening. Your style is always an inspiration!

[Linda from Each Little World]

Peter — Thanks for those kind words.

[Loree / danger garden]

I dried my first pomegranates simply by accident of laziness. I think it's time I do it again! I love those bright festive cherries, are they glass?

[Cathy]

What a lovely evening you must have had, and your bowl of 'stuff' is really pretty. I like the idea of drying pomegranates and will perhaps give it a try - and see what else I could dry too as I have the perfect dish for them that would lovely on a winter table. Thanks for sharing

[Joanna]

I do love a house full of Christmas decorations, especially old favourites. I try to make or buy new ones each year, just a few, so that I too can have a cheery, festive abode! The dried pomegranates are gorgeous. I am not sure I could let one go uneaten though! If I see any going cheap I might try it, though I have had another idea of using the shells once scooped out. Thank you for the inspiration.

[Linda from Each Little World]

Loree. - Not sure what material the cherries are. Not glass and very lightweight. Perhaps papier mache with an almost lacquerd finish.

[Kris P]

Everything is beautifully arranged, Linda, and I've no doubt your guests felt that the trip on the wintry roads was worth it. All those small touches pack a powerful impact.

[Amelia Grant]

Sounds like a wonderful dinner party. And I love your pomegranate bowl.

[Eliza Waters]

I love this bowl of goodies with the mini-lights, Linda. I love pomegranates, too, but more to eat than to dry. ;)

[Beth @ PlantPostings]

Very nice. What better time is there to go over the top than now? The weather outside might be frightful, but your hearth is certainly delightful. Beautiful!

[Linda from Each Little World]

Beth — Nice nod to both our weather and holiday tunes!

[Cath from Absent Gardener]

Beautiful, it looks very festive and sounds like a very cosy and happy holiday atmosphere.