Here are the Hyatt Arcade in downtown Cleveland, the Christmas season is still in the air. The bunting is hung on the bright metal railings, the lights are strung along the facades, and down at the far end of the arcade is the Christmas tree, still fully lit and adorned with a star. Christmas is more than two weeks past, but I don’t mind holding on to it a little bit longer.
Posts Tagged ‘Christmas’
The Season’s Last Gasp (II)
Posted in Photography, tagged Christmas, Cleveland, Holiday decorations, Holidays, Hyatt Arcade, Ohio, Photography on January 8, 2013 | 3 Comments »
The Season’s Last Gasp
Posted in Photography, tagged Christmas, Holiday decorations, Holidays, Hotels, Mayflower Hotel, Photography, Washington D.C. on January 2, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
When I arrived at the Mayflower in Washington, D.C. today, the staff was taking down the Christmas decorations — a sure sign that the holiday season is over, a new year has begun, and it’s time to get back to work. I did manage to arrive before all of the flourishes were removed, however, and therefore got to enjoy this very pretty arrangement of Christmas trees adorning the gleaming first floor ballroom hallway.
Caribbean Christmas Colors
Posted in Photography, Travel, tagged Antigua, Caribbean, Christmas, Flowers, Photography, Travel, Tropics on December 25, 2012 | 2 Comments »
It’s not hard to find the traditional Christmas colors of red and green down here, in the lush tropical vegetation, to put the visitor in the proper holiday frame of mind.
Merry Christmas, Mon!
Posted in Humor, Photography, Travel, tagged Antigua, Caribbean, Christmas, Holidays, Humor, Photography, St. John's, Travel on December 25, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
From the shores of the Caribbean — where one holiday celebrant in St. John’s, Antigua, danced under Christmas decorations while wearing a Viking helmet, a rag skirt, a tunic, and underneath it all a t-shirt covered with characters from the Fat Albert cartoon show– we wish our friends and readers a very merry and perhaps somewhat zany Christmas.
Happy Holidays!
Plunge Pool, Christmas Eve
Posted in Music, Photography, Travel, World, tagged '80s music, Addicted To Love, Antigua, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Drinks, English Harbour Rhum, Photography, Robert Palmer, Santa Claus, Travel, World on December 24, 2012 | 1 Comment »
We’re out on the front porch, drinking rum drinks made with English Harbour Aged 5 Years Rhum (distilled right here on Antigua), listening to ’80s music (Robert Palmer’s Addicted to Love was one of the greatest videos every, wasn’t it?), looking at the plunge pool and the lights twinkling across the bay, and waiting for Santa Claus to make his visit. Only a few hours to go!
Merry Christmas, everyone!
A Slim Whitman Christmas
Posted in Humor, Music, tagged Christmas, Christmas Songs, Humor, Music, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Slim Whitman on December 19, 2012 | 2 Comments »
If you’re finding yourself lacking in Christmas spirit, there’s one sure cure — the distinctive vocal stylings of Slim Whitman, the yodeling troubador who sold records by the carload on late-night TV in the 1980s. His memorable rendition of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town is a holiday classic.
Cookies On The Go
Posted in Family, Food, Photography, tagged Christmas, Christmas cookie pictures, Christmas Cookies, Family, Food, Photography on December 18, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
The holiday baking is done — a little later than normal, but the last few weeks have been a lot busier than I expected — and this morning the last step in the process has been completed.
My Christmas cookies have been placed into festive cookie tins lined with bright striped paper. The bar cookies and heavier items go on the bottom and the iced sugar cookies and lighter fare sit on top. I always aim for a colorful presentation so that when the recipients open their cookie tins they are greeted by a riotous selection of different options and have to make a tough initial choice.
With the delivery of my cookies, my last pre-Christmas task has been completed. Now I can sink back with a sigh and revel in the holidays and my family.
Blue Tree
Posted in Columbus, Photography, tagged Christmas, Christmas Trees, Columbus, Easton Town Center, Holiday decorations, Photography on December 17, 2012 | 1 Comment »
This year’s holiday decorations at the Easton Town Center shopping center here in Columbus are just beautiful. The towering, blue-lit pine tree placed in the fountain on the north side of the Easton development, with its lights reflected in the fountain pool, is especially striking.
Easing Into The Holidays
Posted in America, Humor, Movies, Reflections, Work, tagged America, Christmas, Christmas Cookies, Christmas Creep, Christmas Spirit, Holidays, Humor, Miracle On 34th Street, Reflections, The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Work on December 17, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
America used to work, hard, up until the very day a holiday arrived. Think of the original Miracle on 34th Street if you don’t believe me — the competency hearing for jolly Kris Kringle goes into the afternoon on Christmas Eve before the Post Office rides to the rescue. The same was true when I started working; the day after Thanksgiving, for example, was a normal work day.
Now, we tend to ease into the holidays. You might call it “holiday creep.” The days before and after have gradually become part of the festive celebration. It’s like we’ve adopted the concept of The Twelve Days of Christmas, except there are no partridges in pear trees at the office. It must drive the productivity experts nuts.
As Christmas grows ever closer, there is less traffic on the roads to and from work. We know that many of our fellow commuters have already left on holiday, and their absence makes our own journey less teeth-grinding. At work itself, the dress code is relaxed, and the pace is more laid back. People are wearing their holiday sweaters and pins and ties and socks. Everyone lingers a bit longer around the coffee station and snack room, asking their co-workers of their holiday plans and sharing their own. We are all thinking of the wonderful family time to come and letting the holiday work its magic on our spirits.
So, at work today, have a cup of coffee and a Christmas cookie and ask that person down the hall how they are doing. It’s not quite Christmas, according to the calendar, but it’s Christmas just the same.
An Easton Christmas Scene
Posted in Columbus, Photography, tagged Christmas, Christmas Photos, Christmas Scenes, Columbus, Easton Town Center, Photography on December 16, 2012 | 2 Comments »
We went to the Apple Store for our iPad purchase, and the Easton shopping center is all dolled up for the holidays. They have a horse-drawn carriage making the rounds, driven by groomsmen in old-fashioned clothing. When this relic of a traditional 19th-century Christmas passes by under the dazzling electric light display, it’s a bit jarring — but it’s a pretty scene nevertheless.
Second Baking Day, 2012
Posted in Food, Photography, tagged Baking, Christmas, Christmas Cookies, Food, Photography on December 16, 2012 | 1 Comment »
Yesterday the day got off to a bad start when our hand mixer broke after 30 years of faithful service. A quick trip to Meijer for the $10 Sunbeam on display here got us back on track, however, and we successfully made our new Fritos concoction, the always popular cranberry hootycreeks, lemon bars, peanut butter cookies with white chocolate, and gingerbread trees with lemon drizzle. Today we’ve got a full day of baking ahead of us, starting with sugar cookies and Dutch spice cookies. We’ll also be tackling some of the interesting new recipes I’ve found this year.
North Of Woods Holiday Lights — 2012 (III)
Posted in College, Photography, tagged Christmas, Christmas Lights, Columbus, Holiday decorations, New Albany, Photography on December 15, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Stille Nacht
Posted in Family, Music, Music videos, tagged Choral Music, Christmas, Christmas Songs, Family, Holidays, Music, Music videos, Silent Night, Stille Nacht on December 13, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Folks, we’re really closing in on Christmas. This weekend Richard will be returning home, I’ll finally be doing my long-delayed holiday baking, and it will seem a lot more like Christmas as a result.
When I think of Christmas, I think of Christmas music — particularly choral music. My idealized vision of a perfect Christmas moment is this kind of choral rendition of Silent Night, in a beautiful high key with the simple melody soaring, as I stand with a glass of full-bodied red wine in hand and look out on snow falling gently through a dark night sky, knowing that Kish and the boys are at home with me, safe and sound and ready for our holiday celebration.
North Of Woods Christmas Lights, 2012 (II)
Posted in Columbus, tagged Christmas, Christmas Lights, Columbus, Holiday decorations, Holidays, New Albany, North of Woods, Photography on December 11, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
I like the ethereal feel of twirly lights in bare trees as a general rule, but I particularly like how these creative neighbors set things up so that the twirly lights in the trees are linked with the lights along the roofline.
Calling For Christmas Cookie Recipes — 2012 (IV)
Posted in Food, tagged Buttery Rosemary-Orange Shortbread, Calling For Christmas Cookie Recipes, Christmas, Christmas Cookie Recipes, Christmas Cookies, Food, Holidays on December 10, 2012 | 1 Comment »
Shortbread probably seems a bit old-fashioned, but I’ve always liked its taste — and during the holidays, what might otherwise be quaint and therefore boring just becomes “traditional” and cool.
Buttery Rosemary-Orange Shortbread
Ingredients: 1 cup chilled unsalted butter; 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary; 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest; 1/2 cup sugar (plus additional sugar for sprinkling); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 3 cups flour; 1 egg white, beaten to blend
Combine butter, rosemary, orange zest, and 1/2 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until ingredients are combined and butter is very smooth. Add salt and flour. Beat for several minutes, until a cohesive dough forms.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Cut into 2-by-2 inch bars.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a spatula to transfer cookies to prepared baking sheet, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush tops of cookies with egg white. Sprinkle with additional sugar. Bake until very light tan in color, about 25 minutes. Cool slightly on sheets on wire racks, then transfer to racks and cool completely.
Calling For Christmas Cookie Recipes — 2012
Calling For Christmas Cookie Recipes — 2012 (II)
