Indholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2020 i Victoria

Dear Friends Pondering reader letters on page 11, as well as the Writer-in-Residence and Chimes essays in this issue, I marvel at how memories of Christmas continue to shape modern celebrations, and thoughts drift to my youth. In our household, the festivities began with a day of cookie-making. On the eve of this annual event, Mother would prepare the homemade dough, pull out metal cutters reserved for the occasion, and ready her cookie jar for the goodness to come. I can almost feel the warmth of that long-ago cozy kitchen, full of merriment as we children rushed to the counter. My sister and I devoted ourselves wholeheartedly to fashioning works of art, while our brother had the most fun eating frosting straight from the bowl. All three of us remember…

“ELEGANCE DOES NOT CATCH THE EYE. IT STAYS IN MEMORY.”—Giorgio Armani…

WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE Pages 13–14: Reeve Lindbergh, daughter of aviator-authors Anne Morrow and Charles A. Lindbergh, is the author of more than two dozen books. To sample more of Reeve’s work, including her newest collection of essays, Two Lives, visit her website at reevelindbergh.com. ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE Pages 15–16: Erin Benzakein, author of Cut Flower Garden and the newly released A Year in Flowers, is the owner of Floret Farm in Washington’s Skagit Valley. To learn more about Erin’s work, visit her website at floretflowers.com. BESTOWING BLISS Page 17: Crown Linen Designs: Victorian Linen Napkin in Red, $19, Natale Throw Pillow in Cream Velvet with Multi Embroidery, call for pricing; 425-406-8975, crownlinendesigns.com. Lands Down Under: Lemongrass Herringbone Pillow, $110; 800-790-0332, landsdownunder.com. Pages 17–18: Lands Down Under: Scarlet Brushed Mohair Throw, $298, 800-790-0332, landsdownunder.com. Page…

Visit our website to read this issue’s online stories and to find more of the content you love. Take a closer look at some of our favorite November/December features: Lighting the Way Admire the twinkling splendor of Filoli Historic House & Garden, dressed to welcome the season in grand holiday style. The Essence of Christmas The home of Hillhouse Naturals co-owner Tracy Batts delights the senses, as the brand’s signature fragrances enhance the sights and sounds of Yuletide. Gifts from Our Kitchen Download our festive printable Gingerbread Cookies recipe card, and find a blank version suitable for taking note of other favorite dishes worth sharing. Escape to Vienna With the city’s lovely architecture serving as an exquisite backdrop for a winter tour, explore Austria’s famed Christmas markets to find an inspiring…

Some of the best materials to preserve are statice, globe amaranth (gomphrena), cress, and larkspur. Drying flowers is easy: Just pick them when they are fully open but not overly ripe, and hang them upside down in a warm, dry place for a few weeks until firm and completely dry. Gently wrap dried bundles in newspaper, and store them away until winter, when they come in handy for wreath-making, crafts, and weaving in with fresh flowers. Dried material is quite fragile, so handle it with care. For the bouquet shown opposite, I scoured our property for unexpected ingredients. Chocolatey azalea foliage, maroon pieris buds, and copper yew set off large peach amaryllis. Dried strawflowers and fragrant hyacinths accentuate the soft palette, while creamy spray roses add softness. I saved the…

“DINING IS AND ALWAYS WAS A GREAT ARTISTIC OPPORTUNITY.”—Frank Lloyd Wright SEE RECIPE INDEX, PAGE 101, FOR RECIPE INFORMATION.…

“CHRISTMAS—THAT MAGIC BLANKET THAT WRAPS ITSELF ABOUT US, THAT SOMETHING SO INTANGIBLE THAT IT IS LIKE A FRAGRANCE.”—Augusta E. Rundel…

“THE NUTCRACKER SITS UNDER THE HOLIDAY TREE, A GUARDIAN OF CHILDHOOD STORIES.”—Vera Nazarian…

Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of Victoria Classics Book Club selection Little House on the Prairie, observed, “Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime.” Readers reminisce about past holidays, sharing cherished moments from their youth that still claim an important role in today’s celebrations. Living with my grandparents, Yuletide was always special. An old-fashioned, real tree took center stage in our living room, with brightly colored bulbs and glass ornaments from Germany adorning the boughs. Grandpa’s handmade wooden manger and wooden candlesticks added to the scene, while Grandma’s carefully stitched Christmas curtains hung in the kitchen. Those shimmering ornaments now decorate my tree, and that treasured manger sits beneath it.…

“MY IDEA OF CHRISTMAS, WHETHER OLD-FASHIONED OR MODERN, IS VERY SIMPLE: LOVING OTHERS.”—Bob Hope…

In search of a second home with ample land for hunting, Jennifer and Mitchell Britt came across a circa 1833 Carolina cottage, complete with a classic dogtrot hallway and a dedicated chapel room, originally built for Juliet and Stephen Palmer. It had been vacant for years, but Jennifer could see beyond the layers of peeling paint to the charm beneath. Though her husband claimed “no power on this earth” would make him purchase the place, he had a change of heart, and the next morning, the papers were signed. The couple spent more than two decades painstakingly restoring the house they named Magnolia Glen, a nod to the 400-year-old tree whose roots have formed a natural bridge across a creek on the property. They did most of the work themselves,…

When magnate William Bowers Bourn II and his wife, Agnes, selected a picturesque parcel of land, midway between San Francisco and San Jose, on which to build their country house, they chose Willis Polk, an eclectic architect with a penchant for combining styles, to design the residence. Completed in 1917, the estate was bestowed with the unique name, Filoli—an acronym for Bourn’s personal motto: “Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life.” For the gardens, the Bourns turned to a master of many trades, Bruce Porter. Along with landscape design, his talents extended to painting, stained glass work, and art critique. His ambitious plans for Filoli, which included many elements found in classic English estates, evolved from 1917 to 1929 and continued to flourish through…

Like most other women in farming families, Peggy Batts knows the value of resourcefulness. More than three decades ago, she began crafting wreaths, potpourri, and sachets made from the abundance of wildflowers, herbs, and botanicals that grew around her Kentucky farm. This brought in a little extra income, to be sure, but more importantly, it fed her creative spirit. Peggy’s daughter, Tracy Sullivan, began helping in her mother’s growing business when she was still a child; her after-school “job” entailed picking blossoms destined for her mother’s creations. Christened Hillhouse Naturals—their house sat atop a hill—the company has expanded through the years and now produces a panoply of products, ranging from candles and diffusers to detergent. In addition to the original line, Tracy started Field + Fleur, a division featuring her…

Unpacking holiday adornments and readying my home for Yuletide, my heart fills with joy as I reminisce on celebrations of Christmases past. I linger in this quiet space, awaiting my grown children’s return home while savoring the memory of a special teatime when my daughter Mandi, now a new mother of a daughter, was just five years old. It was the first Christmas in our new house, and we decided to commemorate the move by inviting her girlfriends and their mothers to a tea party and cookie swap. Mandi and I share many things, including our love of tea, baking, and Christmastime, so hosting this event was a delightful addition to our annual festivities. We decked our halls, baked copious assortments of cookies, purchased our favorite seasonal tea, and created…