Innehållsförteckning för Victoria Classics Holiday Bliss 2014 från Victoria

“MAY YOU HAVE THE GLADNESS OF CHRISTMAS WHICH IS HOPE; THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS WHICH IS PEACE; THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS WHICH IS LOVE.” —Ada V. Hendricks Planning for Christmas offers an excellent opportunity for thinking like an interior designer. Why not move furniture pieces that have occupied the same spaces for months, store a portion of the room’s decorative items, and create a fabulous setting for special celebrations with those you love? Although I reserve the two days following Thanksgiving for adorning my house and a towering evergreen, I start thinking of the approaching season and making lists long before November arrives. Many years, I have crafted a decorator look, using a coordinated color scheme for ribbons, candles, garlands, gift wrap, and ornaments. Other times, I simply opened the…

The Christmas trees are decorated with elephants, zebras, giraffes, and clowns; the table is graced with a fishbowl filled with plump oranges; and tarlatan stockings hang near a Victorian mantel. Ladies and gentlemen, let the show of shows begin! Come late fall, Wendy Addison turns Theatre of Dreams, a combination shop/studio and her private residence, into a holiday extravaganza. “In my world, it’s not only Christmas that is made of magic,” she says. “Magic is for every day.” Wendy, an artist, takes old sheet music, tarnished tinsel, vintage crepe paper, Victorian ephemera, and German glass glitter and transforms them into what she calls “objects for an imaginary life.” “IN MY WORLD, IT’S NOT ONLY CHRISTMAS THAT IS MADE OF MAGIC. MAGIC IS FOR EVERY DAY.” —Wendy Addison Ornaments, masks, hand-cut…

“Take joy. That’s what I do,” said Tasha Tudor, the beloved illustrator and author, whose simple, peaceful way of life in rural Vermont infused her work with wit and wisdom. Although generations of readers have delighted in Tasha’s knack for celebrating everyday life and finding happiness in the smallest tasks, her philosophy especially inspires me at Christmastime. This year, as the holiday season approaches, I go to the bookshelf and reach for the volume that declares in bold red capital letters TAKE JOY! The Tasha Tudor Christmas Book—a collection of songs, stories, poems, and activities that has inspired our family for years and has become a tradition in its own right. Sitting down with a cup of tea, I open the book and remember Tasha, who died in 2008, at…

The literary world was introduced to one of its great lights on December 16, 1775. Although, in an irony Jane Austen no doubt would have appreciated, that fact would remain unacknowledged universally for at least a century after her death. Of her personal life we know little, save what historians have gleaned from letters and firstperson accounts from loved ones. Of Miss Austen’s unparalleled wit and clever sensibility, however, we know a great deal. The authoress, who famously vowed to “let other pens dwell on guilt and misery,” began writing plays for her family’s amusement as a child and had progressed to novels by age 14. Tea played an important role in Jane Austen’s daily life, and it is frequently and affectionately mentioned in her manuscripts. And so we can…

When Maria von Trapp first gazed at the snow-blanketed hills and valleys of Vermont’s Green Mountains after she and her family fled Nazi-occupied Austria, the area looked much like home—a sister scene to her beloved Alps. In 1943, the famous Sound of Music singing troupe bought a farm on Luce Hill, near Stowe, and welcomed guests to their farmhouse. Four decades later, fire destroyed the original house, but within three years, the family had rebuilt and created a ninety-six-room inn that embraces Austrian style and outdoor vigor. Comprising 2,500 acres, the property includes villas and chalets, as well as a restaurant, garden, brewery, and bakery. The resort continues to thrive in the hands of third-generation von Trapps. Although the singing tours ceased in 1955, hospitality is now the high note…

“PEACE ON THE EARTH, GOODWILL TO MEN, FROM HEAVEN’S ALL-GRACIOUS KING! THE WORLD IN SOLEMN STILLNESS LAY, TO HEAR THE ANGELS SING.” —Edmund Hamilton Sears…

Ruby red and refreshing, our Christmas Cosmopolitan, opposite, is a festive drink that guests will love. The cocktail beautifully complements creamy Smoked Gouda & Walnut Spread, which is irresistible as a topping on savory Handmade Salt & Pepper Crackers, right. Holiday Relish makes a sweettasting addition to the menu. Christmas Cosmopolitan Makes approximately 10 drinks Crushed ice 3¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons pure cranberry juice 2 cups simple syrup 1¾ cups gin 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Garnish: cranberries threaded on fresh rosemary sprigs Fill a large pitcher three-fourths full with crushed ice. Combine cranberry juice, simple syrup, gin, and lemon juice. Serve chilled over ice. Garnish with cranberryembellished rosemary sprigs, if desired. Holiday Relish Makes 16 to 18 servings 3 cups blood-orange juice 2⁄3 cup sugar 4 cinnamon sticks…

ONE OF THE LEADING LIGHTS OF THE FAMED PARISIAN SALONS IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, MADELEINE DE SCUDÉRY LEAVES US THE IDEAL WORDS TO TOAST SUCH A SPECIAL OCCASION: “SPEAK WORTHILY OF TRIFLING THINGS AND SIMPLY OF GRAND THINGS.” One of the architects of the most reputable salons was the marquise de Rambouillet, a woman of letters admired for her social skills and graces. So popular were her gatherings that her home became known as the Hôtel de Rambouillet, described in Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable as “the reunion of rank and literary genius on terms of equality; a coterie where sparkling wit and polished manners prevail.” To create your own salonlike gathering, first consider your guests. An adept mix of people will ensure lively and pleasant discourse on a…

“WHEN WE’RE DESIGNING, WE TRY TO STAY ROOTED IN TRADITION BUT ALSO SPRINKLE IN BITS OF NOSTALGIA AND WHIMSY.” —Kendall Kerby…

Despite rising to prominence as commander of the Continental Army and achieving acclaim as the father of his country, George Washington was called back throughout his life to his home at Mount Vernon, on the banks of the Potomac River in Fairfax County, Virginia. The site remains an ever-popular destination, especially during the winter months. Each year, from the day after Thanksgiving through January 6, the estate hosts Christmas at Mount Vernon. During this season of hospitality, guests can view an elaborate holiday course in the dining room and explore the usually private third floor of the Georgian mansion. Hand-cut boughs of greenery crown the doorways, and a dazzling array of opulent trees decorate the grounds. Spectators are invited to step into the quarters during an evening event called Mount…

“FOR CHRISTMAS IS TRADITION TIME-TRADITIONS THAT RECALL / THE PRECIOUS MEMORIES DOWN THE YEARS, / THE SAMENESS OF THEM ALL.” –Helen Lowrie Marshall…

When it comes to decking the halls, Janet Rooney has always been exuberant. “I suppose more is more,” she says with a laugh, “and more is better.” Treasures from relatives have sparked vignettes throughout her home. The dining room features a wedding present from her late husband’s parents—an exquisite tea set Janet displays with other vintage silver finds. Emphasizing the rich patina of the accoutrements, natural elements contribute Yuletide flair to the stunning grouping. Nearly twenty-five years ago, her brother gave the couple a Department 56 “The Old Curiosity Shop.” Charmed by the English architecture of the Dickens’ Village Series, Janet and Ralph expanded their wee hamlet over the decades, adding buildings and accessories to the landscape of miniatures. Varying the placement of seasonal trimmings showcases their versatility. European-style Santas…

Each October, I begin to listen once again to the music that opens my heart. My husband smiles. My sisters and my mother, if they happen to visit while a carol is playing, roll their eyes and exclaim, “Too soon!” My children understand. They let the music carry their imaginations into the snow-sparkling month of December. With each note, my memories swell, one growing into another—like the branches of a noble fir. The bottom ones are densest, for the early years of Christmas are thick with excitement and mystery. Bing Crosby sings, and I am transported to my fifth Christmas, the year I heard the drumming of reindeer hooves atop our house. Later, I learned it was only pecan percussion, the nuts gathered and tossed onto the roof by my…

Towering alabaster pillars may be the closest thing Madison, Georgia, gets to a white Christmas, but even without snow, the town transforms into a picture-perfect holiday card. With the community’s 3,900 citizens intent on merrymaking, cookie baking, and decorating every nook and cranny of the village, the Yuletide season draws people here from near and far. After a ceremonial flip of a switch to open the festivities, thousands of lights illuminate the town center’s imposing Morgan County Courthouse, built in 1905. Trees line its broad balcony, and wreaths and bows adorn the heavy doors. Nearby shops are decorated lavishly, as if Scarlett O’Hara herself might appear at any moment, dressed in layers of petticoats and twirling a red parasol. The old-fashioned gazebo hosts choirs performing traditional carols. It is not…