Innehållsförteckning för Holiday Bliss 2024 från Victoria

Dear Friends In this Victoria Classics edition, we celebrate the festive mix of opportunities that Yuletide affords. We begin with “Decking the Halls,” offering inspiration for trimmings that add charm to indoor and outdoor spaces this time of year. “Grand Escapes” whisks us to exciting destinations, including Copenhagen and Prague, to explore these capital cities at the height of their seasonal splendor. Among the sites in this chapter, visit one of the oldest amusement parks in the world. Returning from our travels, we step into “Holiday Homes” and draw loved ones to the table for “Seasonal Gatherings.” Perusing this issue, I find myself wanting to linger in the historic environs on page 57. Can you imagine the childlike wonder of sharing a freshly baked sweet treat in this cottage-style kitchen?…

CREDITS CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS JANE HOPE: pages 13 and 27–46 MAC JAMIESON: pages 15–16 and 89–96 MARCY BLACK SIMPSON: pages 13–14, 18, and 63–72 CAROLINE SMITH: page 14 CONTRIBUTING STYLISTS SIDNEY BRAGIEL: pages 19–20 LANCE BRITT: pages 57–62 JENNIFER CHAPMAN: pages 63–72 MARY LEIGH GWALTNEY: pages 21–24 MALLORY SMITH: pages 49–56 EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS KASSIDY ABERNATHY: pages 33–38 and 75–80 KAREN CALLAWAY: pages 39–46 and 63–72 CONTRIBUTING RECIPE DEVELOPERS J. R. JACOBSON: pages 89–96 MEGAN LANKFORD: pages 81–88 TAYLOR FRANKLIN WANN: pages 89–96 WHERE TO SHOP & BUY Below is a listing of products and companies featured in this issue. Items not listed are privately owned and are not for sale. Pricing and availability may vary. Pages 11–20: Special thanks to Elizabeth and Price McGiffert. Floral styling by Gary Turner, gary@indianhillscountryclub.net. Adams…

“ONCE AGAIN, MY DEAR PEOPLE, MERRY CHRISTMAS IS HERE, WITH HOLLY AND MISTLETOE AND ITS GOOD WILL AND CHEER!”—Gertrude Tooley Buckingham “MAY THE LIGHT ILLUMINATE YOUR HEARTS AND SHINE IN YOUR LIFE EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR. MAY EVERLASTING PEACE BE YOURS AND UPON OUR EARTH.”—Eileen Anglin…

When December’s chill ushers most of us indoors, the historic Tivoli Gardens, a centuries-old amusement park and destination nestled in the center of Copenhagen, invites guests to delight in an outdoor Scandinavian holiday extravaganza. Tivoli blossoms with tulips and rhododendrons in springtime, sees crowds of families enjoying the park’s rides come summer, and spills over with pumpkins and endless autumnal delights later in the year. But as flowers fade and cooler temperatures suggest it may be time to don scarves and toboggans, the gardens glimmer with holiday cheer. Aisles of market stalls selling handmade crafts, ornaments, and other unique gifts line The Parterre Garden, where a towering evergreen anchors Yuletide celebrations. Traditional dances and Christmas carols fill the frosty air, though a jolly old soul dressed in a red velvet…

When Bonnie McIlvaine moved from her native Pennsylvania to the sunny climes of California, she purchased a “little tumble-down concrete-block house” in the city of Vista. Since the half-acre property was zoned for horses, she fulfilled a childhood wish by buying a Morgan stallion. With perfect weather and plenty of room for her beloved dogs to roam, Bonnie was quite content—until a trip to England had her rethinking her contemporary quarters. “When in the Cotswolds, I realized that I would love to live in a charming stone cottage with a steep slate roof—and that was that!” the former teacher explains. After she retired in 2001, Bonnie asked a friend, architect J. Patrick Sheehy, to design a house more in tune with her revamped vision. Though the slate roof and stone…

From house to house, the glorious signs of Christmas appear shortly after Thanksgiving. Nothing can quite compare to the magic and excitement of glimpsing those first decorations of the season: a wreath of extraordinary proportions bejeweled with apples; a lamppost draped in an elegant evergreen garland laced with pine cones and velvet ribbon; and a mailbox piled high with waxy magnolia leaves, holly berries, and a billowing golden ribbon that very well may promise a special holiday homecoming.…

“CHRISTMAS IS A SEASON NOT ONLY OF REJOICING BUT OF REFLECTION.”—Winston Churchill…

“MUSIC IS AN AGREEABLE HARMONY FOR THE HONOR OF GOD AND THE PERMISSIBLE DELIGHTS OF THE SOUL.”—Johann Sebastian Bach Open-Faced Tea Sandwiches p.91 Makes 16 1 medium head garlic1 tablespoon olive oil4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream¼ teaspoon kosher salt8 slices thick white bread, crusts removed1 medium radish, thinly sliced1 small cucumber, thinly sliced¼ Asian pear, thinly sliced2 ounces prosciutto, cut into strips2 tablespoons red onion, thinly sliced1 tablespoon fresh dill sprigs1 tablespoon chopped fresh chivesGarnish: micro greens, edible flowers 1. Preheat oven to 400°. 2. Cut ¼ inch off top of garlic head. Drizzle with olive oil; wrap in foil. 3. Bake until tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Squeeze garlic pulp from garlic. 4. In a medium bowl, combine roasted…