Magical, excessive, extravagant, joyful, childlike! This is one of my favorite seasons of the year and the time reason happily deserts me . I favor solidly pagan rituals and festivities over anything too overtly religious. Winter solstice, lightning of the tree at the village square, chestnuts roasted by our local monks, walks in the snow, banquets, elves, Good Old St Nicholas, mistletoe, candles, silver and gold, and loads and loads of gifts for everyone.
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| Reality suspended |
Northern New England is snow country. My Christmases are always white. From the first snow fall on, I keep my cross country skis in the kitchen by the back door, ready to go for a quick sprint in the woods. Ahum, that would be Holiday fantasy #1 - between you and me, it never happens, lol...
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| Our barn in Winter |
...not that it could not. The photo above shows you the barn on our property where my husband does his woodworking. Modeste Parisienne started there too but the saw dust inside was overwhelming . I now work on my creations somewhere else.
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| Les calissons de Provence |
Fantasy #2 : eat, drink, be merry. Extravagant foods demand total surrender to conviviality. An iconic sweet at my house are the Calissons pictured above - a Provencal concoction of candied melon and almond paste, a recipe which comes down from the Middle Ages.
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| La Dinde de Noel aux marrons |
Fantasy #3: extreme cooking! I promise myself every Holiday to roast a turkey or a goose in the fireplace. I kid you not, I have a recipe for this! However I will chicken out of that one again this year.
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| Lots and lots of gifts |
Fantasy #4: a ridiculous amount of gifts. I am running out of little kids. Soon I will have to borrow some. Because the Holidays are all about the children and the child within us.
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| Modeste Parisienne Holiday Classics |
Fantasy #5: this may sound odd but the Holiday season is for me about revisiting very classic shapes and designs. This may be because men prefer to buy what they understand best when shopping for the women in their lives. This is also the time when I offer more solid gold pieces or pieces in a silver and gold palette which are both the colors of the Holidays to me.
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| Dreamy frost |
...and so many more fantasies...I can't wait to hear about yours!!!
