A Christmas Story

Music







Theatre




Make your own Glitter Graphics


and Dance







have always been a part of my holiday celebration in one way or another. As a child, I remember my father joyfully filling the house with his piano repertoire of Christmas songs.



I once played the ruthless Mrs. Filcher in a Christmas Carol and plotted and planned to barrel into Scrooge's bedroom to steal his bed curtains, at any cost.



A couple of scenes later and a quick costume and character change, I elegantly danced my way in between all of Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig's guests at their Christmas ball.



This Christmas, however, I am doing something that I have never done before. I have written a story that was inspired by a very special friend who has lived an extraordinary life...


Glitter Graphics



To P.C. - La Petite Pierrette and the Magic Hands


Glitter Graphics

There once lived a doll

Whose name was Pierrette

She lived a hard life

That she tried to forget.

Her clothes and her hair

Were tattered and old

Her tutu and slippers

Were long ago sold

To one fancy lady

Who danced and became

The grande dame of ballet

In the Doll Hall of Fame.



One night as the dancer sat at her boudoir,

She caught a quick glimpse in her crystal miroir



And noticed a faerie all dressed in fine thread

Who hovered and twinkled around her crowned head.

“From where do you get your love of ballet

The grace and the strength in your turns and jétés?”

The lovely danseuse responded and said,

I found a great treasure where once I was dead

My lovely pink slippers dance all by themselves

As if they were made by invisible elves.

My tutu is spun with the finest of gold

And though it is used and discolored and old



I am the star dancer on stage every night

A beauty, a wonder, a magnificent sight



But without my tutu I am merely a heap

of wood and of strings most unworthy to keep



a faint beam of light that escapes from the heart

of one whose great pain I have made my own art.

"Alas!" said the faerie who flittered around

and gracefully landed upon her great crown



"Henceforth when you dance you will lift up your heart

and thank the artiste who right

from the start

created each movement, each perfect pirouette

and the one and the only La Petite Pierrette.

Pierrette's final destiny is nothing to grieve

for she is well-loved and is said to believe

that above her sweet head as she fixes her eyes

she sees her maîtresse who lives in the skies



prepare a new dance for her little Pierrette

an original ballet for her favorite marionette

for from pain did her beauty become her great art

for she danced and she loved from a most grateful heart. - Anita ©





The pain, the beauty...it all goes together. The cold winter holiday season of Christmas is born from such things, but in the end, beauty wins as it has with you, dear friend.

We all have a story to tell, and all of us are a story waiting to be told. Happy storytelling and Joyeux Noël!

Come back next week for Give-Away chez moi!

Photo Credits: The last photo is of a doll by Lucia Friedericy
Story property of Castles Crowns and Cottages

In My Country

From Switzerland


to Latvia



From Paris



Prague





Rome



to the United States



the celebration of The Light and The Hope is beginning to manifest itself through the cultural traditions of our lives.







In the land of my father's birth, Feliz Navidad is always ushered in with a hearty batch of steaming hot, homemade tamales around the family table.



In various regions of Italy, Buon Natale is another good reason to take a nice large slab of panetonne



and lasagna



and to enjoy a reenactment of an important religious tradition such as a live presepe.



As with many European countries, France's numerous regions have distinct traditions that are appealing to the palate such as Les Treize Desserts and the luscious Fougasse



that have been part of the celebration of Joyeux Noël for centuries.

Each one of us brings something special to the table of celebration through our linguistic and cultural experiences. Let us sing the praises of the season with family and friends no matter what your faith







and celebrate the love that surpasses all things.

I leave you with this Youtube clip of one my favorite French Christmas carols. Look at the words provided, listen carefully and try to sing along! You'll be ringing in the holidays à la française in no time! Everybody now, un, deux, trois, begin:



Joyeux Noël tout le monde!



Feliz Navidad - Spanish
God Jul - Swedish
Kala Christougenna - Greek
Prettige Kerstfeest - Dutch
Buon Natale - Italian
Feliz Natal - Portuguese - Portugal
Boas Festas - Portuguese - Brazil
Mele Kalikimaka - Hawaiian
Kuwa na Krismasi njema - Swahili
Frohe Weihnachten - Germany
Priecigus Ziemassvetkus - Latvia

The Art and Heart of the Season

In almost every corner of the world, people will soon be celebrating The Light

















through the art














Add Glitter to your Photos



and heart



of the season.

We will send well wishes to those far away







and savor every moment with those who are near with the beauty of our art and our heart of the season.

Please view this clip from my favorite movie, "Le Chateau de Ma Mère, a magical view into the childhood of Marcel Pagnol. It is in French with a "Southern" Provençal accent, but look for the art of maman's hands and the big heart of Oncle Jules towards his beloved family, and his beau frère Joseph...it gets me every time.



I look forward to sharing my ideas with you this season and embracing the work of your hands and heart as well!

Alors, Joyeux Noël et à la prochaine!

Bonne Fête Tout le Monde!

I dedicate the first song to all of you.

We are having a restful, cozy and magical Thanksgiving chez nous this year in our corner of the world. I will be baking bread and soon our kitchen will be filled with the wonderful aroma of my favorite of French breads: brioche.



As I meander back to the cottage from the enchanted forest picking wild mushrooms for our mushroom and roasted chestnut soup





I begin to set my table for the celebration of Action de Grâce....



Ruben and I will be alone this year, but we shall raise our glasses in Thanksgiving for our wonderful families and friends



for whom I am so grateful. I thank God for each and everyone of you!

Bonne Fête mes amies and I will be back this weekend to start the Christmas holiday season!

Oh! And a quick pink update...many thanks to everyone who gave me some suggestions for my dressing table; even though the photo is not the best






I trust that you can imagine how a white wash and some gold embellishment made the difference! Dreams can really come true when you have the help of dear friends!

A bientôt, Anita

Pink Saturday: Follow Your Dreams?

It's another Pink Saturday hosted by Bev at How Sweet the Sound. Please visit her to see what's happening on the Pink scene this weekend! Please click on photos to enlarge.


Upon my bed I had a dream

of vintage beds in gold and cream



in gold and cream and pewter gray









my lovely dream was fading away


but not before I caught a wink



of a French boudoir in vintage pink.

- Castles Crowns and Cottages

Have you ever had a dream from which you wake thinking, "That was the best idea I've ever had?"



Well, I haven't been able to shake the idea that I would love to take this little dressing table in my bedroom



and paint it pink.



So I eagerly bounced out of my bed



and slipped on my little chaussons



and made a pot of tea to help me rethink my dream and plan my strategy





while I sat in my favorite pink chair.



As I recall, the surrounding décor was a soft French white with a subtle hint of pink



as opposed to this silk chair in a bold raspberry hue



or the almost blueberry tint of this chest of drawers from Nella Vetrina.



No, this was a soft, faded tone like that of my vintage diaries



or this magnificent pair of chairs with just the right touch of gold.



However, to my dismay, I ended up with a flat Pepto Bismo shade



that didn't quite fulfill my dreams. So next time I have a bright idea while dreaming, I'll just stay in bed a little longer



and let my whims wear off a bit before I follow my dreams!

Have a fun PINK SATURDAY and have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Photo Credits:

Dangerous Liaisons - Koda Bolton
Carolun Quartermaine
Trouvais
Nella Vetrina Furnishings

Precious Little Things with Wings

Entrez s'il vous plaît dans le salon de thé...



and take a dainty cup of tea



and a lemon macaroon



or a peanut butter and chocolate version



and get comfortable because story time has begun.



Dedicated to M.M. - You quietly tiptoed into my life and have inspired me beyond words



As I sit with pen in hand

I'm thinking of a distant land

A distant land unknown to me

perhaps not ever meant to see

but hope to me, a promise brings

of Precious Little Things with Wings. - Castles Crowns and Cottages



The smoldering orange embers were gasping for their last breath before they extinguished themselves in the pile of ashes from soirées past. It was a memorable evening in my humble little warren, with roasted apples by the fire, music and an occasional guffaw from the bucks, which was subsided by uncontrollable yawns- evidence that we had exhausted the night itself.



Long farewells lingered at the foyer like the scent of our sweet apples, as friends reluctantly shuffled out to leave the warmth of the evening, facing the bitter cold along the path to their own cozy nests, to put to rest the events of the day.



My thoughts however, danced with images of her last letter. I was determined to fight my fatigue to relish every word by the flicker of candlelight, for the main character in her work, "The Adventures of the Great Gesundheit" had set in motion an avalanche of events that required my immediate attention. For 10 months, I have exchanged wild escapades of imaginary characters and a special friendship with Doortje, who lives across the sea, and whom I have never seen. Daily, to my delight, I receive a new adventure



and I return another adventure in kind.



Tonight however, the post did not come by its usual way



but rather by way of A Precious Little Thing With Wings.



I opened the letter and cherished every image and word. But as soon as I looked up, the winged creature had disappeared leaving a trail of wind throughout the star-pocked sky, and as fast as she had flittered off, so did Doortje's letter, following the messenger like a long and elegant plume. The instructions were to look out of my window for there would be a rabbit-drawn coach



that would whisk me away through the streets



to the shores of my world, where a great bird would meet me, to lift me over and across the waves of the sea of dreams.



And after a moment of timelessness, I became a child, and on the other side of my world at the shore, there she was.



It was Doortje, my friend.



She was more gracious than I could have imagined; we welcomed the sunrise together and weathered the storm under a canopy of laughter, hope and trust. "I must tell you my name" said Doortje. For months I had only known her by Doortje, a name befitting such a being, for it means, "Gift of God." What other name could describe such a friend?" After countless dawns and sunrises, I learned that her name was Aleydis, meaning "of a noble sort" in her native tongue. Aleydis was in fact, a queen.



A beautiful queen, indeed. "Smashing! This is TOPS! I can't believe this...my friend is a queen!" I bellowed. My childish enthusiasm worried her for she feared that upon my return to my side of the world, her identity would be compromised. But what she feared most of all, was that I would not understand our friendship. "My dear", she whispered, as her eyes smiled into mine, "You must keep your word. You must never tell anyone who I really am."



I did understand.



Our worlds were an ocean apart, but our imaginations were one. To betray her confidence would be to betray myself. As I began to see her more clearly, I began to fade away from her world, awakening from my wildest of dreams...to meet my friend whom I had never seen.



The End.

In your wildest of dreams, do you hope to meet the kindred spirits that have touched your lives in blogland? I do. I believe in Precious Little Things with Wings, for "Hope is the thing with feathers..that perches in the soul..and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all." *

May your dreams come true!

Photo credits:

Georg Jensen Bird Brooch

Beatrix Potter Illustrations of Peter Rabbit and Friends

Grant D. Fairley Fairy Tales for Life

French Interiors from the beautiful blog Trouvais

Macaroon images - The Wandering Eater

Queen Blanka - Albert Edelfelt
* "Hope" from the blog, The Dutchess

From My Hearth To Yours

The temperatures have dropped, I have a tarte tatin bubbling in the oven



and a pot of hot, rich café au lait steaming on the stove.



So amble on down the path where the crusty, fallen leaves of autumn crackle under our feet, singing the familiar theme of another enchanting holiday season



of family, friends and festivities. It's storytime chez moi, and I invite you to enter into the cottage of dreams



and take a peak into the window of your imagination



and to gather around the hearth of hopes and dreams.



Whether your taste in hearths leans towards the French country cottage or the relaxed Carmel, California variety





a fireplace surrounded by kindred and creative spirits is beautiful no matter how humble



or lofty.



So if you prefer the more traditional chateau style fireplaces









or a classic Victorian for your holiday décor









a fireplace in just about any setting



will relax your heart and release your mind to wander into the world of make believe.

So let us gather around my hearth



and dream of Precious Little Things With Wings ©



a very short story that I created with hope that it will carry you on a long journey to your wildest of dreams! Come back next week, and stay warm!