Poinsettias

So when did poinsettias become a "thing" at Christmas? I looked it up on National Geographic's website. Here's what I found:

"Franciscan missionaries arrived in Mexico in the 16th century and eventually began setting up elaborate manger scenes at Christmastime. Holly, Europe’s holiday flora of choice, was nowhere to be found for the dioramas, but when the missionaries saw the red and green colors of this local plant—that happened to burst into color every December—they knew they had the perfect stand-in."

Reminders

 

It's a special time of year, to be sure. Everywhere, there are small and sometimes not so small reminders.

Ring Out, Wild Bells

 

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Eve and are not too tired out this morning. :-) I finally got in a half hour after midnight this morning after singing one service yesterday morning and three last night. Whew! Lots of fun. 

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,

   The flying cloud, the frosty light:

   The year is dying in the night;

Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,

   Ring, happy bells, across the snow:

   The year is going, let him go;

Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind

   For those that here we see no more;

   Ring out the feud of rich and poor,

Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,

   And ancient forms of party strife;

   Ring in the nobler modes of life,

With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,

   The faithless coldness of the times;

   Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes

But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,

   The civic slander and the spite;

   Ring in the love of truth and right,

Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;

   Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;

   Ring out the thousand wars of old,

Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,

   The larger heart, the kindlier hand;

   Ring out the darkness of the land,

Ring in the Christ that is to be.

-- Alfred Tennyson

Oranges

Odd, isn't it, how certain images provoke thought. This wreath had me thinking of those suffering from hunger all around the world this season.

As promise wakens in the sleeping land:

They carol, feast, give thanks,

And dearly love their friends,

And hope for peace.

-- Susan Cooper 

Survivor

 

On the corner of Duke of Gloucester (aka Dog Street) and Palace Green Street now hangs this lovely wreath. Amazingly, it survived the rain storm that swept up the east coast this past Sunday night. Well anchored, I'd say.

Owl

 

Lantern

 

Third Sunday of Advent

 

Hanging of the Greens

 

Artichoke

 

"Renaissance artists depicted artichokes in their works, showcasing the vegetable’s unique form and texture. During this period, artichokes were not only admired for their visual appeal but also held symbolic significance. The artichoke, with its intricate layers and thorny exterior, became a symbol of fertility and abundance. It was often included in still-life paintings as a representation of the bountiful harvest and the natural world." -- Wikipedia

Wool

Blue Ribbon

 

I noticed just yesterday that this wreath had won first-place in the amateur division. Colonial Williamsburg's wreaths are like that. Some are produced every year by professionals, while others are created by amateurs. I see here a rather fun combination of both whimsy and design.

Apples & Oranges

Advent

 

Tavern

 

Christiana Campbell's Tavern

Pomegranates & Scallops

 

Artichokes & Corn

 

Advent

 

A look back at the fourth Sunday of Advent as celebrated at Bruton Parish in Colonial Williamsburg.