Dear Reader:

As I just typed the date of this blog and realized we were entering the double-digit numbers now in December…Christmas suddenly became larger and more imminent in my mind. (If I don’t have my usual number of views today…I will know that you, too (not only awoke to the 10th of December’s realization) but threw on your clothes and dashed out the door… to go shopping!)

I love crannies, always have, even as a child. If I could find a secret corner of a room in which to play I was a very happy child. It always felt like I was in a secret hiding place…all to myself and it was a exhilarating feeling for me.

As an adult I am drawn to crannies for decorating purposes…particularly on holidays.

*As you can see in the title photo…I have added on to this particular cranny…(doesn’t the word cranny look funny by itself…it begs for a “nook” to precede it.) I took an old dried up (literally) dried arrangement and added some festive decorations to brighten it up, placed a beautiful poinsettia on the floor, put one of my favorite Christmas stories in the book holder- The Gift of the Magi-set a decorative empty Race for the Cure  wine bottle (that Mollie gave me a few years ago) with pink ribbons and pink bows on it, along with a wooden plaque spelling HOPE in front of it…and finally added mini-bottle white lights to the tree decoration.

Mother Nature provided the magic glow as the sun’s rays were slanted and coming in through the front blinds hitting the poinsettia casting white lights on it and the tree lights bounced off the shiny white cabinets setting the whole corner aglow. And…does anyone else, along with me see one single ray of light purposefully falling on the word HOPE?  Yes…nooks and crannies are still magical to me.

Here are a few more corners I have decorated: I thought a whimsical clock ticking the time away to Christmas would work!

An Advent Candle against a shining star ….(Lassie gave me this Advent Candle from Mepkin Abbey and I love it every year!)

And finally behind the Christmas Tree Santa Claus hides among the beautiful poinsettias….waiting for his time to bring joy.

So until tomorrow…Stay warm in every nook and cranny, fix your favorite hot drink, and spend time with friends…time well spent!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Speaking of “time well spent” Gin-g stopped by with a “Ho Ho Ho” ….a beautiful Christmas candle and journal titled: Life is Better when you’re Happy.

We got caught up some…hope to get in a Christmas lunch before Christmas and Gin-g then helped me take “Big Red” inside on the other side to stay a couple of days until the nights get above freezing again. Can’t take a change on losing “Big Red” now…so close to Christmas!