olde_fashioned

Between work, Christmas presents, and general fatigue, I'm not sure if I'll be able to post before the 25th, so I wanted to be sure to say Merry Christmas to all my dear online friends! Every good thing is from God, and you guys are no exception. ♥


Image credit: "Nativity" by Lorenzo Costa | Verses on banner from Luke 2:9-14

Christmas is being able to enjoy a nice, quiet day at home with your family. Despite woes and worries, troubles and problems, bleak outlooks, and uncertain futures, all are forgotten for the expanse of a day.

Christmas is wearing ridiculous festive socks with trees, snowflakes, and/or penguins and not feeling like a dork.

Christmas is the smell of a turkey dinner roasting in the oven all afternoon.

Christmas is cramming as many marshmallows into a mug of hot chocolate as humanly possible, before scalding your tongue after taking a sip before giving it time to cool.

Christmas is waiting with barely-contained excitement as you watch others open the gifts you know they will love. Forget getting presents -- I long ago learned that the best gift truly is giving.

Christmas is watching my brother's face light up as he tears shreds into the wrapping hiding his copy of The Dark Knight and knowing exactly what movie we'll be watching tonight after dinner. ;-P

Christmas is bringing out the best dishes and setting the table with all the fancy linens (Martha Stewart red plaid tablecloth with matching napkins).

Christmas is being given the Heavenly gift of love and friendship, of closeness and memories, and warmth in spite of cold weather.

And the one thing that makes all of the above just a little bit better, is appropriate holiday weather! In my case, that's rain. We don't get snow where I live. ;-) A wet Christmas is a white Christmas in my book! ;-D

My Christmas batch this year is hopefully something everyone will like; I didn't have as much time as I had hoped, but oh well.

Forty icons of various stock trees and chickadees, nearly all with the theme of winter. I think trees are gorgeous and chickadees are adorable, and there is also a winter tree wallpaper with a Robert Frost poem on it for those of you who want something slightly festive and yet not overtly so. ;-)

As always, never alter my graphics, comment, credit, and enjoy! ^-^

Teasers:


( Merry Christmas everyone! )

A very random batch of various entries for victorianstills icontests, including the movie versions of Little Women, The Secret Garden, two different Jane Eyre adaptations, portraits of Queen Victoria, and some art ranging from work by Harrison Fisher, Kate Greenaway, and period fashion plates. Some of these are a bit older as I haven't done a big miscellaneous post in a while.

There are a few in here that are Christmas-y as well, if you're looking for those. ;-)

As always, never alter my graphics, comment, credit, and enjoy!

Teasers:


( know that love will shine through darkness // one bright star to light the way )

This time it's some Christmas-themed icons, including Currier & Ives, and two paintings by Sophie Gengembre Anderson.


001 - 003 Currier & Ives images
004 stock
005 holly botanical-style print
006 Sophie Gengembre Anderson's An Autumn Princess
007 - 008 Sophie Gengembre Anderson's Take the Fair Face of Woman


As always, please credit/comment if taking, and enjoy!

Teasers:


( Christmas pipes, calling us, calling on Christmas night )