Solstice tree


7 comments:

Grim said...

That's fun. What's going on with the playing cards?

Texan99 said...

I don't know, I was just wondering that myself. One I bought, and who knows why the elf on an Ace of Spades appealed to me? The Queen of Spades I painted. Royalty goes with Christmas, but really she reminded me of an old set of playing cards my parents had when I was a kid. I painted a King, too, but he doesn't show. I usually go for musical instruments, anything astronomical (sun, moon, stars) or otherwise light-related, like a candle, and food things like fruit or acorns or pinecones. Also birds. And snowflakes and icicles. Although they don't show up well in a photo, I have many, many crystal pendants of the kind you buy to replace chandelier parts. I like to stick little craft gems and pearls on things. You'd think I'd have a lot of crowns, but I don't. Lots of fish, frogs, dogs, and lambs. You can see a little miniature stocking I crocheted with tatting thread tiny enough to sew a hem with. This year my tree is missing candy canes, as I found my very old ones had finally given up the ghost and glopped together, but I have a new box of them on the way. They probably will be my finishing touch, unless I get it together to string some popcorn and cranberry garlands.

For me these are all mid-winter things, Advent and the awaiting of the corner from darkness back into light. If it can affect me so strongly here in the subtropics, I can only imagine how important these things would have been in frozen Northern Europe.

Grim said...

Interesting.

I can see a playing card connection to winter. Earlier nights, cold weather, so you're in by the fire playing cards with friends.

E Hines said...

This year my tree is missing candy canes....

That's not all bad, because, you know, candy canes have that crook that make them Js that stand for Jesus. And we can't have that in a Christmas celebration because inclusion. Or maybe that's exclusion. It's so confusing.

Eric Hines

Grim said...

Or maybe that's exclusion.

I come not to send peace, but a sundering sword.

Texan99 said...

Upside-down J, probably Satanic.

Joan said...

My Labrador eats all food not nailed down. Had to stop the popcorn and cranberries. Funny, I've met some that have never seen real popcorn strung on the tree, or can't make it on a stove. I taught my son how to, he made grocery sacks full while in the barracks. The amazed looks from the uneducated, like the gods of snack decended. Merry Christmas, Joan