Friday, December 20, 2013

Sepia Saturday: Merry Christmas!

Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to share family history through old photographs.




In keeping with this week’s Sepia Saturday prompt, I send holiday greetings to my fellow Sepians and to all readers and followers.  My Christmas card to you is a photo of this year’s fireplace mantle.


Davis heirlooms for decorating http://jollettetc.blogspot.com


In some ways the mantle is fairly typical with its artificial wreath and garland.  However, the family heirlooms make it special – to me, at least.  



The two silver platters had belonged to my grandaunt Violetta Davis Ryan (the one on the left) and to my maternal grandmother Lucille Rucker Davis (the one on the right).  












 

The two red vases were also Violetta’s.  They are 1930’s Depression glass, Royal Ruby Red ivy bowls by Anchor Hocking.  











Christmas is about family.  Decorating with family heirlooms is a good way to keep family history alive. 

Please visit my friends at Sepia Saturday for more holiday greetings.

Merry Christmas, y’all!  And Happy Blogging in 2014!




© 2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.

45 comments:

  1. Your mantle looks lovely. Merry Christmas, Wendy!

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    1. Why thanks, Colleen. And Merry Christmas to you too!

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  2. Great display. Your heirlooms make it unique.

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  3. How lovely! And meaningful to you & your family with the heirlooms. I would never have thought to use silver trays like that, yet they fit in perfectly. But you have peaked my curiosity. Are those simply red ball ornaments in the tall glass holders, or something else? The holders themselves are really different & elegant.

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    1. Oh Gail, now I have to confess those red Christmas balls are just plain ol' CHEAP ornaments from the Dollar Store -- like 12 in a sleeve for a dollar. The glass holders are a hurricane lantern sort-of-thing, I guess -- not sure what to call them. They were sold by Southern Living At Home, now Willow House (no longer in the catalog though).

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    2. Nothing wrong with ornaments from the Dollar Store! I shop there all the time, by gosh. In Sonora it's called The Dollar Tree. I always look there for things even before I go to Wal Mart! :))) Those hurricane lanterns, though, are really pretty. Even if they're not in the Willow House catalog any longer, I wonder what else is? I'll have to take a look-see! Thanks.

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    3. It's Dollar Tree here too -- I don't know why I said "Store." Must have been too much egg nog. LOL

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  4. Beautiful! I love the sense of history.

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    1. And they remind me I need to pass that history along. Merry Christmas, Dana.

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  5. Wendy, it is a lovely decoration and your heirlooms make it very special. Merry Christmas to you too.

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  6. The Hockings are grand, indeed -- there's no other red quite like that! Merry Christmas, Wendy!

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    1. You're right about that -- the Royal Ruby is unmistakable.

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  7. What a unique display, Wendy! You are fortunate to not only have such heirlooms, but to be able to share them through a display for the holidays. Those pieces no doubt hold some family stories in their history.

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    1. Yeah, I wish I knew what the stories were. I vaguely remember seeing the red vases at Violetta's but only on display. I think Grandma may have arranged jello squares on that platter one time, but I really don't recall seeing it in use.

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  8. It looks good girl! Can't wait to fill the red vases with fresh flowers for Christmas Eve!

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  9. I hope you realize that all those cheapo decorations become heirlooms too if enough time goes by! Future generations will cherish Great-Aunt Wendy's favorite red glass Christmas balls to festoon their virtual holiday holograms. "Imagine how precious they are," they will say, "all the way from China!"

    My best wishes to you for a joyful holiday.

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    1. You crack me up! I'm just hoping the red vases and silver platters make it past the next generation. I can see my girls now: "You take the silver." "No, you take it." "No, you." But they'll probably gladly take the red balls as something they could actually use.

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  10. A Beautiful Display Wendy! Have Yourselves a Really Great Christmas!Enjoy!

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  11. Love your mantle and ancestral additions, it is the memory of holidays that makes it special. I relish gettiing out a few things each year, not much because it's trouble to take down and then we head south right after holidays, so it might all be out until March if I did too much. BTW there is a multitude of different Dollar stores around the country, Dollar Tree, Dollar Store, Family Dollar, etc...I know we shop there while traveling...Merry Christmas

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    1. And General Dollar, but I don't think it's JUST $1 like Dollar Tree. Happy New year, Pat!

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  12. A Beautiful display. The heirlooms do make it special. Have a great holiday!

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  13. Thanks for the photo! I love all my items that belonged to the Grandparents and Great Grands.
    Merry Christmas!!

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    1. Do you decorate with your heirlooms? Happy New Year!

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  14. Now I will have to go away and photograph our mantlepiece; it won't match yours - no heirlooms and no red balls.
    Have a great Christmas and New Year.

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    1. Ah, but you showed your tree, and I did not. Happy New Year.

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  15. We didn't put any Christmas decorations up this year as we were going away, so it didn't really feel like Christmas until a day or so ago. Thanks for sharing yours.
    Merry Christmas to you and your family

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    1. It's a lot of work to decorate, so if I were not going to be here to look at it all day, I wouldn't decorate either. Happy New Year!

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  16. A perfect Sepia Saturday mantlepiece with all the things to remember people from the past.
    Barbara and Nancy

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  17. My mother-in-law loved ruby glass and I like it too. I think it is lovely to use heirlooms and remember people that passed them on to you.

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    1. I keep eyeing a ruby glass punch bowl with cups but do I need them? Heck no, but if I had lots of room to spare ....

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  18. How wonderful to have both the heirlooms and a majestic mantle on which to display them. You've done a great job with them. Have a very Happy Christmas.

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    1. I hope your Christmas holiday is wonderful too.

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  19. Your fireplace mantle is beautiful Wendy! Merry Christmas to you and your family!

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  20. Gorgeous decoration. You are lucky to have those fine family treasures and the talent to display everything so nicely. Happy New Year!

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    1. I'm lucky to have a sister to help me with the display. She thought of putting the silver trays on the mantle.

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  21. A very nice display, Wendy! Being a glass lover I liked seeing your Depression glass. It is my favorite style period. Happy New Year to you and yours!

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  22. A lovely display, in my expert opinion, since I used to do this for a living.
    Love your use of heirloom pieces but I hope I won't upset you if I say
    that my attention was immediately drawn toward those hurricane lanterns.
    They bring height and graceful shapes to the ensemble
    and I love that they have a different finish.
    Some might be tempted to find lanterns with a matching finish as those trays.
    I would just add a few twigs in that wreath to echo those pine cones.
    Truly, a lovely display. Why decorate everything everywhere
    when you can do a strong statement like this.
    Hoping your holidays are going well
    and that you'll enjoy a fabulous year in 2014.
    To you and your loved ones, my best wishes!!
    Keep well!!
    :)~
    HUGZ

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