Christmas Catch-Up - Life at Bella Terra

Christmas Catch-Up
I am so excited to be back at writing my blog again. We
finally took my husband’s very belated big birthday trip to
St. Thomas last week. This whole pandemic thing truly makes
everything so much more complicated. The trip originally
started as a river boat cruise down the Rhine River to see the
European Christmas markets. Well, that completely fell apart
with United Airlines cancelling the international portions of
our flights without notification. The second trip had
impossible and changing COVID restrictions with non-refundable
accommodations, so that fell through. Now after 3 vacation
attempts, wheels are up for a week in St. Thomas at the Ritz-
Carlton.

The Ritz Carlton, St. Thomas
The plan was to do all the Christmas decorating and shopping
prior to departure. Most of it got done but of course there
are hiccups along the way. For example, our Christmas card
never arrived from the printers so I am scrambling now trying
to send it out before the 25th.

Great Bay Beach
A few other obstacles, but you know what? Does it really
matter? Christmas will happen whether we are ready or not. For
the most part, it will get done.

Last Christmas, after a year of lockdowns, we went all out in
our decorating. The house was bursting at the seams with

Christmas decor. This year, after far too many exhausting
plane trips to count, simplicity is the key word for the
season. And I am realizing how it is okay to have years where
you ebb and flow with life.

The Christmas Table

Food-wise, it will be a very different year. My husband
recently bought a Traegar smoker and he will be providing the
main course of brisket and pork shoulder. The sides are still
being determined but I will definitely make this Warm Brussel
Sprouts Salad from Ambitious Kitchen. Truly, I wanted to elbow
everyone out of the way and eat the entire bowl myself when I

made this for Thanksgiving. You can see the recipe here.

We will be eating outside on the covered back terrace as
hopefully, the weather will be beautiful.

The Tablecloth(s)

I just love this new 60″ x 90″ hand blocked table cloth
purchase from Darviny @dayswithdarviny! It is fun and festive
and I am already thinking of ways to use it. Click here and
here to see other tablecloths I have purchased from her. You
can see her website at justdarviny.com.

Since I do not have table pads for our outdoor table, I layer
the table with an antique monogrammed sheet that I scored from
a convent in Paris. Then I add a lace vintage tablecloth and
finally the smaller, yet colorful hand blocked one.

Layering tablecloths
Hopefully this will protect the table from any spills that
occur during dinner. I also like multiple table cloths as they
mute the sound of the glasses or silverware hitting the table.

The Centerpiece

Angel candlesticks
My sweet and life-long friends, Mike and Cathy, sent 5 of

these wire angel candleholders as our gift this year. They
vary in size but are the inspiration to the Christmas table.
Gold candles will go into the center and vases of red roses
and holiday greens will fit in between.

Place Setting

White and gold place setting
Large brushed gold chargers will be the foundation of the
place setting. Simple white dinner plates with a gold edge
from Pottery Barn and my glass salad plates from Leslie Roy
will complete the set. Crisp white napkins with a brilliant
red border from Williams Sonoma brings out the deep reds in
the tablecloth.

Red and white napkin from William Sonoma
I have an abundance of small red ornaments that I will use
either on each plate or spread around the flowers and greens
in the centerpiece.

The Christmas table
Gold-rimmed wine and water glasses, as well as my gold/silver
Wallace bee flatware are in keeping with the theme. All in all
I think I am well on my way to a cheery, festive Christmas
dinner table. Once I get it all set, I will share a photo with
you.

The Tree

The lighted tree
Generally we get our fresh cut tree around my husband’s
birthday on December 13th. Since we were out of town, we
reserved a tree and picked it up from Whitfill Nursery upon
our return. The tree is up and the lights are on, but we are
slowly getting around to adding ornaments. Regardless, the

house smells of fresh Noble fir and the lights make it
festive.

Living Room Tulipieres
In addition to the amaryllis holiday arrangements on the
living room mantel (see post here), I also added red roses and
carnations to my tulipieries on the glass coffee table. The

blue and red theme in the living room is working out rather
well!

The Outdoor Terrace
As you may recall, we have a very large fireplace on the back
terrace. Last year, my sweet friend Chloe designed a beautiful
mantel using greens, elk sheds, plaid ribbon and lanterns.

Last year’s back terrace mantel
This year I found these gold pinecone trees at Target and
added a few magnolia leaves and ribbons. Very different, but
it is in keeping with my simplicity theme and coincidentally,
matches my Christmas table.

Outdoor back terrace mantel

Wishing you a Wonderful Holiday
Since I have family in town and will be happily spending time
with them, this will be my last blog post of 2021. I want to

thank you for your continued support and encouragement. Your
comments and feedback are so welcomed and inspire me to keep
writing.

I am looking forward to an exciting 2022 with a focus on
health, positivity, organization and new projects. Sending you
all big Christmas and New Year’s hugs! Be merry!