Countdown to Christmas!

I know not all of you celebrate Christmas, but I do, and I am trying my best to remember what all of the excitement is about.  Just off the heels of Thanksgiving and still suffering through a week of leftover turkey, today I finally got my first glimpse of the season when I came home and found that my favorite annual box from UPS was on my doorstep.

Years ago, after I finished working on a client's house in Raleigh, North Carolina, she sent me a magnolia wreath as a gift for the holidays.  Not only did it remind me of her and her lovely home, but it added a little southern charm to mine.  Ever since, I have continued the fashion on my front door (and my back door, and on my banister, and my back gate).   

I usually place my order in August and ask for delivery after Thanksgiving.  The wreaths come unadorned, so it's up to you how you dress yours up.  Mine takes a simple sheer gold ribbon until mid-January, and then once the season is over, I take off its shimmer and leave it up through March.

Although I buy fresh every year, the wreath dries beautifully to a muted rust-colored patina (if kept indoors, it will age to light green). 

And so, on this 1st day of December, it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...