Mary's Place

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY FOR A VISIT… CHECK BACK FOR MORE PICTURES EACH DAY. SCROLL DOWN AND SEE WHAT I FIND OUT THERE. WHO KNOWS YOU MIGHT SEE YOURS……..

Had a good time last year posting Christmas Trees; already seeing some pretty nice ones.

Don’t know how I’ll beat last year but to going try and have fun with it!!! Hope you enjoy this collection and get in the Spirit of the Season with me…..

…..You old enough to remember this scene? The picture is black and white before color photos. People back then would buy a small tree they could afford and put it on a table to make it taller. And of course, place it beside their new Black and White TV so they could watch both at the same time. Notice the icicles, they were carefully put on one at a time. They sparkled as the lights reflected…. Nice Times!

On a planned night we and our kids ride around looking at lights in Neighborhoods, bet you do too! It’s a fun time, best when it’s so cold you shiver even with your gloves and hats….

After a cold night of riding and riding all around the city we might make a stop at this place known only in the South, the Waffle House. We order a full breakfast order for the all of us…just hits the spot! Noticed this time in the window an old fashion Santa holding a Waffle, can’t you taste it?….

You can read a lot into this picture above. Pretend with me as we see what’s going on in the room, in front of this tree. I smell the logs burning in the fireplace with a good seasoned oak log. Under a warm blanket sits a grandma with her little grandchild wide eyed as she reads a Christmas book. Sitting nearby is the empty cups that earlier held hot chocolate with marshmallows, of course. Look close it’s the “The Christmas Story”, don’t you wish you were there for a visit?..

This tree was created with lots of thought by a friend with a color theme. She is a fancy gal and her tree also makes that statement……

My friend Sandra reminded me of the Aluminum Trees. It gave me a ” jump start”. Here’s a little history I found along with our featured tree today…..

An aluminum Christmas tree is a type of artificial Christmas tree that was popular in the United States from 1958 until about the mid-1960s. As its name suggests, the tree is made of aluminum, featuring foil needles and illumination from below via a rotating color wheel. The aluminum Christmas tree was used as symbol of the commercialization of Christmas in the highly acclaimed and successful 1965 television special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, which discredited its suitability as holiday decoration. By the mid-2000s aluminum trees began to gain in popularity once again. Aluminum Christmas trees found a secondary market online, often selling for high premiums. The trees have also shown up in museum collections.

Had breakfast at our town’s Mc’D’s this morning before church. Notice each time we’re there this lady works hard to make things around us comfortable. She sees that we have all we need to make our visit complete, and never ask for much, just goes about her business doing her thing. This morning I saw her standing by The Tree and I thought, “that’s it, my Tree for this day with her by it, and I said THANK YOU!”….

As a family tradition Thanksgiving night we would take the boys to see The Lighting of the Great Tree. We would hold them up above the crowd and wait for the song Silent Night. The choirs stood all robed in the windows on all four floors. Oh the excitement! You could just feel it when the tree would come on to us it meant it was the beginning of the Christmas Season ……..

Here is the History of the Great Tree…

Beginning that year, the Rich’s department store put a large pine tree atop its flagship downtown Atlanta store, lighting it on Thanksgiving night. The idea was conceived by head of advertising Frank Pallotta. Later, the tree was perched atop the four-story “Crystal Bridge” that connected the original Rich’s department store with a new building addition on the opposite side of Forsyth Street. With the tree on the roof of the complex, combined with its tall height, the Great Tree could be seen for tens of miles outside the downtown district of Atlanta. It was visible for decades, until Rich’s downtown store closed in mid-1991 and the tree was moved to a smaller, less-imposing spot in Underground Atlanta. From there it was later moved to Lenox Square mall, but neither location provided as spectacular a view of the tree as when it stood on the Crystal Bridge.

HERE IS SOME OF MY RECENT COLLECTIONS OF THIS AND THAT…

I love Nutcrackers here’s a good collection to enjoy, notice how different they are…

This makes a Neat Centerpiece for having guest over to Celebrate the Season…

Over the years friends with cats come home to find their lovely pet hiding in their neatly placed lights and ornaments…hum!!!

On our little Christmas tree in the corner I placed my favorite ornament of this year, it is made of glass when the light behind is on it makes it light up nicely…

Late one evening after a long days drive we stopped at this Cracker Barrel in Winchester, VA the tree was beautiful by the fireplace a cold night made it even more cozy….

These are the LED lights a new concept. As for me the jury is still out. OK, call me old fashion…

Rob and Jen have their stocking hung by the fireplace “in hopes that”…waiting till the day!!!

Wish baking was like this and you could wake up and it would all be done for you but on second thought, that would not be fun…

Took this picture on a cold early December afternoon in Schroon Lake, NY. These guys didn’t mind stringing lights on a huge tree right in the middle of town using a big cherry picker to get to the top…

The tree at our United States Capitol is always beautiful…

Love this picture makes me think I have to watch the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life”…

Special friends posted this on Facebook it’s the artwork their boys made for the door to their room cute!…..

Our friend Cheryl shared this picture I wish I could be there to see it in that lovely room…

This had to be a great Santa. Story is, he saw a sleeping baby waiting in line to see him. He had the parents to place him right there for his picture…made a good “time out” for Santa too! That must be tiring to see all those kids each year….

Friend of ours spending this year their family in a cabin in California. What a great spot to read her book!…

Nothing sweeter than a child’s smile this time of year, its happiness all around!…

Lynn brought back memories of making these years ago with my mother…sweet memories and we didn’t even have Pinterest back then!…

This tree lights up the room I call it The Happy Tree…..

This year you can find this Tree showing its beauty at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta Ga…..

Festive Garland can make a stairway look so proud!…

Remember the Reason for the Season during this busy time….

What a quaint ski village in Park City, Utah! Wouldn’t you love to visit one day, of course in the Christmas Season!…..

Got to have some fun with this one…..

Our friends Bette and Peter’s Christmas Tree was a gift. Thanks to her sweet SIL Holly who gave them this lovely tree, with an Angel on top. Bette has named it Their Angel Christmas Tree…..

I posted a tree from our friend Cheryl earlier and today she posted on Facebook another one in her lovely home. Love this idea… “My fav tree in the house – our annual “friends and family ” tree- with all of our holiday photo cards and the kids hand made ornaments they’ve made thru the years!!!

These are beautiful colors would love to see them driving by at night..

THE FOLLOWING PICTURES WERE TAKEN ON A DAY AT MY FAVORITE MALL….

THIS LITTLE GUY HAD A GOOD TIME WAVING EACH TIME HE CIRCLED GIVING MUCH ENTERTAINMENT WHILE AT THE FOOD COURT….

I COULD SIT FOR HOURS AND JUST “PEOPLE WATCH” WHILE HAVING MY
“TALL MOCHA SALT CARMEL”…..

OUR MALL HAS ADDED A NEW STORE CALLED “VON MUER”, IT’S A CLASSY PLACE. THEY HAVE AT LEAST FIVE HIRED PIANIST PLAYING AT ALL HOURS WHILE WE SHOP… MAKES FOR A NICE HOLIDAY EXPERIENCE……