There is nothing more magical to me during the Christmas season then to look at twinkling lights that shine brightly. I can spend hours driving throughout neighborhoods taking in the brilliant light displays. So in keeping with our annual tradition (that we only started last year!), we attended the Denver Botanic Gardens Blossoms of Lights the night after Christmas. To tell you that this light display is something you must see is an understatement! I tell all my friends that it’s a holiday tradition that must be experienced. (Even my friend Melanie would agree!)

The Blossoms of Lights run nightly from December 2 through January 1, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., at the York Street location in Denver. They also have Trails of Lights at the Chatfield location. This urban winter wonderland is a feast for the eyes. Bundled up in layers of clothing, scarves and mittens, we wandered through the Botanic Gardens taking in the multitude of colors that shine from the trees, plants and sculptures. And with this year’s Christmas-time snow, the glow of the lights from under the blanket of snow was just breathtaking.

To keep you toasty, grab a cup of hot cocoa or cider to warm your inner soul. And for me, the experience isn’t quite complete without hot roasted almonds that fill the air with a cinnamon aroma. Enjoy!

The Ritters

Ice Carving

Japanese Gardens

After the Blossoms of Light, we drove by the Denver City & County Building on the way home. What a magical feast for the eyes!

One of my favorite Christmas treasures growing up were the angel chimes that filled the room with tinkling sounds from the tiny bells. I was mesmerized by the chimes as the heat from the candles made the angels twirl in circles blowing their trumpets, ringing the bells with each pass.

The angel chimes became a centerpiece for the holiday season, as I helped my mother set them up each Christmas. But it wasn’t until later in my life that I learned the angel chimes carried a rich family history.

According to my mother, my great-grandmother Myrtle Agnes (Gessner) Wolters sold these chimes to earn money. In fact, the set my mother owns is one my great-grandmother sold in the early 1900s. And even though they’re a little worn and have trouble standing upright (Mom says a little putty sometimes help!), these angel chimes are still a part of our holiday scene.

Angel chimes have a pretty unique history, growing in popularity throughout Europe before coming to North America. According to Wikipedia, the pre-World War II German-made chimes were made of tin and featured lithography. The original chimes were patent in Germany in 1905, but were discontinued in the late 1930s.

After the war, Swedish chimes made of brass became more popular. According to Angelchimes.com (which has all kinds of information about the chimes), Swedish production started in 1948 in Gefle, Sweden. For more than 60 years, Anderson & Boberg produced these tiny chimes until Asian markets started manufacturing smaller sets for a fraction of the price, pushing Anderson & Boberg to close. In 2010, a Turkish metal firm bought the Swedish factory equipment and trademark and resumed production of the angel chimes.

Today, you can still find angel chimes to purchase in the store, or online at AngelChimes.com. Years ago, my mother purchased me a set, which has now become a favorite among my Christmas treasures to share with future generations. There is just something magical about the tinkling sounds of those tiny bells that make you think of Christmas.

When I set out to find an idea for this year’s ornament (read my journey), I came across several that made me giggle with delight! And while I won’t reveal any of them (because you’ll see them in future years!), I was completely charmed when my husband discovered this year’s ornament idea.

I subscribe to the Lowe’s Creative Ideas magazine – a free publication that comes every few months. With each arrival, I sit down and read it cover to cover, taking in the creative ideas I might be able to try in my own home.

You can only imagine my excitement when the Holiday 2011 magazine came a few months back. My husband had gotten the mail that day and when I got home from work that evening, he had already opened the page to the tiny tree ornament. “I think you should make this ornament this year,” he said with excitement. (I think he’s grown just as excited every year to see what creation I’ll come up with!)

This fun little tree is made from wood joining biscuits used in wood working projects. (However, my local Lowes store didn’t have the small ones. I found them at Home Depot.) I had so much fun making the ornaments this year because they were something different and so unique.

Here’s wishing you all a Merry Christmas! May your trees be decorated with all kinds of fun creations this year!

Day 14: 2011 Christmas Tree

Materials:

• Wood joining biscuit
• Wooden dowels
• Screw eyes
• Orange peel texture (spray can)
• Hot glue
• Twine
• Ribbon of your choice
• Tagboard

Instructions: From the tagboard, cut a 4.5-inch circle and cut in half. Make a cone from each piece and glue the edges together, leaving a small hole at the top. For the branches, glue biscuits to the one, working from the base up and overlapping. The first row along the bottom should hang off the end of the cone about half way. The top two layers should overlap slightly. Paint the tree. Spray the texture on the biscuits for snow. Cut the dowel to hang out slightly from the bottom. Attach a screw eye to the top of the dowel pin for the trunk. Thread the twine for the hanger. I glued the dowel into the top of the cone to hold it in place. Add a ribbon bow.

The journey continues on revealing an ornament from my collection (see related post).

Day 13: 2010 Santa Clothespin

Materials:

• Wooden clothespin
• Felt: red and white
• 2.5-inch screw eyes
• Paints: red, black
• Hot glue
• Black ribbon for belt and hanger
• Black button
• Santa template

Instructions: Start by painting the clothespin from the top all the way down to leave ½-inch at the bottom. Paint the remaining ½-inch with black. Paint the top of the head white, but leave the face part the color of the clothespin.

Carefully screw in the screw eyes to the top of the clothespin.

Download the Santa template. Trace the templates onto the red felt and cut out the shapes. Use hot glug to put the clothes on Santa. After it’s dry, add Santa’s belt and button. Trace the arms from the given templates and cot out four arms for each Santa. To make the arms thicker than the clothing, glue two of the felt arms together and let dry. Attach the arms to each doll with a dab of glue.

Cut out Santa’s hat, beard and mustache from the white felt and attach to the head.

Once done, thread the ribbon through the screw eye and hang on the tree.

The journey continues on revealing an ornament from my collection (see related post).

Day 12: 2009 Santa Paintbrush

Materials:

• Small craft paintbrush
• Piece of craft paper or linen paper
• Paints: red, flesh, off white, black, white
• Delta Decorative Snow
• Twine
• Hot glue

Instructions: Start by painting the handle of the brush red for the hat. Cut a piece of craft paper or linen paper to wrap around the brass portion of the brush. Glue in place. Paint Santa’s face with the flesh paint. Add an off-white mustache and black eyes. For the nose, I used white paint, but put a small amount on the brush, then dabbed it on a paper towel to get out the most of the paint. Then brush on a slight nose. With white paint on your brush, speckle it on the red handle to add the splotches. Then, with the decorative snow, dab it on for the brim of Santa’s hat and the tip. Add twine as a hanger.