Identity

Housewarming

For the outside, I used high-quality fake fir boughs to twine around the stair railings going up to the house, anchored with red bows, and put wreaths on the front door, fence and gates, prudently attached with a locking mechanism to deter theft. I put nets of fairy lights on the new conifers and up the pillars, draping icicle lights from the entire front first and second stories and the smaller round feature over the entryway that held my office. The effect was festive but not tacky. I also put wreaths on my boathouse and the garage.

Inside, I used real fir boughs, kept supple and needles attached with small vials of nutrient solution that could be refilled as needed. A large artificial Christmas tree stood opposite the fireplace, which was decorated with boughs, ribbons, and ornaments. White flowers were woven into the boughs and the swags were lit with white lights. Boughs also crowned the doorways and covered the base of the grand staircase, illuminated with fairy lights, ribbons, ornaments, and pine cones. The old chandelier had been unable to be repaired, so I was waiting on the creation of a new one. For this Christmas, I managed to rig a kissing ball in its place, prettily decorated with crystals, and used brighter bulbs in the sconces, supplementing with floor lamps in the conversation groupings too. There were little crystals everywhere to suggest snow and ice, candles, the colors of the decorations rich and vivid, accented with plenty of white and silver and gold so it didn't look heavy and out of place. There were pots of poinsettias here and there throughout the lower level, and no room escaped my decorating fever; even the kitchen had a candle arrangement on the little kitchen table and I kept a pot of warm spices and oranges simmering on the stove. Deri had been happy to give me boxes of ornaments that we'd seen hung on the tree as kids but she wasn't using since she was still in love with minimalism. I snickered as I hung them with shiny garlands, twinkling lights, and glass icicles on the tree; she was going to have a coronary when she got a load of this. I hung ornaments that I'd been given over the past several years too, along with new ones to sort of fill in. The thing about the hall was that the tree could be really big and I could amass a great collection of ornaments over the years. I didn't entirely forsake my upstairs, either; there were small pots of poinsettias up here too, and I decorated my office and bedroom with some garlands by the windows, candles, and did the fireplace mantle in my room too. In the two tower rooms, sprays of pine boughs were placed between the windows, with ornaments and ribbons at the bottoms. The pillows on the window seats were thick and comfortable, and there were many throw pillows to make settling in easy. There were two additional chairs in the one downstairs for conversations, and I'd used rich dark greens for the upholstery and the pillows so that it would be inviting in all seasons but festive for Christmas.

It took a week's hard work to put up, but they'd be up til after New Year's, so it was worth the effort. I had a final consultation with the caterer--I'd booked the company, one of the best in town, practically the second instant after I closed on the house--and had a tasting. My guests were in good hands. A couple of days before the party, we had a big snowstorm that eventually deposited two feet of snow; I went out and made a snowman using dark rocks for the face and buttons--who even knew where to get coal anymore? I put a cap and scarf on it and was pleased with the result. I couldn't remember making snowmen after I was nine or ten and I was out of practice. I went shopping for a new dress to wear--there's nothing like great clothes to boost your self-confidence--and came home outfitted from top to bottom, plus my dress for New years--we were going out to an elegant party this year for variety. I'd returned my hair to its usual copper after Worlds, and had it refreshed the day of the party, piled in an elegant, festive updo ornamented with crystals and glass pearls on hair pins. I got a mani/pedi too, just for confidence. This was going to be only the second time I entertained on a big scale, and the first time in my forever home, and I was nervous.

I came home to find the house bustling with the caterer's employees, with delicious smells starting up. The supervisor showed me the dining room, which had the table set up for the buffet of snacks and appetizers; she'd promised me a showstopper  centerpiece. She fully delivered; they'd made a gingerbread version of the house, with flickering battery candles inside to show off the sugar windows that had 'leading' applied to mimic my actual house. They'd even, magnificently, managed to replicate the look of the glass dome and rear of the house in sugar, tinted slightly amber for a warm look to coordinate with the gingerbread. And little reindeer peeped over the edge of the roof. It was absolutely spectacular, and I ran for my camera immediately. I sent the company a few of the images for their own records before going upstairs to get ready. My dress was a deep rich blue satin, strapless, with a trumpet skirt, overlaid with delicate silver lace that rose above the bodice to cup my shoulders and provide elbow-length sleeves that showed off my sculpted muscles. I wore it with a present I'd bought myself from Aunt Emma, a collar of small white pearls with a plique-a-jour center plaque of Egyptian-style papyrus flowers and lotus against a river backdrop. I'd been spending money like there was no tomorrow, but this had been a really significant year for me and I wanted something permanent to commemorate a time when I felt that everything was in front of me, a bright future. I'd come a long way to get to this point. I wore pearl and diamond earrings with it and silver sandals. I did my makeup, applied my perfume, and wafted to the head of the stairs.