A Wish for the Holiday Season

Photo credit: Margaret Taylor via About.com

To begin, please allow me to apologize for the long silence since All Hallow's Eve. I

have jokingly blamed it on "Post-Hallowe'en Malaise" and they do say that every joke

holds a thread or two of truth to it. While, like many of you, Hallowe'en is the

pinnacle of the year, and there are always (large) remnants of it year round in my

home and lifestyle, it is not so much the passing of the holiday that brings that

small, nagging drop of dread. It is the realization that the Holiday Season is upon

us and time will fly much too fast and be gone before we've had a moment to blink,

breathe, or even revel in it. My goal this year is to weed that self-fulfilling

prophecy out of my psyche, and instead.. revel. And I hope that through my writings

here and some of the hair-brained suggestions I commit to print, you will be able to

revel in the holidays, whichever you choose, with me and bring a bit more rich,

decadent colour, candlelight and ghostly glow to the wonderfully dark Winter days and

nights.

My other goal for the holidays and EVGA is to post my own 13 Days of Christmas. I

know, I know... it's 12 days of Christmas, but I prefer a Baker's Dozen..

besides...this is ME we're talking about. As usual, the holiday will be

Victorianesque and I will attempt to lace it with some lovely haunting touches

featuring rich Gothic colours and designs.  Does this mean it is only for Christmas? Of course not. I know many fabulously dark and skewed individuals whose Winter holidays do not include the fat man in the red suit. All Victorianesque, haunted and Gothic suggestions should translate to any decor and any celebration. And as always, please do share your ideas, and pictures should you find something of use in my posts.

Please always keep in mind that it is not so much about the decor as the sentiment,

and that decorating and preparation should always be fun. What better time of the

year than the last quarter to let your imagination run wild when Mother Nature has

given you a dark theater and a silver moonlight screen to showcase your creativity

and creations? Do not stress yourself over "just right", but rather, "just for fun."

If I have learned nothing else after many years of eccentric decorating and

experimental holiday cooking (don't ask), some of The Best family traditions are

completely spontaneous and came from last minute decisions because the Grand Plan

went to Hell in a handbasket. Murphy may have been an Irishman, but we all know he

gets around on an international level when our plans are concise. Be flexible, be

adventurous and be prepared to enjoy the Holidays.

Stay tuned...

Raven =)