Holiday Decorations

Red Dogwood in Chimney Pot

     A few weekends ago, CC went out with a good friend of ours, LB, to do some "pruning" and came back with a load of Red Dogwood (Cornus sericea) and evergreen boughs and to decorate the outdoor urns, and some Canadian Holly (Ilex vertcillata) for the indoors.  He has since been out again to get more boughs and Dogwood to fill out the urns as they were looking a bit sparse.  Christmas lights will go on some of these a bit later so they show at night, and hopefully the tree rats (squirrels, for the uninitiated) will leave off chewing the cords like they did last year.

     I like the "natural" look of the arrangements, which CC always does a great job of.  No spray-painted, dried-out husks of dead plants here, and certainly no plastic or glitter - can you say tacky?  They especially look good when the snow partially covers them with the red twigs sticking out and a bright, blue sky serving as the backdrop.  Winter never looked better!

     This past Thursday, I spent the night in Toronto to attend my book club, and had a chance to walk around the city beforehand and check out the urban decorations that are so prominent this time of the year.  They are not natural-looking in any way, but they do provide a warmth of light in the cold, often-grey, cityscape.  I met up with a friend ahead of time and she took me down into the PATH, the subterranean maze of shops and services that "moles" frequent.  Again, it is not in the least bit natural looking, but at least it provides some warmth and light for the season.

     Ultimately, I know which of the two styles I prefer, but then think of all the clear-cutting that would take place if everyone, including malls and big businesses, decided to use natural decorations.