A Day at the Opera
by angeliska on February 9, 2009
Today was strange and magical..
I took a long, luxurious bath and read The Lisa Diaries,
which are hilarious and depraved. Excellent bathtime reading!
I rely so much on the quality of light to limn and define objects-
I love to see ordinary things transformed in a shaft of golden
afternoon sun. I’ll arrange my day to be sure that I can enjoy
the light angling into my studio windows- it feeds me in a very
powerful way. The way cats will shift position to get maximum
time drinking in the sun, sphinx-like smiles on their furry faces-
or what the Aztecs and Egyptians were up to with their pyramids..
I get it, and I am really thrown off my game on grey days-
I lose my equilibrium, and it seems like morning never really ends.
As much as I love the Pacific Northwest, I know I could never live there.
I know it’s peculiar that such a pale person should be a heliophile,
but I am a southern girl- and I love heat and warmth and loathe being cold!
Anyhow, today was ominously grey and cloudy yet also quite warm-
ah, Texas in February! It’s very bizarre, but I love it.
So happy that it’s raining now, also- oh how we need more of it!
Today was Mister J. King’s (of Hello Lovers) birthday-
we celebrated by attending the opera! It was Rigoletto.
Have you ever seen it? It is a melodrama- tragic and
funny at turns. Mostly tragic. We were way up high in
the nosebleed vertigo seats, so the faces were tiny smudges-
but you could see the orchestra and it was fun taking wee
swigs from a silver flask of scotch! It was odd seeing an opera
in the middle of the day, everyone dressed up in the harsh
white glare.. I must say, though- the place was packed to the
brim with all sorts of people, and lots of fancy cuties!
I’ve left my tripod somewhere, so there’s only a composite representation
of what I wore- a 1930’s burgundy lace gown and fox fur coat,
both ancient and disintegrating, quite literally! I was a bit concerned
that I would be en deshabille by the end of the second act!
I realize that it is perverse and decadent to wear fur-
even very old and rotting vintage furs, which is what I have.
I had some very interesting conversations with ladies in the bathroom
about this, and I would like to continue the dialogue.
I am torn on the subject, being an animal lover-
but also a carnivore and leather wearer.
I am disturbed by all the the new exotic animal
pelts and skins I see strewn over the glossy pages
of fashion magazines, and I see and respect the point
of view of my friends who choose not utilize animals
for food or fashion. My attitudes have changed over the
years- I was a vegetarian for a long time. Now I am
contemplating going hunting! I feel that the most important
thing for me is to be aware and without illusions in making
my decisions. I try to uphold my choices without defensiveness,
and not judge others for any of their own choices.
How do you feel about it?
I was very naughty and treated myself to some very nice stockings from
Sock Dreams! Beware, all ye who enter there! You will be tempted
to spend all your dollars on socks, I swear. Très dangereuse!
John King comes from a long line of kitemakers.
Every year on his birthday, he receives a kite.
This year’s was emblazoned with a map of Antarctica.
It was a very windy day, but we lacked twine-
so we sang this song instead..
His lady, Miss Godsey is one of the prettiest people I know.
She is also a wonderful photographer.
I love to take pictures of her! So photogenic!
Miss Fickling was also looking darling in powder blue..
Jim and David sharing a loving moment.
It’s so nice to see fancy fellas in suits and tuxes!
I spied on D. from the balcony during intermission. O, incognita!
Afterwards, we headed to Sam’s Barbecue to feast of piles of meat!
All of us in our finery, squished onto picnic table benches, grabbing
ravenously with sauce-stained fingers for sausage and pickled peppers,
sweet-tea and orange soda and potato salad and banana pudding!
Sam’s is my favorite. The inside is covered in yellowing photographs
and posters and art. This was a newer piece, or one I hadn’t noticed before.
I wondered what crazy Jesus had to say about the dead,
but I left it alone- some mysteries must remain intact.
Disko Dancing!
by angeliska on February 4, 2009
Once again, Gadjo Disko swallowed me up
in its glittering maw, only to spit me back up
days later- dazed and wondering how to get
this surgical adhesive off of my face..
Well, it’s really mostly off now- after many
scrubbings. What a night.
Words, as usual, don’t do it justice
so here’s so pictures instead to
give you an idea:
The thing about surgical adhesive is that
you can really be assured of all your eyelashes
and jewels and whatnot staying exactly where
you stuck them, and not budging an inch..
Even much, much later- when you really want them to..
Mistress Stephanie was there in fine form,
she really is just so stunning. Her embroidered
robes were beyond belief. I believe their first album is being
released this week, on Saturday- hooray!
Sweet Franziska performed the most incredible Mongolian Burlesque!
She is such a talented dancer- I love seeing humor and sensuality
blended with good choreography. You can tell when a dancer
truly loves what they do- Frannie was radiant!
Faith Delphi is a total fox.
This is Mister Christopher.
He is a fine fellow.
This guy is my favorite. He was so scary and great!
Christeene and Mackling relaxing after
a spirited performance involving nearly naked, bearded men in animal masks.
You can watch the video version here, but I’ll warn you- it is nasty!
In the best possible way! So nasty, in fact- that you have confirm your birthdate to watch it!
This guy reminded us of an actor from The Angels of Light
(not Michael Gira’s band, but the post-Cockettes troupe)
He was fun to watch dancing, also. Lots of Balinese gestures.
Flip!
Miss Amelia was at the disko
looking so splendid that I was doubly shocked when she told me that
her beloved house had burned down that very afternoon! Poor dearie..
Luckily, everyone is okay, including her wee pup Charlotte.
She told me that she managed to save the pink faux fur stole
she made especially for Gadjo Disko! Send her good wishes
and vintage dresses! Hers all smell like smoke and soot..
Lastly, here’s my own true love in a fantastic ensemble of his own making..
He seems to be indicating the way to the great egress…
Oh, and I just found out about Lux Interior!
I can’t believe he’s gone- it’s seems like just yesterday
that I saw him clambering up a bank of speakers
in rubber stockings and stiletto heels. Poor Ivy!
Goodnight, werewolf king..
Birthdee Glee
by angeliska on January 23, 2009
I am very happy and a tad abashed to admit that my 30th birthday
was such a momentous occasion that it has taken me
nearly two weeks to recover from the festivities!
Our abode may never recover, in fact-
we may have decided to keep it as a half-gutted forest
covered in glitter confetti and sour cherries dropped on the floor
by ecstatic revelers! Or start sweeping, sometime soon!
Follow for more birthday adventures in the black forest..!
I bought this lovely Surprise Shell at Tail of the Yak
when I was in San Francisco, and had been faithfully saving it
until my birthday morning! I would tell you what was in it,
but that would ruin the surprise- so you’ll just have to go get one of your own!
Birthday mornings in particular are very sacred to me,
and should be as blissful as possible- sleeping late and then
a luxurious bath and magical breakfast with two of my most
favorite people! The sun was shining, alighting on flowers and
tea steaming up and so many sweet treasures from dear friends!
Above are some from Mlle. Verhext, wonderful music mixes,
the most beautiful necklaces (a mysterious abalone pendant
and the coveted antler woman necklace from Theatre of Dreams!)
So amazing. Also the Fairy Wood flavored pastilles from Leone-
one of my favorite candies, and the best chai from Crixa Cakes
and gorgeous jackets of cerulean silk velvet and emerald rose brocade!
I was blessed with so many kind and generous gifts from my sweetlings
that it really requires a separate post to do them justice. Seriously.
We stayed up until 6am the night before transforming our crazy, crumbling
renovation project palace into a magical black forest! It’s amazing what you
can accomplish in a few hours with the help of friends- we strew twigs
and branches hither and thither and decked the walls with frost flecked
red currants and fairytale dollies and forest creatures..
My love found these tossed out christmas trees on the road
and hung them from the rafters- it’s incredible how much it changed
the space. The acoustics, the delicious pine smell, the shape of the room..
Needless to say, they’re still up there. I think when we finish the house,
we must absolutely have a forest room- it’s so peaceful and lovely!
On the subject of forest creatures- I just can’t resist showing off my wonderful
prize from my friends and colleagues Mr. Garbs and Mme. Cornelius
who bestowed upon me my dearest wish- a taxidermied fox!
I have been half-heartedly trying to build it back up-
with little success. It has become so expensive, even for the old
rotty pieces that I favor. I have been wishing for a fox for so long-
I couldn’t believe my eyes. His name is Alavester, and he is half albino.
Eeeee! Thar be foxees in those trees!
Despite my dour glower, I am truly filled with glee in this photograph-
because though it took an hour to wrangle with my headdress,
I am finally dressed fittingly and thus the party can begin!
These two ladies, however, were truly the belles of the ball!
Amelia and Linda were both so gloriously beautiful and antler bedecked
that there was an audible gasp from the assembled guests when this
photograph was taken- such savage elegance, ooh-la!
Everyone’s costumes were so outstanding- every little detail
coaxed from their bits and bobs into miracles of millinery,
folktales turned into fabric and feathers!
Above is a detail from Mlle. Coffey’s Firebird ensemble..
Her date for the evening, Mr. Yates cames dressed as Little Otik!
He made a perfect Otesánek, telling tales in the leaves
around a roaring fire underneath the bare branches..
I nearly died however, when I saw the gingerbread man!
He made this a few hours before the party- and wore it all night long.
His mouth fell off at one point, so it’s stuck on with one of
my bobby pins he found on the floor- which makes it even better-
Gingerbread genius, MacGyver style!
This is the red-headed huntress who pierced
my heart with a thousand flame-tipped arrows.
Please note that her bodice is made from the skin
of a wee spotted fawn- ah! I swoon.
This fabulous piñata was created by Miss Katinka Pinka and her beau Lee-
it is the terrible bear with the severed head of Goldilocks!
I slew the bear (singlehandedly!) to avenge her, and delectable
green tea candies spewed out from his body!
My dearest Francesca was the ideal Tyrolean mädchen!
She and darling Annie created this work of art disguised as a piñata.
His/her name is Sissel (Or Cecil) and was so gorgeous that I could not
bring myself to destroy it! Instead we performed ritual surgery with giant scissors
and found that the chest cavities were stuffed with all manner of booty!
Including myrrh, firecrackers, cute barrettes, feathers,
fortune cookies, fancy chocolates and saint medals!
Not to mention roses of Jericho (aka Selaginella lepidophylla) with hand lettered instructions!
If you don’t already have one, I highly recommend one of these strange
and wonderous plants for your amusement and spiritual cleansing needs!
One of the best surprised of the evening was all of my sweet relatives
that appeared amongst the branches- my parents and wee nieces,
my aunt and uncle and no less than five cousins! It was so great
to have them there, family and lots of tiny little girls!
My dear papa played songs about crows on his banjo, much to our delight!
This is my cousin Luke, dressed as Gretel..
He came with Hansel and the Gingerbread man in tow,
and their little fairytale trio were the life of the party!
This was taken around the fire, about 6am.
It makes me burst into cackles every time-
Faith Delphi laughing at the Gingerbread Man
passed out in the leaves- he had gotten a hold
of a bottle of Night-Train (don’t ask!)
and well…
Dare I say it was the best birthday yet? Yes, I do!
I had no less than three birthday cakes- and all
were insanely delicious and attractive, as you can see..
The one above was made by Miss Nicoletta,
and another made by Miss Patience, and a sumptuous
german chocolate cake from Miss Evelyn! Hot damn, ladies!
There were impromptu performances and surprises
galore, so many wonderul people and music,
and all my wishes were granted, simultaneously!
Did I mention that it was a full moon that night?
I feel incredibly loved and lucky, and I thank everyone
in my life who has made it so! Besos, besos, besos!
Antiabecedarians
by angeliska on January 9, 2009
I have a piece in an amazing show that opens on my birthday
in New Orleans- if it’s possible for you to attend, I would highly recommend it!
I feel honored to be invited to participate in this project-
I wish I could be there for the opening.. Ah, if only I had ein doppelgänger!
Here’s all the info:
Barrister’s Gallery Presents:
Antiabecedarians, a Show of Telekinesis Proxenators in Franca Langua
32 artists, curated by Myrtle von Damitz, lll
January 10, 2009, 6-9pm
Through February 8
www.barristersgallery.com
www.antiabecedarians.com
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — “Antiabecedarians” is a word from the
Anna Livia passage of Finnegans Wake by James Joyce.
Although Mr. Joyce’s precise intent as to the definition of “antiabecedarian” is debated,
we intend that Antiabecedarians imply those who are familiar with the rudiments
and rules enough to turn them on their heads.
“Telekinesis proxenators in franca langua”
may be translated roughly as
“frankly or obscurely, pimps (and/or procurers) of anomalous perturbation.”
This exhibition, a selection of work from 32 contemporary artists,
whose use of a singular New Orleans narrative sets them apart,
will be on display at Barrister’s Gallery (2331 St. Claude Ave, 504.525.2767)
from January 10th to February 8th, 2009.
A public opening party is scheduled for Saturday, January 10th (6pm to 9pm).
New Orleans has been an introverted bohemian draw for centuries,
but recent international attention to all aspects of the city’s cultural phenomenons
has delivered new energy and intensity to its visual arts community.
The art scene in New Orleans is at a turning point.
The world’s established contemporary art market is at a turning point.
What matters now is not so much the hedge-fund insurance value
but the source and originality of work, and that it has
a meaning beyond the pure numbers of the market.
A brighter light was thrown on New Orleanians with the Prospect 1 Biennial —
the success of which (in the eyes of many locals) was the willingness
of the contemporary artists involved to throw off an entrenched, stagnant
language towards a sympathetic response in favor of the peculiar
and oddly coherent mechanics indigenous to New Orleans.
Many dynamic new visual arts alliances have formed since Hurricane Katrina-
not just out of the intellectual petri dish of Barrister’s Gallery but as a response
to a wider desire of local artists to communicate with their friends and neighbors
and to broadcast their sensibilities to the rest of the world.
One such group alligned with Barrister’s Gallery
and the Antiabecedarians is the New Orleans Airlift
(www.neworleansairlift.org).
This show is not just a display of the works of transient personas,
this is a part of the new network of exchange between New Orleans and the rest of the world.
The artists in Antiabecedarians make their home in New Orleans or have strong ties to New Orleans-
they work not only to rebuild, hack apart and accurately construct
the glorious text of New Orleans from this vantage,
but to reach out to the newly converted.
Below are some highlights from the show,
from friends and beloveds:
From “Memorandum of Agreement.”
Delaney Martin
A detail from Cat’s Claw
by Myrtle von Damitz III
by Shannon Brinkman
(of Walt and I can’t tell who that lady is)
St. Agni
I painted this a while back and then hid her away.
Now she gets to come out and frolic with all my friends
on my whelping day! Her polka-dot goatie is thrilled to pieces!
“Rosacea Arch,” by Dana Sherwood
“Ivan’s Hands,” by Pandora Andrea Gastelum
St. Louis Cathedral inside an eggshell
Megan Lee-Hoelzle
In other exciting news, I have a piece of short fiction published
in the most recent TANK magazine– which also features
some great articles on a lot of the same dear New Orleans friends..
It feels good to kick off the new year with showing art and putting
my writing out there in a more formal way- here’s to more o’ that!
One last thing:
Mme. von Damitz shared with me this wonderful song,
a Slovak gem on wax cylinder from 1929
(found on Crashpop), called “Our Cat Wants to Get Married”.
The lyrics go like so:
Our cat wants to get married
Yesterday she promised it to her boyfriend
Hey cat, don’t do it!
Who will catch our mice?
Be careful little cat
When you get married you will be stupid
because your boyfriend doesn’t want to work
and you will become a beggar
Hey tomcat, you’ve got sharp claws
Don’t walk around our walls
You never do anything
Except date our white cat!
Black Forest Fashion
by angeliska on January 7, 2009
Okay, so- here’s a whole lot of inspiration
for anyone attending the birthday party,
and who is stumped on what to wear..
For everyone else- I wish you could come too!
What would you dress as?
(Clockwise, from top left)
1 + 2 = Alexander McQueen
3 + 5 = Jean Paul Gaultier Fall 2005
4 = Kenzo a/w 2006-7
6 = Tamera wearing gingerbread vintage cape
(birthdee present from meeeee!)
1. Koji Arai’s Last Supper
2. Jean Paul Gaultier Fall 2005
1. Kirsi on Hel Looks
2. Vesa on Hel Looks
Yep, those Finnish kids have got the look down!
I think perhaps they are the most adorable, ever.
1 = Darla Teagarden
2 = Erte
3 = Kate Bush under the ivy
4 = Megan Park a/w 2006-7
5 = Violetta’s Cuckoo Clock costume
1 = Pandora + Swanboy on Mardi Gras
2 = Roxanne as Petrouchka
3 = Joanna Newsom in the best Elfquest hat ever.
Red Riding Hood by Eugenio Recuenco
Thanks to the fabulous Style Skilling for multiple inspirations here..
A Pageant of Delight
I will go swoon, now.
Black Forest Wishes
by angeliska on January 4, 2009
I suppose it’s a little late for making gifty wishes,
but this is my fantasy wishlist, and hey-
a girl can dream!
First of all, I would like to wake up in this bed
on my birthday morning! By Rodolphe Foucher
found via Detour Design..
I bought myself these cuckoo clock earrings, though!
(who says you can’t fulfill your own wishes?)
From BookHouse Creations.
Um, I also treated myself to this gorgeous hunting relic
from Lady Lavona– I can’t wait to see it in person!
I need a new bag so desperately! Seriously. It’s become embarrassing-
I’m carrying around a crappy tote bag I got for free somewhere in lieu of a purse,
because my old one fell apart. I want something very specific-
leather, vintage (or made from vintage materials), lots of pockets,
cross-body shoulder strap, made of sturdy leather, simple + classic.
Valhallabrooklyn seems to be the answer to my prayers!
I love Mlle. Swanbone’s paintings, ever so much..
I’ve gotten several prints of her work- ah, to have an original! One day.
Something about these Meeting the Wolf note cards speaks to me..
Of course, I am wishing for a Black Forest Birthday cake!
Oh! An adorable Black Forest Cake ring to match!
Insanely cute things are to be found at CuteAbility.
I can’t recall where this killer belt came from, but I want it desperately.
I’m totally enamored with the Evergreen Girl of the Golden North,
lovingly made by Miss Clever Nettle!
Ah, this ceramic wolf pendant by Miss Poodlebreath
has been tantalizing me for awhile now,
but alas- it sold to some lucky wench!
I hope she will make some more- though
the bunnies, bears and drowning hands are lovely also.
There’s so much more I want,
but I must rise early and one
mustn’t be a Greedy Gretel!
Black Forest Birthday!
by angeliska on January 2, 2009
by Audrey Kawasaki
Ah yes, that time is quickly approaching-
a birthdee for me! It’s my dirty thirty,
so I want make it a grand one!
by Elsa Mora
You are invited to a..
Black Forest Birthday Party
and Fairytale Fête!
Saturday, January 10th
8pm – until the cock crows, or so..
At Grackle Grove (aka our house!)
Contact me if you need directions..
It will be an Eastern European Potluck again so,
please bring your favorite dish
or beverage from:
Czech Republic
Hungary
Poland
Slovakia
Slovenia
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
Ukraine
Albania
Bulgaria
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Croatia
Romania
Serbia
or Russia!
Greek, Macedonian or Israeli food is excellent too!
Also, German or Austrian goodies-
to match the theme!
Bring on the spaetzle und strudel!
There is a wonderful cookbook
called Please to the Table
I will be consulting for inspiration!
¡total pizdetz kitchen!
Bewildered?
Sasha’s Gourmet Russian Market & Cafe
or Phoenicia Bakery & Deli are
great places to find imported treats
like caviar and pirozhki!
This will be a costume party also,
so please come dressed in your
best Black Forest Fashions!
Bust out your dirndls und lederhosen
und ethnic folk dancing costumes!
I will be posting an inspiring primer
toute suite, but in the meantime
here are some ideas:
Fairytale characters-
especially Red Riding Hood
Big Bad Wolf
Hansel and/or Gretel
Strapping Woodsman
Distressed Damsel
Erl-King
Forest Creatures
Deer Girls
Wolf Children
Krampus
Prinzessen
Milkmaids
Cuckoos
Witches
Gnomes
Mushrooms
et cetera!
(Can you believe this photograph is from 1887?)
p.s.
Surprise performances,
sultry dances, impromptu arias
or theatrical pieces will be welcomed
with immense delight!
Bring musical instruments if you play, please?
Don’t forget your dancing slippers!
Lone Grove New Year
by angeliska on January 2, 2009
It’s become a New Year’s tradition for me and mine
to go out to Lone Grove, a ghost-town near Llano
and my ancestral home. My aunt and uncle live there now,
and before them my grandparents and great-grandparents
lived there. My mother died there. I spent countless summers
swimming in the creek and wrecking on dirt-bikes there.
My family has lived on that land since 1888.
We are soaked into the dry soil and twisted trees,
our faces take on aspects of the landscape-
craggy granite outcroppings and billows of wildflowers.
We arrived not long before sunset, as usual-
with just enough time to get our bearings and set up camp.
The night went by so quickly- a cold and bright crescent
watching over us, with scintillating Venus swinging below.
The celestial bodies went to bed early, and left us
telling stories around the fire, twirling sparklers,
drinking honey mead and champagne
and singing appalachian love songs.
When day broke, we yawned and stretched and gazed
up at the blue sky through the tipi’s smoke vent
and stumbled out to greet the day.
Here I am sleepy and indistinct, but there are
glowing orbs and rainbow shimmers around me.
We stayed warm in the tipi with the woodstove
going- as long as someone woke up every
hour or so to stoke the fire and get more wood..
Cooking outside always feels like such an accomplishment-
especially when the meal turns out so wonderfully.
We made tortillas over the fire, guacamole, black-eyed peas
and cabbage (for luck!), sweet potatoes, scrambled eggs
with peppers, and a truly marvelous ham.
If my first meal of the new year is any indication,
then I reckon 2009 will be an incredible year!
This is my Aunt Ruthie. She is one of my very favorite people in the whole world.
I love her rock and cactus garden- they are like little sculptures
filled with magic and treasures. The crystallized brain on the left
is one of the many gorgeous rocks found in the creekbed.
We went hunting and found so many, we couldn’t carry them all.
Ruthie’s kitchen is a magical place.
These leaves fall in spirals and curlicues-
perfect for making elfin bouquets.
Francesca rock hunting in the creekbed.
You can find a lot of treasure there if you look.
Particularly if bugs, bones and rocks are your thing!
We relaxed all day, lazing around in the warm sun
and exploring my Grampy’s junkyard.
He was a mechanic, so there are lots of cool
old cars rusting to dust in the pasture.
I love this flying witch and rainbow on the Morris Minor.
Lichen is growing on Gertie, the 1959 Buick Electra
I inherited from my mother. One day we will get her up and running.
There are flocks of wild peacocks and mountain sheep
on the land. I managed to catch this shot of a peacock
in mid-flight which made me very happy indeed.
I see it as a good omen for the coming year!
There are more pictures here on my
flickr photostream if you’d like to explore more..
Pink Moons
by angeliska on December 31, 2008
Ah, another year has found us
struck dumb in awe at the turning-
this year a strange one, where the
perspective has not yet caught up to me.
I have lots of resolutions and goals
for this year that I’ve been meditating on-
and feeling a mite ashamed on looking
back at some from the past few years
that I haven’t quite made good on yet..
I am newly inspired and encouraged,
however- reading Miss Gala’s New Year’s List
got me thinking about some new ways
to set about making the magic I want to happen
a reality. There are some very sensible,
and actually quite simple ideas there
that are eminently useful when it comes
to making all one’s grand plans come to fruition!
My entries from around this time
for the last few years weave a story
told in teepees by goat-girls and princes:
The New Year – 2008
Lucky Stars and Garters – 2007
La Nouvelle Année – 2006
I found some wonderful vintage
New Year’s Eve postcards recently-
I love crescent moons, and mushrooms-
very good omens for me,
and apparently also for folks
one hundred years ago!
Did you see the moon tonight, perchance?
She’s just a thin pink-silvery sliver
on the horizon- my favorite kind of moon.
The first image is from Beth Gallagher
and the three following I found on Morbid Anatomy
(one of my very favorites to read), via the
New York Public Library Digital Index
(an incredible resource!)–
make a point of exploring both next year, eh?
This New Year’s Eve will find me looking up
at the Milky Way from the back pasture of a ghost-town,
which has become the best kind of ritual for me and mine.
I hope it finds you exactly where you want to be too-
and may peace of mind, prosperity,
pink ponies, poppies and pomegranates
find you in 2009.
Happy Hexmas!
by angeliska on December 26, 2008
If you haven’t guessed by now, I really get into holidays-
in my own peculiar way. I just enjoy the idea that a day, or series of days
is extraordinary and to be a reason to celebrate and enjoy any or all of the following:
♥ dressing up
♥ making and giving gifts
♥ delicious special food + drink
♥ making parties
♥ frolicking with family + friends
♥ music-making
I feel extra lucky and blessed to be able to say
that all of the above have been fulfilled this hexmas.
(By the by, in the spirit of creating our own traditions/cosmology/reality,
I have adopted the term HEXMAS from Mlle. Verhext.
It makes me very happy, and has the heathen connotation
that winter festivals are/were rooted in. Which is where it’s at for me.)
This is the very first time that I’ve ever spent the holiday
in my own home, since I moved out of my folks’ house when I was 15.
I was feeling some trepidation about the prospects of waking up
in the house this morning, for a variety of reasons that are hard to sum up-
but have something to do with the fact that I’ve been
consciously and subconsciously avoiding this for years
by always finding myself out of the country, or staying elsewhere
on the eve and morning of. The responsibility of making holiday
magic happen for yourself and others is big kid stuff-
when you are wee, it just seems to be happening all around you,
for you to enjoy. I discovered this year that doing it for yourself,
and especially for others is pretty amazing.
I know this lesson can be applied to a multitude
of situations with similar results, wouldn’t you say?
We set up our wee little tree with vintage ornaments from my childhood
on a beautiful old O’keefe + Merritt stove we aren’t using for cooking yet.
The stockings were hung from the gas knobs with care
(before being stuffed silly with all manner of goodie and whatsit!)
I ended up working on hexmas eve, which was actually a lot of fun-
(despite my dark circles and glumster face!)
Naturally, I had to dress the part of an alpine candy elf-
it made me feel happy and it seemed to delight all the
frazzled folks I encountered throughout the day.
Last night we had an impromptu birthday gathering for
our friend Faith Delphi, a christmas eve baby.
Songs by the fire, mulled wine, wild buffalo curry
and fresh tamales- with lots of laughter and good company..
The perfect way to ring in the Yule!
Look who I found under the tree this morning!
I found these pictures of awkward russian kids and incredible weird santas
on RiotClitShave today that made my heart spasm with joy:
Also, from Lady Lavona, some wonderful writings on
Krampus and La Befana that are bound to illuminate and delight you-
I hope your hexmas was fantastic, dearies!
