Thursday, December 22, 2011

Oh, Christmas Tree . . .

A number of readers have asked me to post photographs of our decorated Christmas tree at Darlington House.  I am more than happy to oblige, thank you.  I'd been planning on posting pictures of it all along, but I hadn't done so as we only put it up several days ago.  We are not one of those households that immediately gets into the Christmas spirit the day after Thanksgiving.  It takes time for the spirit to build with us.  We usually wait until mid-December, at the earliest, to put up our tree.


This year, we (or should I say Boy, since he is the one solely responsible for decorating the Christmas tree in our house) put up and decorated a pale green, old-fashioned feather tree on one of the serving tables in our dining room.  We bought the tree last week at Treillage, in Manhattan.  I think it is one of the loveliest Christmas trees that Boy has ever done.  And that's saying a lot.


This is the first Christmas that we've not had a "real" tree.  Even though I have an inborn prejudice against artificial trees, I love feather trees, because they are—in part—meant to look artificial; they're not trying to fool anyone that they are a living tree.


Boy has hung the tree with a combination of vintage and new-ish gold, green, silver, and orange ornaments that we've collected over the years.  And, as I described in my recent post I'm Just Wild About Slim, he's also decorated it with dried slices of oranges, a gift to us from fellow blogger Slim Paley.


Boy anchored the tree in a vintage silver-plated ice bucket from one of the great (and long gone) grand hotels.  He has surrounded it with a forest of miniature bottle-brush trees that we bought years ago from the late lamented Martha By Mail, placed on little silver beakers and footed bowls atop a snowy-white linen runner.

It's really rather pretty, don't you think?

Photographs by Boy Fenwick

27 comments:

  1. Like I said, send that Boy over here!

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  2. Beautiful tree and I particularly like the samll evergreens arranged at the bottom...and I agree on the faux tree. However, since the wife and I are taking the kids to Stowe,Vermont for Christmas...we are taking a 6 foot fake tree with us...pre-lit even!
    Merry Christmas to the denizens of Darlington!
    Oh...and I'll Fed Ex you some wild goose or venison in dry ice if you e-mail your address to me!

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  3. I am not usually a big fan of Christmas trees, but this one is very attractive. I like the uniform whited/frosted/muted look of the tree and ornaments, and I like the way the vertical pinecones and 'drops' balance in size and mass the horizontal branches of the tree. Best of all is that ice bucket!
    --Road to Parnassus

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  4. Love the citrus, inspired our holiday decor this year!

    http://www.jcwebbstudios.com/2011/12/citrus.html

    Your post tempting me to acquire a feather tree, lovely

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  5. Luminous and beautiful.
    BarbaraG

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  6. I love it, my feather tree is up on the sideboard. I too lament the demise of MBM. I have been scouring ebay to fill the gaps in my jadite collection...

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  7. very pretty! I like that your tree is small and that you were selective about the color and type of ornaments! I went with a large tree this year, but I think next year I will just do a branch of redwood, so I can also be choose ornaments from my collection by color or theme. with a larger tree you have to put all of it out, and it turns into victorian gallimaufry once again.

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  8. That is one of the most beautiful trees I have ever seen!

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  9. It looks fabulous! you must show Bunny, I know she'd get a kick out of seeing it!

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  10. Ah! The little bit of emerald-ish green ornaments puts it over the top for me. So beautiful! Thank you for sharing your tree!

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  11. That tree is dreamy. It almost gets me to like Christmas.

    Martha by Mail is greatly missed in this household also. A friend was just admiring my green enameled trash cans yesterday.

    xox Camilla

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  12. Reggie,
    I love your new feather tree in pale green, and the decorations look like they were made for this tree...so pretty!

    I have several bottle brush trees and a few others I pilfered from my "Christmas In The City" miniatures that I put on the dining table this year, but I may have to steal this idea next year to put with my 2 white feather trees!

    Merry Christmas to you and Boy!
    xo,
    ~Rebecca

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  13. So charming!! My tree has been standing naked for well over a week waiting for all the kids to be home together on a night when we can decorate - looks like tomorrow!!

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  14. Oh perfection! I am mad for feather trees and their diminuative jewel like ornaments. Your color scheme is cheery and delightful. I decorate an ivory feather tree yearly and alter the color scheme according to which room it is placed in. Last year I chose silver and frosty white vintage ornaments. This year I'm enjoying my family's tree in London. Thank you for sharing yours with your loyal readers. Merry Christmas. Mr. Darling.

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  15. Oh! It looks SO pretty!
    What a gorgeous colour combination you've chosen and I love the tiny forest below. Well done Boy!

    Merry Christmas to you both!
    xx
    SP

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  16. Reggie, it's so beautiful, you and Boy live so very well.
    Wishing you both a wonderfully Merry Christmas.

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  17. So lovely! Merry Christmas to you and yours!

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  18. What a lovely indoor forest! Merry Christmas and thank you for such enjoyable reading this past year.

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  19. Your tree is so cute. It's so chic in the silver ice bucket, surrounded by the forrest of mini trees. Love it!
    Hope you two (and Pompey) have a very Merry Christmas.
    xo E + J

    Visit our website for a chance to win some holiday sparkle from our home to yours!
    eddieross.com

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  20. Wonderful!

    Merry Christmas to you and yours. :-)

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  21. Beautiful!! Merry Christmas to you & Boy, the best for 2012

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  22. I would have to give this tree an "Academy Award" that is way bigger than the one to ten scale.

    It is beyond!

    New York Social Diary was the very first place I ever went on the internet. Think of it!

    I was in the Powder room of a friend's house in Santa Barbara; I saw the "New York Observer" with an article about "Madam Paulette's" Cleaner......so I subscribed to the "New York Observer"! My first issue came with an entire page......(I mean the entire page of a bifold newspaper!) about David Patrick Columbia and the New York Social Diary......I am guessing twelve years ago???

    I hired someone to help me and my apple go on the internet so I could read it!

    My husband refuses all email (I thought he was crazy.....now that I have 3500 emails in my in-box; I get who is the crazy one)

    My brilliant (and I mean it, he is!) goes to one thing on the internet........"NYSD" to "see what my friends are up to!"

    David is the best.....and you are correct; his essays and "world view" are peerless........and that Jeff Hirsch! He is the most gifted photographer!!! What a team!

    Ten years ago, or something, people would "google" me; and that is the only thing they would get.....David and Jeff's visit and lunch out here in Santa Barbara!! Lovely!!!

    You hit the nail on the head! (as usual!)

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  23. Merry Christmas Reggie, Boy, and of course the wonderful Pompey:)

    Bonnie Canada

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  24. Looking at your lovely tree reminded me how much I love the look of dried orange slices on a tree. I usually do add some every year to ours but this year, my husband juiced the oranges I had purchased for this purpose. When Christmas is over, I will move them to the blue spruce in front of our house for the birds to enjoy. Next year, I intend to mark them clearly so they will once again grace our trees both inside and out!

    kathleen

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