Have I mentioned that one of my favorite scents in all the world is pine? It may even be my favorite. I have a long history with pine. I grew up in Michigan. Summer vacation for our family was a camping trip to the Pigeon River State Forest. We started out in tents, then eventually graduated to a pop-up camper, and by the time I was in high school we had a trailer/RV. As we neared the campground and I caught my first whiff of pine, I knew we were almost there. (I didn’t particularly like camping, but I loved that piney scent.)  In my college years I was a camp counselor in the northern Michigan woods – more pine. To my mind, it was absolute heaven to be surrounded by pine trees. To this day, whenever I get a whiff of pine, I relax and feel my shoulders drop.

When I lived in Philadelphia in my grad school days, Wanamakers carried this wonderful pine bath from Austria. I bought it and used it religiously. A hot bath with the scent of pine was the perfect way to relax after a long day.  When I moved to Boston, I found it for a while at Crabtree and Evelyn or Caswell Massey (one of those ‘C’ shops.) But no longer. I search for it whenever I travel. I miss it so much it hurts. If you ever run across some form of pine bath, let me know please!

We always have some form of pine scented candle in our house. The best, bar none, are the ones from Aunt Sadie’s Candles. It’s their “Tree in a Can.” Heidi sells them in her shop and they sell like hotcakes every year.  I usually stock up on them for the long winter ahead.

But this time of year, I get the real thing. Right in my home. There’s nothing better. That’s why we always have a real tree here at MHC. Pine heaven. I don’t want an artificial tree. I love picking out a tree at our favorite nursery and that each year’s tree is different in size and shape from all the others we’ve had in previous years. Every year we say, without fail, “This is the prettiest tree ever!” This year’s tree is particularly well-shaped.  Let me show you.

Oooh, it’s pretty. It’s covered in vintage ornaments, as well as some newer ornaments that look vintage, like my favorite bottle brush ornaments:

I confess that I’m having a wee bit of a hard time getting in the Christmas spirit this year.  It’s just not there yet. I have a stray moment or two, but the rest of the time? Nothing. As I travel around blogland, it seems that everyone is in the process of decorating or has had everything up since Thanksgiving. I’d planned to start decorating this week but I can muster no enthusiasm.

Do you ever feel a bit blue this time of year? That’s what I’m feeling – a bit blue. Not sad or down…just a bit blue.

Since this little white tree was in the house and not in the shed, I pulled it out the other day. This is the extent of my decorating.

I bought this little tree last year at Michael’s because I’d won that adorable tree skirt in a giveaway. So, of course, I had to have a tree for the skirt.

Beautifully made by Lizzie of Vintage Lizzie. She also gave me the most gorgeous Christmas stocking and all sorts of other treats.

More pink and white on the kitchen table. Flowers are a necessity, I’ve decided. Especially in the winter.

As to the blue feeling, we’ve had a tough year. We’ve lost some family members and dear friends. My mom is ill. We’ve had many challenges. I can’t help but wonder if this ‘blueness’ is a natural reaction to all of that.  It probably is. I think the best thing to do is feel it, acknowledge it and know that time will change that feeling into something lighter, happier. Dare I say it? Maybe even joyful.