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A French-Inspired Garden and Home by Judith Stringham

Christmas Beautiful Idea #3 Red Pears

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Welcome to the third in a series of posts with some ideas and tips I think are 
Christmas beautiful ideas

Yes, it is still November, but blogs are like magazines that show 
Christmas ideas and photos well before the holidays arrive.  
Readers need to see Christmas ideas and photos with enough time 
to plan their decorations and then have time to locate the supplies needed. 
What good is a great idea if you see it the day before Christmas? 
Many holiday parties begin the first week of December. 


Christmas means different things to different people, 
but everyone sees beauty in Christmas in some way. 


Christmas beautiful ideas 

are not always expensive or complicated. 

For the past couple of years, I have been drawn more and more 
to simple, natural Nordic and French Christmas decor. 


Christmas beautiful idea #3 

red pears 


A single perfectly shaped red pear and a small sprig of holly 
capture the feeling and beauty of Christmas. 



Three red pears, some with blemishes, and two sprigs of holly 
snipped from a holly tree in the yard create an inexpensive, easy-to-do 
arrangement for a holiday table, buffet, or mantel. 

If you don't have a holly tree, maybe one of your neighbors will 
share small cuttings from theirs. 
If you were my neighbor, I would love to share snippets 
from my holly tree with you. 
*~... It is the season of giving ...~*



Placing the pears and holly on a narrow white ceramic serving tray 
with scalloped edges protects the furniture and keeps the fruit clean. 
Speaking of clean ~~~ wash the holly in sudsy water, then rinse well, 
to remove both dirt and critters that may be hitching a ride inside the house. 
After all, this display is not for looks only. 



There were three pears; now there are two. 
This is a beautiful way to serve pears meant for eating at a gathering. 



An entire cluster of standing pears surrounded by holly sprigs would make 
a festive way to serve the pears. 







A narrow serving dish gives plenty of room on a small table for other dishes. 



The simple bowl of fresh fruit is perfect sitting on a French style table 
and 
as dessert for the end of a French meal. 

When I selected the new upholstery for the breakfast chairs, 
I did not realize how the little touches of rosy red would 
blend with Christmas colors and vignettes. 
The little things in life can bring so much unexpected joy! 



Just a simple inexpensive pear and holly display is beautiful 
even from the living room. 

~*~*~*~*~*~
An update on the progress of the paperwhite narcissus bulbs 
planted for 'forcing' on November 13, 
just one week ago... 



Only one week after planting, the bulbs are growing vigorously 
even though we have had gloomy, overcast days for most of that time. 



The most amazing growth is ONE bulb. 
Remember what I told you about 
"not all bulbs are created equal?" 
This one, top quality, 17 cm+ bulb has all 
of these shoots with the promise of many blooms. 

You may still be able to get ZIVA Paperwhites for forcing 
This is the company from which I bought my bulbs, and
the company is having an end-of-season sale right now.
No compensation, just recommending a great source. 

As the magical season of this year draws near, 
I hope you find some Christmas beauty in my 
Christmas Beautiful Idea series, 
and that the ideas will be useful for you so you can adapt them 
to express the beauty of Christmas from my home to yours.  
More to come all during November and December... 

If you missed the first two posts in this series, you 
can find them at 

and 

for more pear vignettes and a recipe see 

~~~~❦~~~~