December 16, 2008 at 2:42 pm by Luanne Bradley
Evergreen Seasonal Symbols
My husband has promised the girls they can have a “yule tree” this year as a non-religious way for half-Jewish kids to bring the splendor of winter indoors. The idea of a yule tree dates back to the folk traditions of the Celtic Druids and Saxons, who collected trees from the woodlands as part of the annual solstice festival. There was no talk back then of Christmas pines or Chanukah bushes. The spirituality came from the gifts of nature and the symmetry of the seasons.
In creating our own traditions, it’s …
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A crackling fire might be a symbol of domestic warmth and bliss but the pollutants can be so bad for your lungs, some states forbid building open masonry fireplaces in new homes and home remodels.
Okay, Listen up Daddy-O’s. Raise your coconut shells if you’ve grooved on the following: The Tonga Room at the San Francisco Fairmont and its sporadic fake rainshowers; The Audio-Aniamatronic Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland; And any of the surviving Trader Vic’s Restaurant (Beverly Hills, Vegas, Emeryville).
Yesterday proved it: there’s just no denying I’m a type A. I was about to pump gas into my car (legal in the state of Massachusetts) so one hand was tied up; my cell phone rang (other hand now working) so I proceeded to choose my low-grade fuel by kneeing the machine. It worked swimmingly, and I happily multitasked while the 23-degree Boston wind whipped around me. 
There’s nothing warmer than a Tuscan farmhouse patina on cottage or even apartment walls, something faux finishers have long tried to reproduce. 
Some of the pieces are hauntingly beautiful. Some a bit otherworldly. Either way, the green concept of Britain’s 
