Dolly Parade this Friday in Pigeon Forge

We just know the skies are going to clear in time for the Dolly Parade this Friday, May 8, when Santa will lead his sleigh and a team of reindeer along the parkway in celebration of Pigeon Forge and summertime.  Come on out and share a Merry Christmas greeting with Santa and his elf escorts from Christmas Place and The Inn at Christmas Place.  It’s the ~ second ~ most wonderful time of the year.

2008 Christmas Place Santa Float

There’s nothing quite like the joy and delight on the faces of children ~ and adults ~ when Santa waves to the crowd!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Food for Friday

I believe the world would be a happier place……if we all ate more Brownie Pudding!  I have decided that the best restaurants are the ones that serve some version of this dessert, even if they are calling it a hoity-toity name like Molten Chocolate Cake or Triple-Something-With-Warm-Chocolate-Sauce.

Brownie Pudding

Greased 8×8x2 pan, 350 degrees, 45 minutes.

1 C sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 C sugar
2 T cocoa powder
2 t baking powder
1-3/4 C hot water

Mix together thoroughly, then blend in:

1/2 C milk
2 T vegetable oil
1 t vanilla

Pour into greased pan and top with:

1/2 C chopped nuts of your choice
3/4 C brown sugar
1/4 cup powdered cocoa

Bake, and serve hot.   And here I am typing this up before some of you have even had breakfast!

C = Cup, T = Tablespoon, t = teaspoon

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Chocolatier Santa courtesy of the Possible Dreams collection!

Two for Tuesday

All day today this collection of silk flowers and holly have been catching my eye as I walk through the store.  The velvet magnolia, silk poinsettia dusted with gold, and realistic (but less stick-you-in-the-finger) holly are each very striking.

And here is how you can use these elegant stems in your Christmas tree, and they even work with a cabin-woodsy theme.  Notice the stuffed bears in the background ~ this is the tree with the raccoon in the top!

Right around the corner, I’ve been admiring this handsome golden Santa in a luxurious, fur-trimmed, golden brocade  hat and coat, bearing a bountiful garland of fruit and gifts.  He will really stand out on your mantle or sideboard.

Have a wonderful evening – time to start dreaming those sugarplum dreams!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Two for Tuesday

This is it.  I give up.  I am surrendering to the inevitable and changing this post to “However many I feel like for Tuesday” – with all the new items now hitting the sales floor, it is hard to limit myself to just two!  I don’t want to!  You can’t make me!

The design team is staging a new tree just about each day now, and I can no longer resist the desire to try to include a picture of a full tree.  Please look closely at this and try to make it out as best you can, because it is adorable.  Gorgeous, natural woodland theme, and I was caught this morning by a very serious-looking polar bear made of wood and carrying a wooden trout.  He is tucked in behind some chesnuts, copper leaves, and a star-shaped tree toper made of willow branches stuffed with nuts and seed pods.  He’s about halfway down, just left of center, below a tree stump.  Yes, they even put a tree stump in the tree, just above the fence rail.  Yes, a fence rail, down which are tumbling a series of “Santa Gnomes”.

The tree is loaded with ornaments made of natural materials, including owls, pheasants, snowmen, bears, and more.  There are also gleaming blown glass ornaments, resin characters, and all sorts of adornments – it takes more than a bit of exploration to absorb all the elements they have tucked into this tree.  While I was attempting to photograph the tree, I talked with a guest who said she thought it should be staged for display in her governor’s mansion!  Are you listening, Gov. Joe Manchin III, D, West Virginia?  We’ll be happy to send this along to your estate.  Even your constituent’s husband, a non-decorative-fussy kind of guy, would love this tree, says our guest.

Here are a few close-ups:

Serious Polar bear with fish

I am undecided - is this "Santa, I've been very good!" or is it "But I love the cookies!"

Forest Frosty!

Mischevious Santa Gnome

Hoo-s looking for presents under my tree?

Snowy Pals

Now you begin to perceive the depths of my frustration with photography and the challenge of doing verbal justice to the visual feasts throughout the store!  It is decided.  You will have to come in person to experience the wonder of each tree.  I haven’t even talked about the nativity tree yet, or the snowman tree, or the musical tree or the….anticipation!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Artist Signing at the Store ~ Mark Roberts

Throughout the year, we have the opportunity to host in the store some of the delightful artists whose work we carry.  For collectors, these are wonderful times to meet their favorite designers and purchase signed works, increasing the value of such pieces and enhancing their enjoyment of a collection.

On Friday, July 18th, we are excited to be hosting Mark Roberts, the designer of a truly unique collection of  whimsically designed and intricately detailed Santas, Fairies, and Elves.  He will be in the store from 4 to 7 p.m.  Mark will be making a special introduction during this visit of his “Fairy of Miracles,” sales of which will benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, one of the recipients of Mark’s charitable donations in 2008 and 2009.

We are currently pre-selling his items in the store and online, and will hold them for signing and pick-up or shipment to customers after July 18th.  You can see his product line here in the store and in our on-line store.

A couple of other elves, from among the many styles we offer:

Come join us on Friday the 19th to meet Mark and view the collection through the eyes of the designer!  Take advantage of the pre-purchase for signing offer, too.  We’ve just received a new 2008 collection of fairies and elves that are the cutest yet.

 ~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Two for Tuesday

I found several lovely Santas in the store today.

An elegant Santa in white fur coat and brilliant red scarf carrying a crowd of snowmen, off to decorate the neighborhood, no doubt!

 

And the Purr-fect Santa Nap, surrounded by feline companions, keeping him company after a long winter’s night.

 

 

Both of these are from the Pipka Santas collection of resin figurines.  The full selection encompasses Santa styles and traditions from around the world.

 

 

 

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

 

Two for Tuesday

It’s Tuesday, and …

Here’s a funny little bunch – it’s a bit hard to see in the picture, but their skinny, streeetched legs are actually separate from their bodies ~ they dangle and swing about in a most amusing way!  Add whimsy to your tree with a collection  of these dancing Santas and Snowmen.  Me, I’ll hang them from hooks, doorknobs or cabinet knobs around the house (please, not from the rear view mirror, just say “NO” to objects dangling from a rear view mirror).  These fellows in their fanciful tights are begging to dance around your house.

Here’s another take on red and green ~ have a look at this lovely ginger-haired lassie – her name is Frog Girl, and she’s sporting an embroidered frog on the front of her corduroy jumper, the collar of her blouse, and the tops of her shoes.  Who can resist those  adorable, smiling eyes?  I had to check to see if she was wearing real baby clothes, but I understand the outfits are custom-made for this collection of realistic dolls.  There’s a Frog Boy companion doll, and a whole host of other babies in the Adora group, each as charming as she.

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Hey, if you’d like to save a few bucks, don’t forget to check out Santa’s Basement (which is kind of funny, because here at the store it’s actually located in the attic) for great bargains on closeout merchandise.

Top 23 Things We Love About Christmas

From all the elves here at the store, a list of favorites about Christmas, in no particular order …  though I feel I must confess to providing the first entry … yes, I’m a true glitter girl.  One reason to love the store ~  no one notices when I track in glitter from home.

1. Sparkles.  You can (almost) never have too many sparkles.  You know, glittering, shimmering, twinkling, shining ~ all that good stuff!
2. When it snows – at least four inches.
3. Buying gifts for less fortunate children and families.
4. Fresh-baked goodies.
5. Presents.
6. Being with family.
7. Sweets.
8. Lots of lights.
9. Christmas TV specials.
10. Gifts – giving and receiving.
11. Kids, kids, kids.
12. Santa.
13. Enjoying the holiday with friends and family.
14. Christmas music (we get to hear a lot of it in the store!).
15. Celebrating the Lord’s birth with family.
16. Sharing in family traditions each year.
17. Aunt Dot’s cooking.
18. Shopping for perfect gifts for everyone on my list.
19. Live nativities.
20. The Winterfest lights throughout town.
21. Christmas parties.
22. Having the whole house looking festive throughout the holidays.
23. Making my own Christmas cards each year.  And making sure each one sparkles.

We’ll be adding to the list as the year goes on.

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

Two for Tuesday

Two things in the store this week:

Hand-painted on the inside of the glass, an incredible ornament from Ne’ Qwa.  Each of these unique ornaments is signed by the artist, and packaged in a velvet box.

Crafted to look like wood, this resin angel has wire wings and holds a twinkling star.  From the Willow Creek line, she will surely enhance your Christmas tree ~ and you might want to keep her on display all year long.

Have a beautiful day!

~Janet @ The Christmas Place

My first parade!

What a blast!  On Friday, I walked with The Christmas Place float in the 2008 Dollywood Parade – Santa’s sleigh with Santa, 9 reindeer (you didn’t forget Rudolph, did you?), Uncle Sam, and a few elves and junior elves – three miles through Pigeon Forge, Tennessee – my first parade ever.  Three miles of grinning and waving like a nut at the plastic-wrapped crowds as I called out “Merry Christmas!” to the kids and bikers and grannies and teens.

But I confess, I really, really enjoyed it!  Even in the rain, and even when people returned quizzical looks and raised eyebrows at hearing that particular greeting on the second Friday in April.  (Hey, the Big Guy was, like, 20 feet behind me ~ what did they expect me to say??)  I threw out a few Feliz Navidads and Mele Kalikimakas, too.

The best thing of all was the stunned looks on the faces of children still at that age to be in awe of Santa.  Here’s our Singing Santa with his own granddaughter, Emma.  You can see why he’s such a popular guy!

 Here are Tristan, Tyler, Christopher, and Christian, our own Christmas Place junior elves, ready to get under way.  Back when we were dry.

We were accompanied by our own personal tribute to Porter Wagoner, and Uncle Sam made an appearance on our float.  Before the show, we were greeted by King Red the Lion.  In front of us was a float full of Little Miss pageant winners, and behind us was the Wells Fargo stagecoach pulled by a beautiful team of matching horses.

 

We caught a glimpse of the diva Dolly Parton herself, as she made sure to greet all the participants just before we took to the street. 

I say that, if you ever get a chance to be in a parade – take it.  You’ll be glad you did – and it’s really a ton of fun.  (Next year, though, I’m riding on the float – even if it means wearing striped leggings and a fur hat liberally adorned with bells!  It’s not like I don’t already have that stuff in my closet…)

~Janet @ The Christmas Place