Topiaries

In Charleston, South Carolina, pine boughs, apples, pomegranates and pineapples are the decorations of choice during the holiday season. Plastic Santas and blinking reindeer are not especially welcome in the historic parts of town. Symmetry reigns along the streets lined with elegant brick homes. Symmetry can be boring. But here the carefully placed topiaries are set off by the curves of the arches and the wreaths. It almost made me stop wondering what happened to all the blinking reindeer.

Holiday Bears

Driving along a quiet street, we discovered this carefully arranged tableau. Stuffed bears, inflatable bears, bears on trees. Just how many bears are there? A collector with different obsessions than my own must live in this house. I admire that person's dedication and focus. Such a large group of anything is guaranteed to make an impressive statement. This one may not be to everyone's taste but is bursting with good cheer.

Lots of Santas

We are in the midst of decorating the Christmas tree. As an unreformed collector, Christmas ornaments hold a special allurement. Unwrapping each one is like meeting an old friend. The Santas only come to town once a year. What a diverse crowd they are! Red robes, blue robes, clutching trees or bags of toys, formed from fragile blown glass, carved wood, tin and basketry. One Santa is even made from an okra pod. All variations on a theme.

Holiday Lights

It is the time of year when houses are outlined in colored lights and front lawns become gathering spots for glowing snowmen, reindeer and Santas. This really IS a photo of a house with especially colorful holiday lights. While not a realistic image, it has the same festive spirit as would a literal view. I set my camera on a low ISO equivalent of 50 and turned off the flash. As I pressed down on the shutter, I quickly twirled the camera while aiming at the lights. Because the shutter was open for a relatively long time, it captured long swirling streams of color. Try printing up abstract images like this. They are great to cut up for collage.