Colonial Christmas: The Decorator's Nightmare

Here begins the decorator's nightmare. (Click pictures for larger view)

"Until one feels the spirit of Christmas, there is no Christmas. All else is outward display--so much tinsel and decorations. For it isn't the holly, it isn't the snow. It isn't the tree not the firelight's glow. It's the warmth that comes to the hearts of men when the Christmas spirit returns again." ~ Anonymous (Pipefuls)

These square wreaths adorn the door of a private home in Colonial Williamsburg. The greenery is boxwood. The fruit clusters include Lady apples and an Osage orange. The blue flowers are spidery and my best guess is the Eastern blue star. (Amsonia) These are very simple but the blue flower really pops. The picture was a bit fuzzy due to the cold and I couldn't help it very much.

I know you are asking "Why would this be a decorator's nightmare?" Click the "read more" below to find out as we pan out and back for a better view.

Here we have zoomed out a bit to get the full effect of the square wreaths and the staircase to the small porch that flares out at the bottom; the black wrought iron railing wrapped with long pine garland. Can anyone see a few little clues yet as to the nightmare? No? Well, then let us move a little bit farther back and look again.

This house would be at least a two story, perhaps two and a half as the basements are not as deep as in modern homes. Notice the side of the house, the small square spaces seemingly where bricks were purposefully left out during construction. Now imagine another side of the house exactly like this, just as tall, just as wide; and then add the two ends of the home, about two-thirds as wide as the sides, ALL of them having this same design with empty square spaces. Now look at this picture and the previous one and tell me what you see in ALL those spaces. Yes, that's right. Every single space contains an apple. Some are red, others are yellow and still others are the variegated Lady apples. Now, can you imagine how tall the ladder had to be to reach all those little spaces and how many times the decorator had to climb up and down that ladder to get all those apples in there, on all four sides of the house. And can you imagine how long it will take to climb back up and get them all down after the holidays?

Now, tell me that is not a "decorator's nightmare"!!!!!!! (end of post)