Seasonal Wreaths

Holiday wreaths and their adornment of homes and especially doors have occurred for hundreds of years. They are meant to be a symbol of growth and everlasting life and are often made from materials such as flowers, leaves, and evergreens. 

The wreath as an object spans history and is rooted in religion as far back as the Persian Empire. Originally a circlet or wreath was called a "diadem" and was worn as a headbands adorned in gold and jewels. Wreaths were even used to symbolize success and victory such as the laurel leaves used to crown victors of Olympic Games.

At some point they transitioned from jewelry and instead began to adorn walls as a decoration. Today, beautifully decorated wreaths are not only an integral part of the December holidays, but have grown in popularity throughout the year, decorated to fit each season.

The most common use of this symbol is the Advent wreath. Although its true origin is unknown, some believe it was inspired by the Swedish Crown of Lights, a candle-bearing crown worn by young Swedish girls on St. Lucia's Day. St. Lucia was a young Christian martyr who gave her entire dowry to the poor.

The making of wreaths is an ancient and honored art that began about a thousand years before the birth of Christ and the celebration of Christmas. The Christmas Wreath symbolizes the strength of life overcoming the forces of winter. The custom of hanging a wreath on the front door of your home probably came from the ancient practice to celebrate victory or success.

At Christmas, the wreath is symbolic of Christian immortality. The circle and the sphere are symbols of immortality. The traditional colors of Christmas are green and red. Green represents the continuance of life through the winter and the Christian belief in eternal life through Christ. Red symbolizes the blood that Jesus shed at his crucifixion.

As time progressed people put wreaths on their doors to identify their home. In early Europe each house would have a different wreath made of quite exotic flowers, most likely grown by the home owner right on their own land. Today, wreaths are a common custom in New England, with a different wreath for each season.

I have a small collection of wreaths that adorn my front door and represent the changing of the season and the cycle of life.  
 

Holiday Stocking Stuffers: Medal Earth Models

During the holidays I was given one of Facinations Metal Earth models as a stocking stuffer. The Himeji Castle came in three 4" sheets of laser cut steel.  I was excited to begin building this incredible castle while having the time off on vacation. 
The original castle located in Japan was built in 1333and is the regarded as the finest surviving example of the prototypical Japanese castle architecture. It is also known as the White Heron Castle because of its brilliant white exterior and is supposed to resemble a bird taking flight. It has had many alterations over the years and today it remains in its completed form for over 400 years.

 

The model is made from 77 individual pieces with 50 unique pieces that fit together perfectly using tabs and a pair of needle nose pliers. It took me about 3 hours to complete although I will admit that I was watching the Back to the Future Trilogy at the same time. It was so much fun that I purchased a few more of these models and have been busy creating them

The other models I have since built include : The Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, One World Trade Center, White House, Kennedy Center, Tarantula, Scorpion, Windmill and Star Wars AT-AT.

2014 Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular @ Roger Williams Park Zoo

This year I returned yet again to visit and enjoy the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at the Roger Williams Park Zoo. I decided to go on a Thursday night rather than the weekend to avoid the crowds I had experienced in years past. That was a smart move. There were virtually no lines at all and parking was a breeze. I think it also helped that all day it had be on the verge of rain or sprinkling.

Anyhow it was a perfect night to go. This year the theme of the show was called A to Z. It arranged scenes in alphabetical order and included highlights from history and pop culture. There was also a section honoring inspirational figures past and present. The display includes over 5,000 illuminated jack-o-lanterns with 125 of them skillfully carved. All of the carved pumpkins are surrounded by dozens of other smaller jack-o-lanterns. Each with their own unique personality and quirky look.

The intricately carved pumpkin started with the typical Halloween style scary pumpkins. I particularly enjoyed the limbs that appear to show people trying to climb out of a whole that formed a face. It was creepy and awesome all at the same time.

Next we saw some famous artists like Norman Rockwell. It was one of his iconic self-portraits and makes me want to visit his museum in Stockbridge, MA.

As we proceeded we encountered the dinosaurs. The skillfully carved triceratops and t-Rex were amazing but the dinosaur eye really was awesome. It felt like it was looking right at me.

In keeping with the dinosaurs the next batch were what they called exotic pumpkins. They included the fantastic plumage of the peacock, the delicacy of the tree frog and the mystery of the mermaid. Others along the winding path included the world of fantasy with cartoon characters and mythical creatures like the unicorn.

Impressions are everything and the impressionist collection of carved pumpkins included Monet’s water lily’s and Degas’s dancers.

The Jungle included the likes of Tarzan swinging from the vines while avoiding crocodiles, a masterfully carved leopard, a lion, gorilla, and a tiger.

 

The Knights second brought us back to medieval times with dragons, castles and full suits of armor.

In keeping with legends we moved towards a more musical kind. Including the likes of Elvis and Aretha Franklin. Each pictured belting out one of their greatest hits.

Mythology took us next into a dangerous world of werewolves and gods with Poseidon yielding his trident and medusas snakes gazing out at us. My favorite his was the Cyclops with his menacing face and single eye.

 

Many of those creatures of mythology can be found in novels and that leads us to the likes of Gulliver’s Travels, 20000 Leagues Under The Sea and Moby Dick all featured with scenes from the book that are unmistakable.

Next we were caught by the words of famous poet Robert frost carved into 7 pumpkins. “The words are lovely dark and deep but I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep”.

While he maybe a king of the literary world he is no match for the next group of notable figures. Many of these women ruled the world like Queen Nefertiti, and others are remnants of monarchy’s that were once more than just figural however Queen Elizabeth II is still a highly regarded leader. Others only hold their power at the casino’s and are featured on playing cards.

Saying good bye is hard and in the remembrance section we got a last chance to say goodbye to Robin Williams, Joan Crawford, Shirley Temple and other famous actors, and comedians. 

Following is the Seashore and with summer past it too is like a remembrance to see the surfboards and other sea life like the giant turtle.

Each of them made you think Like Rodin’s “the thinker”

Even pop culture made an appearance with True Blood’s Snookie Stackhouse, Willy Wonka themed pumpkins, and Star Wars characters showing us the way.

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite part of the whole spectacle is the final display called the Laughing Tree. It includes hundreds of glowing jack-o-lanterns spread out on the ground and in the trees all surrounding several carved giant pumpkins that weigh in over 1,000lbs with spooky music and fog which creates a dramatic finale to the amazing display. It was a great evening and a pleasurable experience and now I know to come during the week to avoid the crowds for future visits.

 

The final few pumpkins were designed to inspire us to carve a pumpkin of our own and called on some inspirational people to help carry the message to do something great in our lives.