Mainers love to decorate for a holiday---especially by mid-winter, when everything looks drab and faded. So, it was a pleasure when I went to the market on this gray morning to notice how many houses on my street were decorated for Valentine's Day, and I snapped these pictures to share with you.
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| Two large Valentine's Wreathes on the Market set a festive mood for Valentine's day. |
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| As do the Valentine's Wreathes decorating the handsome old houses up and down the street |
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| My particular favorite is this elegant Valentine's garland, created by an adored friend who never met a holiday she doesn't want to decorate for |
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| I especially like these red model dorys filled with Valentine's greenery. I don't get the hearts in the window though. What's that about? |
Okay, you've probably guessed by now that many of us here Down East don't rush to take down the outside Christmas decorations---though only a couple of people still have lights up. One of those doorways might even be the Dilettante's own. We're free spirits up here in Maine.
Happy Valentine's Day---may it be filled with love and big boxes of chocolates.
I'm glad to see the outside decorations lasting this far - cheers me up, no end. And, whichever is your door, its purty!
ReplyDeleteMost amusing, DED, and right on point. Our rule at Darlington House is that the Christmas decorations must come down by Valentine's Day. And we (usually) are successful at it. There is a house in our village, though, that leaves its (artificial) Christmas wreath up year 'round, which is annoying to see in August, certainly, but when one thinks of it, why bother taking it down at all, if there are 8 or 9 months of the year when having it up is considered seasonally appropriate? One of my favorite jokes on Car Talk (humor me here) is this exchange, usually during the summer months: Q: What time is it? A: Time to take the Christmas decorations down! Thanks, Reggie
ReplyDeleteFrugal Mainers---two holidays for the price of one! Cheers, Donna
ReplyDeleteYou had me, D.E.D., until your comment about the hearts on the window panes. But I can see that one would be reluctant to give up a bit of greenery and ribbon at the door with all that snow!
ReplyDeleteOut in the country, there are a couple houses in a nearby town that are draped in nets with thousands of small white lights. The show starts up in early November, and is seldom shut down completely until February. But the nets themselves are never taken down. As a result, in the summer each of those houses looks as if its inhabitants might well have been devoured by some civic-minded spider.
ReplyDeletei thought you were going to slip down to the seedier side of town, trailer trash and all that (Blue Hill does have a seedier side doesn't it?) and show pix of all the Valentine lights festooning the trailers. Myself, I never put xmas dex up until after xmas cause thats when they're on sale at wally world. I now have 150 twinkling lights (the Eat at Joe's Diner lights) in my kitchen and two quaint fake wreaths on my doors.
ReplyDeleteA few years back I was taking a consciousnees raising seminar taught by ladies from Boston. They saw the "Maine - the way life should be" at the entrance to the turnpike, stopped at a hardware store, bought a can of spray paint and added the words "and is" to the sign. Now we'd never do that or waste time taking lights down either.
security word def - "acari" - I knew the name on that suit I wore to the Grammies didn't seem quite right.
I don't see why not- One year I decided to leave my Christmas tree up until it snowed-a good way to procrastinate and have a full day of indoor activity. pgt
ReplyDeleteOkay, okay. I'll take down the garland -- at least by Easter!
ReplyDeleteI put white lights on the topiaries by my front door and leave them there until the first day of spring.It's my semi-pagan way of celebrating the return of the light. On the grey-white days of winter, seeing the lights twinkle on at day's end makes me happy.
ReplyDeleteps: and I thought we had a lot of snow: zowie!
Here is MA we keep our wreaths up till just before Easter. Mine is going strong, why take it down?
ReplyDeleteLiving in Brooklyn for the past 15 years, where we only have 1 door to a building, this post also reminded me of the ceremonial nature of front doors in New England - especially older houses. Why shovel out what nobody uses? Use the side door!
ReplyDeleteAnd naturally, of course, this all works for Easter too.
ReplyDeleteall that snow -i can see where the decorations cheer it up a bit! I spent my vday with booze...and lots of it. Bah Humbug!
ReplyDeletehah, Stefan, I gather that last remark means you're no longer in the tropics?
ReplyDeleteHa! I can't believe you missed the Valentine "kissing globes" on my front porch! It will all come down just before Easter when the weather is warm enough to do so, but before the black flies start biting!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comment...
ah those pagans. but that's what happened - the Christians took all the fun holidays. Don't worry WH, the sun gets stronger and higher every day (every day we here in Maine go out and perform our naked sun worship dance and sacrifice a Republican on the Sun God altar).
ReplyDeletesecurity word def - "ougla" - word uttered in a loud voice by naked pagan cannibal before sinking your teeth into haunch of Republican. Pass the salt, please? the definition is obscure but is thought to mean "revenge"
what beautiful window location.
ReplyDeleteWindow looking like really good.
ReplyDeleteI decided to leave my Christmas tree up until it snowed-a good way to procrastinate and have a full day of indoor activity.......
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you missed the Valentine "kissing globes" on my front porch! It will all come down just before Easter when the weather but before the black flies start biting......
ReplyDeleteI would be flattened if all websites gave articles like that.
ReplyDeletevalentine chocholate