Product Description

Amid the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, the words and tunes of Christmas carols run through our heads, cheering us on and reminding us of the joys of celebrating with friends and family. These beloved songs are the theme for this book, a wonderful collection of craft, cooking, and decorating ideas. The fun starts with “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” a project based on the memorable gifts presented in the song. “Deck the Halls” focuses on using holly in unusual centerpieces and decorations. And whether they listen to Bing Crosby crooning in the background or create their own chorus, families will enjoy preparing a classic “White Christmas” aglow with white decorations and featuring white foods. As always, color photographs and clear directions make every project a joy to create.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #756027 in Books
• Published on: 2002-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 144 pages

Customer Reviews

decking the halls, Martha style
The beauty of this book is in the colors; celebrating the Christmas spirit with exquisite combinations of creamy winter whites, blues, and golden yellows.
The ideas for ornaments, wreaths, and ingenuous ways to wrap money as a gift, are not slap-dash "quickies", but designs for objects that would be kept and enjoyed for many seasons to come. Standouts include the gorgeous Damask stockings, made from vintage fabrics, the wonderful fruit wreath in warm pastels, and my favorite, the "Ladies dancing and lords a-leaping" strung across the fireplace.

The recipes are sumptuous and shown in elegant settings, and very special is the sheet music that has the look of antique reproductions, of many familiar carols.
In the back of the volume there are templates for the many craft objects in the book, making the construction of them simpler, though you will obviously need a scanner and printer if you want to vary the size of the items, and many look like one would want to enlarge them.
As one would expect from Martha, the photography and layout is excellent, with thick, glossy pages. Even if one does not follow the patterns or recipes to the letter, it is a good "idea" book, and it's strength is its subtle color palette, used to great effect.

Pass On This One. There are better books.
Try Carolyn Bell's book, Gooseberry Patch Old-Fashioned Country Christmas: A Holiday Keepsake of Recipes, Traditions, Homemade Gifts, Decorating Ideas & Favorite Childhood by Vickie Hutchins or the wonderful Gooseberry Patch series of books which are delightful. I always love the Gooseberry books.

Too Hard To Make The Crafts
I tried a few and it took hours to do. I guess I need the staff she has on her show. I think you can do better.