Christmas as we know it—the trees and wreaths, bells and caroling, gifts and good food—is a 19th-century invention. The authors, literally, of the modern celebration were a Stockbridge spinster and a German immigrant: Catharine Sedgwick and Charles Follen.
Although pine trees have taken a back seat to spruces and firs as Christmas tree choices, for Lee Buttala, our Self-Taught Gardener, they are still the star performers of the winter season.
'I was sad that there was not enough money for a gift for you, so I sat and reasoned it out. I remembered that not all gifts have to be store-bought gifts.'
It takes me days to do. One day just to get the lights on, and then, I rest. The next day I start with the ornaments, which takes forever. Every ornament has it's own story.
