December 2005

1716 LOCUST

While watching television with my family a couple months ago, a ticker-tape message at the bottom of the screen caught my eye. It read, "95 days of 2005 left." I immediately felt annoyed-- all we need is for the perennial countdown of shopping days before Christmas to begin with the fall equinox. But upon reflection, I wondered whether the message might have a totally different interpretation: We had just more than three months to end the year on a positive note.

Visit Web site BHG.com BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS ONLINE

Winter light winter bright

This herb-drying shed, fashioned after an 18th-century building at Colonial Williamsburg dedicated to the same purpose, takes on new dimension and beauty outlined with white lights for winter. The original door and its hardware are from the 1700s.

ICE it over

Bring a touch of winter radiance indoors with glacial colors and glistening accents.

Make gift wrapping fun

Ornamental Journey

A CUT ABOVE

TALK ABOUT COMFORT

Small Favors

READY, SET, DONE

Model Homes

THE NEW FAMILY NEWSLETTER

This season, put a fun spin on your standard holiday missive. Our fresh and festive greeting ideas are a perfect excuse to spend quality time with your loved ones.

CRAFTING VINTAGE CHEER

Modern interpretations of classic crafts from Better Homes and Gardens add an inspired retro-chic touch to holiday tables, treetops, and everything in-between.

WREATHED IN JOY

A San Francisco woman gives her three close friends reason to be creative and spread holiday cheer door-to-door.

Home for the Holidays

Gifting the Cook

The Kindliest Cut

LESSONS IN CHOCOLATE

Holiday Tables Topped with Style

PUNCH IT UP

WHAT'S IN SANTA'S SACK?

Better Homes and Gardens picks the most engaging toys parents can put under the tree this year.

MAKING holidays bright

Turn any outdoor setting into a traffic-stopping display of glittering holiday magic with these simple-- and simply brilliant-- ideas.

THE MAGIC OF reading together

Make the most of the holidays-- when books are often shared-- by taking advantage of the Better Homes and Gardens Reading Club for fun activities.

BOOKS TO BE SHARED

Any well-loved book will do for wintertime reading with the whole family. Here are some of our favorite picture books that show interaction among generations.

Giving thanks

Teach kids to turn thank-you notes from a chore into a fun art project. All they need is a sense of humor and a little creativity.

GLOWING INSPIRATION

A Relaxed Holiday, Naturally

Shells and starfish on the mantel fit right in with the beach look of Shannon Gale and Tom Burke's family room. Shannon Sewed the Christmas stockings from an old matelasse bedcover.

Welcoming in Traditions

Horse hooves clatter on the cobblestone street as the carriage approaches Cherie and Peter Wolter's home in Old Montreal. ...

Baby's first Christmas

Mary Lyn Jenkins believes in traditions. Raised in the South, she grew up with a multitude of family rituals-- habits in her parents' home that, over time, became emotional heirlooms. So when she and husband T.F. Jenkins welcomed their first child into the world, she was determined to celebrate his first Christmas in an unforgettable way. "When we had Hill, we began to think differently about Christmas," says Mary Lyn. "We started to remember all of the ways our parents made the season special for us, all of the details that gave us some of our most memorable sensory experiences.

FRUIT GIFT BOX

COCOA TREE STENCIL

HEAVENLY SCENTS

GRACIOUS GIVING

A HOLIDAY tail

My wife and I were just beginning our life together, basking in those joyous early days of marriage, when we decided to bring home a puppy. We named him Marley and watched with amazement-- and a little dismay-- as our squiggling yellow fur ball quickly morphed into a surging 98-pound tornado that gleefully crashed through our home and lives with destructive force, shredding pillows, gouging walls, and punching out screens as he went.