The Joy

Somehow, not only for Christmas
But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others
Is the joy that comes back to you.
And the more you spend in blessing
The poor and lonely and sad,
The more of your heart's possessing
Returns to make you glad.

--John Greenleaf Whittier

Counting Down the Days

You might think that this scene is from our miniatures cabinet...

...but actually, it's one of our new Advent calendars! (Can you see the little "20" window next to the shop-keeper's head?)

This year's Advent calendars and cards have arrived, and as usual, they're a big hit with everyone who visits Castle in the Air, not to mention with all of us. We love this tradition, which grew out of different German customs of counting down the December days through Christmas Eve.

Some German families in the early 19th century would make a new chalk mark on their door every day beginning December 1. Others observed Advent each day by hanging a seasonal picture in their home. And other families used candled wreaths or clocks in anticipation of Christmas.

Of course, the most widespread Advent tradition today is that of the paper calendars with windows that open to reveal a sweet little picture for each day of the 24 days. Everyone in my family gets their own calendar to open, and then we have several that we share. In the past few years we've have six to eight calendars going in the days leading up to Christmas, but other years that number's been as high as 16!

Heavenly Bodies

Here are some photos from the first of two Angel Tree Topper classes John McRae is teaching at Castle in the Air (the second class is tonight). Students begin with a special copper and wood armature finished with painted paper mache arms and heads pressed from 100-year-old molds. To this, they add a cotton batting gown dusted with vintage mica snow, then decorate their angels with stars, orbs, and other celestial accouterments.

In classical thought, angels are said to dwell in the space beyond the stars we see every night. Having seen these heavenly bodies in person, we have to agree!

Christmas in August!

Yesterday John and I went to Golden Glow of Christmas Past, an annual gathering of Christmas connoisseurs. Hundreds of collectors of antique Christmas ornaments converged in Sacramento to shop, attend talks and workshops, and witness room-sized displays of holiday treasures. I first heard about Golden Glow from an Italian ornament artisan when I was in Europe earlier this year. Even though the show travels to a new city every year, it was pure luck that this year it was in Sacramento, not far from Berkeley. We had so much fun that John and I are going back this Saturday to socialize and attend a banquet and special events.



















The pictures here are of a special Christmas optical toy John made. A convex mirror at one end makes the wintry scene seem much larger. It seems Santa Claus is already awake and on the move!

A Note from our Facilities Manager

It has been observed that there are ups and downs to operating a premises infested by Gnomes. On the down side, the necessary annual fumigations are expensive, and the wretched creatures have been known to chew through over a hundred yards of expensive European ribbon in under a fortnight.
However, especially around this time of the year, one is granted the opportunity to enjoy the more pleasant aspects of having a minor civilization make its home between your walls and amongst your rafters. For instance, when the magical creatures are feeling festive, they become possessed by a certain twisted, manic obsession with decorating each and every corner of the store they can get their crafty little pixies paws on, and with a zeal that can only be described as one-part disturbing to two-parts delightful.
Thus armed with a vaguely Germanic work ethic and about twenty pounds of import glitter, the fey beasties have created quite a breathtaking tableaux of seasonal splendor for us this winter. Do drop by and share in the magic while it lasts. We will be fumigating again come boxing day...

- H. Drosselmeier
Facilities Manager

The Gnomes Know

As any gnome will tell you, the busiest person in the world this time of year is Santa Claus, so he needs all the help he can get as he embarks on his pair of world tours -- one for promotion and one to deliver all the gifts! And of course, as the most gnomerific shop on all of Fourth Street, Castle in the Air is helping prepare the neighborhood for Santa's visit later this month. We've accepted the task of transforming an empty building a few doors down from Castle in the Air into a winter fantasy world. When Santa visits Fourth Street just after Thanksgiving this year, you and your family and friends will be transported to the North Pole as soon as you step through the door. Santa will be on hand, sitting in his majestic sleigh and taking note of the wishes of all the good little boys and girls who come to visit. We hope to see you there!

The Countdown Begins

As you can imagine, the Christmas season is never far from our thoughts at Castle in the Air. It begins in January, believe it or not, when we visit Europe to buy at the Christmas shows there. For our customers, the first sign of the coming holidays is the appearance of the Advent calendars, which we've just put out.

Even though the calendars don't begin until December 1st, we're already counting down the days to Christmas. One day this month, our doors will close for the night and the curtains will be drawn. The only sound passers-by will hear will be the (mostly congenial) chatterings of the Castle gnomes as they hang the garlands, scatter snowflakes, and arrange holiday treasures and prizes as only Santa's elves can. When the doors open in the morning, the sparkling wonderland will be revealed.