Holiday Decorations

The staff at Gertrude's has made and decorated a group of gingerbread Baltimore rowhouses for its Christmas display. Pretty cool, right. What other Baltimore restaurants have gone all out with holiday decorations? Tell us about some that you've seen. Snap a photo if you can and send it to richard.gorelick@baltsun.com . Remember, Gertude's has been serving an afternoon tea during the holiday season on most Saturdays and two selected Fridays. You have two more chances -- this Saturday, Dec. 24 and next Friday, Dec. 30. Seating times are at 2 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. Beverages include a selection of loose and bagged teas as well as coffee lemonade, juices and soft drinks.

You know how little kids' eyes light up when the Christmas tree makes its grand appearance in the living room? That's nothing compared to the way I've seen pets' faces show surprise and delight the first time they see one. A tree! In the house! The problem, of course, is that giving a curious dog or cat free access to holiday decorations can not only end in an annoying (and messy) way, but can be downright dangerous to them. Much as we love to look at our sparkly Christmas accoutrements, our dogs and cats tend to explore them by mouth, and that can spell bad news.

Glamorizing candlesticks, bedding down arrangements on artificial evergreens so realistic they appeared to be fresh, wrapping dried flowers to stand alone on a table top without the support of a vase -- those were some of the tricks of the trade presented at a holiday design symposium for retail florists and interior designers one evening early last month.A sellout crowd of 400 or so flocked to the Pennock Co., a Baltimore floral wholesale house. They came from Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia to pick up ideas for the holiday decorations they'd soon be preparing to offer to customers.

When Bob Zealor was growing up in Overlea, he would go into the woods near his home and collect greens to make a wreath for his mother. You can imagine his delight when he discovered Colonial Williamsburg, where all the holiday decorations come from nature. All these years later, the interior designer and his wife Maureen make regular Christmas pilgrimages to Williamsburg, Va., which has become the inspiration for his holiday decorating. "It is homey. It is real. The greens, the fruit.

ARE YOU CONVINCED THAT TASTEFUL Halloween decorations are an oxymoron? If your neighbors decorate their yards with homemade tombstones, line the walk with garbage bag pumpkins or hang ghosts made out of old white sheets from the trees, you may be convinced good taste has taken a holiday. But designers and party planners say Halloween decor doesn't have to be a horror show. Forget heavy chains, skeletons and creepy skulls. You can have fun decorating without setting off an alarm for the "style police."

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church will hold a holiday bazaar and silent auction from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the church, 1110 St. Stephen's Church Road in Crownsville. Highlights include handmade items, holiday decorations, theme baskets, baked goods, Annapolis Symphony tickets, Toby's Dinner Theater tickets, Sundance Carwash, and football and baseball game tickets. Call 410-721-2881 for more information.

Glendening, Townsend to attend holiday event Gov. Parris N. Glendening and Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend will meet and greet the public and state employees at a holiday open house from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 21 at Government House, across from the State House in Annapolis. The open house will feature refreshments and holiday decorations. Participants may tour the State House rotunda to see a holiday quilt exhibit.

Around the house* Use a dollop of mayonnaise to clean hands after handling evergreens for holiday decorations. The oils in the mayonnaise will remove sap and grit and will also moisturize skin.* Each time an item has been charged, write a check for that amount, record, and stash the check in an envelope until the bill arrives. A dwindling balance helps control the urge to spend.

Williamsburg Holiday Decorations Package What's the deal?: Take a step back in time to a simpler Christmas at historic Colonial Williamsburg, Va. Candles, decorations, costumed performers and musicians set the tone for a spirited, down-home 18th-century holiday. The Holiday Decorations Package includes accommodations, lunch at a tavern, passes to the historic area, a walking tour of holiday decorations and the book Christmas Decorations from Williamsburg. What's the savings?: Rates start at $81 per person, per night at the value hotel The Governors Inn. The Hotel Guest passes, which include general admission, also give 50 percent savings on evening programs.

There's a treasure sitting in our neighborhood, constructed between 1781 and 1785. It's the Montpelier Mansion. The house is breathtaking; the land surrounding is pristine and well maintained by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Department of Parks and Recreation, and Prince George's County. Seeing this historic property first-hand is indeed a rewarding experience for all. One of the main focuses of the history of Montpelier is to educate guests of all ages.

The repetitions of ritual are the point. They establish continuity and reassurance through familiarity. So you can be sure that you will hear "O Come, All Ye Faithful" at the late-night service on Christmas Eve, that you will eat the same holiday dinners,* that you will make the same toasts. And that is exactly as it should be. Unfortunately, in journalism the resort to trite language appears to be understood as an honorable ritual rather than as a failure of imagination. So, for those who have ears to hear, I repeat today the annual Holiday Cautions.

The staff at Gertrude's has made and decorated a group of gingerbread Baltimore rowhouses for its Christmas display. Pretty cool, right. What other Baltimore restaurants have gone all out with holiday decorations? Tell us about some that you've seen. Snap a photo if you can and send it to richard.gorelick@baltsun.com . Remember, Gertude's has been serving an afternoon tea during the holiday season on most Saturdays and two selected Fridays. You have two more chances -- this Saturday, Dec. 24 and next Friday, Dec. 30. Seating times are at 2 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. Beverages include a selection of loose and bagged teas as well as coffee lemonade, juices and soft drinks.

Ravens great Matt Stover will preside over this year's lighting of Baltimore's Washington Monument, organizers announced Tuesday. Stover spent 13 seasons as a Raven, earning respect as one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history and the admiration of Baltimore fans who appreciated both his on-field performance and his off-field love for their city. Although not signed by the Ravens following the 2008 season (he would later sign with Indianapolis and help them get to Super Bowl XLIV)

There's a treasure sitting in our neighborhood, constructed between 1781 and 1785. It's the Montpelier Mansion. The house is breathtaking; the land surrounding is pristine and well maintained by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Department of Parks and Recreation, and Prince George's County. Seeing this historic property first-hand is indeed a rewarding experience for all. One of the main focuses of the history of Montpelier is to educate guests of all ages.

Howard Magazine is getting into the holiday spirit. We asked three Howard County interior designers to offer inspiration and tips for dining room decor. What resulted is a feast for the eyes. Better yet, these Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas looks are easy to recreate. See the accompanying photo gallery for pictures of each holiday design. THANKSGIVING Jill Valeri, owner of The Welcome Home: Interior Design Solutions, capitalized on warm autumnal tones to create a friendly Thanksgiving table.

I was digging around in all the Christmas stuff the other day and thinking, "Didn't I just do this?" Actually, I did just do this. Time got away from me last year, and I didn't get the Christmas decorations down until around Valentine's Day, and I didn't put them away until about Easter. I don't know. I was busy, I guess. So, technically, I did just do this. For about the 28 t h time. And I found myself sighing with something like boredom. Over the years, I have edited my collection of Christmas stuff so that only the best or most treasured items get a spot in our tiny house.

Each Christmas, Colonial Williamsburg's floral services staff creates what may be the most famous traditional holiday decorations in America. For the past 60 years, hundreds of thousands of people have visited the historic area to take part in Williamsburg's celebration of Christmas. Countless magazine articles and books have been written about the decorations, made from the natural materials -- such as greens, berries, fruit, cones and pods -- that would have been available in 18th-century Virginia.

FireWestminster: Firefighters from Reese and Manchester assisted Westminster at 3: 47 p.m. Sunday, responding to an apartment fire in the 300 block of Pleasanton Road. Units were out 56 minutes.Westminster: Firefighters from Pleasant Valley assisted Westminster at 4: 22 p.m. Saturday, responding to an oven fire in the 600 block of Thornbury Court. Units were out 35 minutes.PoliceWestminster: A resident of Avenel Circle told police Saturday that property was stolen from his vehicle while it was parked outside his home.

The holiday themes have been erased from shop windows along Harford Road in Parkville, but area students and community groups are reaping the rewards of their work and creativity. The Parkville Carney Business and Professional Association has awarded the $250 best overall prize for its window decoration contest to Parkville High School, whose art honor society turned the Hohne Pool windows into a winter scene filled with playful penguins. Loch Raven High School came in second and won $200 for its interpretation of a Christmas tree trimmed with billiard balls at a sporting goods store.

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church will hold a holiday bazaar and silent auction from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the church, 1110 St. Stephen's Church Road in Crownsville. Highlights include handmade items, holiday decorations, theme baskets, baked goods, Annapolis Symphony tickets, Toby's Dinner Theater tickets, Sundance Carwash, and football and baseball game tickets. Call 410-721-2881 for more information.