Three Twisted Knots

Short Stories: Tales From The Christmas Event

I did not ask for this life, you know. I was born into a Christmas Elf family, and let’s just say the caste system is rigid. My mother was none too fond of it either, but the thing is, it’s not like I have a lot of transferrable skills. Apparently I have not been spreading enough Cheer and Joy, because yesterday my line manager, Pixie Tinselplum, walked right in to my home (without knocking!) and explained to me that although I was technically following the Christmas Elf dress code, she would prefer me to be, and I quote, “A bit more festive, please”.

Seriously? I put twinkly lights on my head. And I said as much. Hint: even if your family goes back twenty or more generations in this life, you will never get the best of the Tinselplums, because they are the North Pole’s perfect crystallisation of the Peter Principle. My mother explained that to me once: it’s when someone gets promoted to the level where they’re fundamentally incompetent. I think they have the rule book imprinted in their brains, because you cannot so much as use an improperly springy shade of green without having one of the Tinselplums come to you and explain how it does not fit in with the recommended values of Christmas green.

Still, she is my line manager, and so the only thing to do, as a hereditary Christmas Elf with a family history and reputation to uphold, was to smile as sweetly as I could possibly manage (it might have been more of a grimace), and ask her, in dulcet tones (that might have borne more resemblance to a hiss), what I should change in order to better meet the Christmas Season Standards.

You want to see what she came up with? Scroll down.

The only thing about this photograph that doesn’t make me want to lose the will to live is this beautiful print from Carlotta Ceawlin of Dreamscapes Art Gallery. I guess it’s a good thing I’m seriously moping here, because I was slumped over enough that my antlers (Pixie made me wear antlers!) did not obscure the bottom of the print. Only after I saw the photograph did I realise — oh, look, I am an elf with antlers, sitting beneath a deer with antlers. I’m not really sure my photo is good art, but at least there’s a pattern here?

Now, I always miss my mum, who’s been in the great gingerbread cottage in the sky for some time now, but I’d have given anything to be able to get some advice for her in the moments after Pixie completed her makeover and declared it a success. Of course, that’s just not possible from a (presumably) completely separate plane of existence. So, since I’m stuck being a Christmas Elf for the rest of Eternity, I guess I’d better suck it up. My mother would never have come right out and said, “Suck it up”, to me, but she would have used kinder words that meant the same thing and relied upon me interpret her. So, in an effort to cheer (ho ho ho see what I did there?) myself up, I decided to create my foyer decor as an homage to my dearly departed mother, may she rest in sprinkles.

I wanted to give you a full scope of the space, so I shot this at quite a wide angle. It includes my beautiful Christmas Tree Shelf, featuring some amazing holiday collectibles from some of my family’s favourite artists. Then we swing round past the arch to the kitchen to that pile of presents I’ve yet to put under my tree, a lovely sideboard displaying works by Cassie Eldemar, my delightful Christmas butler dressed up as Jack Skellington, and of course it just wouldn’t be Christmas without the family Beetlegnome somewhere in here.

The lovely miniatures on the sideboard are all from Little To Big’s Christmas Village collection, with this year’s special addition, a town hall with a working clock on the right and part of Santa’s Village on the left. The sideboard itself is from Park Place. Don’t worry: I’ll include full credits at the bottom of the post! Jack always has Your Hot Bevvie Of Choice in his little teapot, and he also offers every visitor a cookie, because everybody loves cookies. Beetelgnome, well—he’s just a special part of our family holiday decorating scheme. And he goes well beside Jack, since in the legend, they both wandered over from Halloweentown and just never went back. There’s the lovely white deer print again, minus a moping me on the stairs.

Turn around, and you’ll see two little decorator tables with first Park Place’s lovely holiday gray wood table with deer, then Multifarious’ beautiful Hiscakeht flowers displayed in a fancy cat planter, and finally this year’s miniature Christmas tree, also from Multifarious.

I don’t know what to tell you about what’s beneath that table, except to say that when I brought in a load of packages yesterday to start this next phase of decoration, I just put Lantian/Flox’s Victorian Angel Pillow there so I wouldn’t accidentally step on it whilst putting the foyer together. It was meant to go on the sofa in the next room, but my cat, Requiem, has been sleeping next to it for most of a day and a half, and she is not letting anybody move this pillow, the territorial little minx. On the wall are two wooden snowflakes from Artisan Fantasy. Once again, I am enjoying creating spaces that acquire their balance from not being centred, and while I might go back and swap to a larger rug… I might not! (She’s whimsical, fellas!) You can also see bits of the Shallots Web region if you look out the door window— but I’ll show you more about that later.

I love this Christmas tree shelf. It’s narrow enough that it doesn’t break up the space, but there are lots of shelves where beautiful things can go. It’s made by Ballade, just the sort of simple place to display things more personal and complicated.

The starry snow globe at the top I’ve had for a very long time; my mum found it for me at Libertine, and so it’s usually at the top of this shelf every year. Maybe one day I’ll change it up, but there’s something about having the familiar around me at this time of year that makes my family seem so much closer even when they are far away or lost to me. All the things on this shelf are super special to me in their own way. My Joy, Noel, Peace gnomes, from Crown Jewels Collectibles, remind me that being a Christmas Elf, even when I am feeling pretty grinchy, requires a certain amount of joy, balanced with peace (that’s mostly so I don’t punch Certain Members of the Tinselplum clan in the face…).

I guess the next shelf down is the one I most associate with memories of my mum. These little elder gods plushies, from the great Cthulhu (himself, themself?) to winged Shantak are here to remind me that one day this world will end and the bliss of oblivion awaits us all. Mum always told me this card came from the Elder Gods themselves. It reads, “Happy Holidays From The Elder Gods”, or that’s what she told me, anyway. I can’t read it.

And of course it wouldn’t be Christmas without some of the beautiful cards from friends and family. All of these mean something special to me, but that’s kinda personal.

Outside, I have finally put my Christmas lanterns up! I love all kinds of lanterns— lights are my favourite thing about this time of year. These are from Tirrany Designs, and they fit beautifully next to my front door. This year’s outside wreath is from The Dark Fae— I love how the bright colours set off the pine cones. And of course, you have to have some gnomes beside your front door! My friend Kadaj at HarshLands made these, and there are multiple shapes of them, with differently pointed hats. Oh! And the outside door mat, which you can barely see (I’m sorry!) comes from Park Place. It has little trees with stars and lights, and it says, “Joy, Peace, Love”. All good things to think about.

Now that I’ve got myself out of this terrible mood (at least until Pixie comes back and inspects something else!), I’m going to see if I can get Requiem to come cuddle with me on the sofa for a little while.

But no! She is just sleeping peacefully in a sunbeam, and she refuses to move from Wyvie’s beautiful pillow, no matter what I do! I guess I’ll just have to go cuddle myself.

And OW! I caught the table with one of my antlers when I was standing up. I promise I will find more festive headgear, Pixie, but I’m ditching these antlers for now, before I injure myself or someone else.

Notes & Credits:

Items featured at The Christmas Event (in order of appearance):

• Festive Deer Print: Dreamscapes Art Gallery, Winter Animals B
• Christmas Tree Shelf: Ballade, Berry Wooden Xmas Tree Shelf
• Sideboard: Park Place, Bristol Holiday Cabinet
• Miniatures:
  • Santa’s Village: Little, Big Designs, Santa’s Village P 9 (table)
  • Town Hall: Little, Big Designs, Town Hall Clock
• Butler Skellington: Imagine Nation, Imagine Jack Butler
• Deer Table: Park Place, Holiday Gray Wood Table
• Hiscakeht flowers: Multifarious, Tri-Color Hiscakeht C
• Small Christmas Tree: Multifarious, 2023 Christmas Tree – Smol
• Angel Pillow: Lantian/Flox, Victorian Angel Pillow
• Peace, Noel, Joy Gnomes: Crown Jewel’s Collectibles, Gnome Joy Noel Peace Sitter
• Christmas Lanterns: Tirrany Designs, Holiday Lantern, Gold
• Wreath: The Dark Fae, Pinecone Wreath Red
• Exterior Rug: Park Place, Holiday Area Rug, Love, Joy & Peace

Other Special (sponsored) Items:

• Cthulhu Plushies: Cerridwen’s Cauldron (left to right):
  • Gug, Sitting, Burlap
  • Cthulhu Plushie Green, Standing
  • Shantac, Burlap, Sitting
  • Gug, Standing, Burlap
  • Cthulhu Plushie Green
  • These will be available at Santa, Inc.; when it opens, I’ll update with the SLURL.
• Outdoor Gnomes: Harshlands, Garden Gnomes 4 and 1, Available at Swank

Other Fancy Stuff:

• Peace On Earth Banner: Artisan Fantasy, Holiday Peace Banner, Small
• Starry Snow Globe: Libertine, Star Lights Globe
• Boxed Presents: Artisan Fantasy, Gift Boxes
• Beetelgnome: Naughtybits, Beetelgnome
• Wooden Snowflakes with Bells: Artisan Fantasy, Wooden Snowflake
• Requiem: Half-Deer, Sleepy Cat, Black
• Cards, including the Cthulhu Card: Some are SL Christmas cards I’ve received from friends over the years, others created by me using properly licensed artwork from Shutterstock or Envato

Nocturna Hollygloom’s Look, Top To Bottom(a “*” denotes an item from one of my lovely creator sponsors):

• Antlers: Petrichor, Kesehra Antlers
• Hair: Zao, Magic Hair
• Skin*: Moth & Moon, Lorelai, in tone Vintage (this is a group gift at the Moth & Moon Main Store)
• Eyes: T’ville, Contact Eyes, Pure Black
• Eyeshadow*: Hexumbra, Demetria (This will be an exclusive at Frost e Fest, and I’ll add the slurp when the event opens)
• Blush: Bloom, Baby It’s Cold Outside
• Lipstick*: Hexumbra, Kimberly (Available at the Hexumbra Main Store)
• Choker: Yumi, Posh Punk Necklace
• Bauble Necklace: CindyMey, Xmas Necklace
• Clothing: Candy Kitten, Sweet Promises

Whew! That was quite a list! Thank you for reading, and thanks particularly to the Hexumbra blogging clan for keeping me sane during this holiday season!