This was the remark thrown at my dear friend whilst trying to arrange lights on a 10-foot tree. My friend and I are self-confessed Griswolds. We get into Christmas with the gusto of Clark: decorating trees, making gingerbread, sending out the cards too early, taking photos of the neighbours lit-up lawns, and spending more money on festive wrapping than on the presents. However, sometimes a Griswold meets a Grinch, a Grinch who cannot understand why the precise placement of the grillion lights it takes to illuminate a 10-foot tree is vitally important to the Christmas spirit (and decoration). So, if you too have a touch of the Grinch about you, turn away now. The festivities to follow will send you rushing for the green facepaint, and hurling abuse at your enthralled Griswold associates...So, here we have the Christmas collection by Jim Shore. This range is currently filling our front window, and is attracting much attention from passersby filled with the festive spirit. The Jim Shore Christmas Collection comes in two ranges: Snowball Snowman and Holiday Traditions. The ranges include bowls, mugs, platters, cookie (biscuit) jars, votive and candle holders, trays, table centrepieces and salt & pepper sets: in all, a comprehensive selection with which to beautifully dress your Christmas table.
The pieces in the Jim Shore range are hand-painted ceramic. They are dishwasher- and microwave-safe, and very sturdily crafted. In true American style, the designs are bold and colourful, with tremendous attention to detail. The designs can be mixed together, or you could select your favourite and continue a theme throughout your festive entertaining.
While we currently have a wide range of pieces in store, this range was handpicked in the USA by the Cookshop owners, and imported exclusively for Cookshop Plus. This means you can dress your table or get-together with pieces with a bit of exclusivity, or give a gift you can be sure the recipient won't see anywhere else. But the other result is that the stock is very limited. Once the pieces are sold out, that will be it for the season.
While we currently have a wide range of pieces in store, this range was handpicked in the USA by the Cookshop owners, and imported exclusively for Cookshop Plus. This means you can dress your table or get-together with pieces with a bit of exclusivity, or give a gift you can be sure the recipient won't see anywhere else. But the other result is that the stock is very limited. Once the pieces are sold out, that will be it for the season.
If you, like me, are completely enchanted by Christmas, and will go to any lengths to stop the Grinchs stealing it, then this is a range for you. So turn on the twinkling lights, put Anne Murray & Kenny Rogers' Christmas Wishes on the stereo, pour the eggnog into some Holiday Traditions mugs, and serve up the fruitcake on a Snowball Snowman 3D platter (isn't that just the most marvellous piece?).
And if that hasn't outed me as the world's most fanatical festive enthusiast, you can paint me green and call me a...well, you know what.
