Magical Times of Year ~ Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!!!

Last few days of year are so magical..with the excitement of welcoming new year, recapping memories of the year that is about to leave us off and on top of everything its the excitement to see your whole town around you dressed up with sparking tiny lights.

Christmas is not something that I have celebrated as a child growing up, but since my very first Christmas in this country some 15 years back, I always have looked forward to this magical holiday season with enthusiasm. Ever since I am here, I have embraced all of North American holidays and culture associated, with open heart and arms and brought it into my home. Have created own traditions around it which we as family can cherish years to come and my kids can make their memories around them...

This year Christmas is special for my family, as we are in new home. Though move was just 3 miles away from our old house we are still not yet completely settled. Moves are never easy, out of all of the moves we had to do this one sure was the difficult one, mostly because of the amount of stuff we gathered as our family kept growing. Most of my holiday decoration is still packed up somewhere in boxes which I can't seem to locate but that was not going to dampen my spirits this season.

I have decked up my new place to ooze holiday spirit with whatever old I could find and some new! This was one good reason for me to shop for some new decorations as well!!

Here are some corners of my holiday decorated home..

Angel.. blessing my home!!

Ornaments - Some old, some new, some made and some found..
All have a say in how my tree turned out this year! What do you say?

Night View!!

One last view!!!

Wishing my dear readers a Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!!!
May you have wonderful celebrations with your loved ones..

PC: All pictures are taken by me and are property of Rangkatha. Subject to copyright. Please do not use them.

~ Prasanna

Final few days of Fall... Some more Fall Inspirations....

Thanksgiving marks end of Fall(Autumn) for us. Didn't get to catch up on my fall post yet?? Here you go..

With Beautiful colors outside its evident that my Thanksgiving decor must have inspired with these colors.. You can call me crazy posting Fall feature while we are into Christmas season. But what can I say, I can't seems to have enough of Fall and not ready to invite Winter yet :)

Some Fall inspired ThanksGiving Vignettes from my Casa!

Thanksgiving Table! (With Fall inspired center table decor!)

PC: All pictures are taken by me and are property of Rangkatha. Subject to copyright. Please do not use them.

Wishing you all a bright and colorful week ahead!

~ Prasanna

Fall Fantasy.. In love with the Autumn colors!

Hello my dear readers...

Imagine this... crisp breezy air, a skyline with multiple shades of blue, and landscapes painted with vibrant shades of yellows, reds, oranges and golds!

That sound out of this world! isn't it? Today's post is all about that!

Ah, ha! Yes, it is about Autumn!

I have been away from you all for some time..... With busy summers - vacations, travelling, kids and all their summer activities.. besides all this, this year my summers were also busy because of months and months of packing, getting our old house ready for keeping in the market for renting, moving and then unpacking, all in the midst of Summer, Navratri and Diwali. Now with all that craziness behind me ( Well.. not really.. I am not done unpacking yet, which I have decided to take it slow) and still leaving couple more weeks before getting busy with Thanksgiving, Christmas and NewYear.... Now is definitely the downtime I am enjoying. This time of the year I like to be busy doing what I love the most - Admiring colorful canvas of nature around me. I have been enjoying nature and its colorful palette of Autumn.


Each year in Autumn, mostly between mid Oct to mid of Nov we visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park to admire these beautiful colors of leaves just before they fall off for winter. This year we couldn't visit Smokies but season in and around where we live was more than magnificent and has made up to us. We have enjoyed beautiful, colorful and surprisingly long and absolutely perfect Autumn this year!

Here is my attempt to capture this beauty from within/around my home and neighbourhood, from peak leaf season with some landscapes resembling rich fabric tones of gold, rust and deep red with occasional oranges and yellows to the past peak showing some of bare branches and dried and fallen leaves.

Some captures around our neighbourhood.

With every tree dressed up as beautiful as a bride and every leaf with a different color to portray- Indeed "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."

White building in the picture below is a Baptist Church Founded in 1870 and is one of the oldest historic churches of the town.

These shots below are from the remains of the old convenience store built in 1800 which is still standing and now being used as Nursery.

Conserved wetlands around our neighborhood!
With all the construction going on, not much of wetland is remaining.
I am so glad this one is protected under conservation laws.

Some captures of Autumn from within and outside of our home!

Views from these windows are my absolute favorite part of my home.
I really do have second thoughts on covering any of these windows!

These dried fallen leaves not only add versatile beauty to your landscape, but can also add fun to your playtime !

PC: All pictures are taken by me and are property of Rangkatha. Subject to copyright. Please do not use them.

~ Prasanna

Deepavali (Festival of lights) Wishes and Vignettes from Rangkatha...

Deepavali( Diwali ) for me , is all about family, friends, food, fun, and of course fireworks... All this happening in Fall (Autumn) is what makes it even more special!

I agree that this post could have arrived a bit early. But I have been busy basking in the celebrations of our new home.. Yes! we have moved during this Navratri and that kept me been crazy busy...! More details on this later...

Today I am exclusively here to wish my dear readers a Very Happy and Safe Deepavali... and of course to share some Diwali Vignettes from my home....

I am all geared up to celebrate my first Diwali in my new home .....

Here I would like to share my pieces of elements that is going to bright up my Diwali Décor this year.. and hopefully yours too..

1) Flaunt your art... Get creative this Diwali.....

Clay diyas are an inexpensive way to light up your Diwali. But if you have some time and patience then these clay diyas can turn into glam in just no time.. Art enthusiastic at my home love to keep themselves busy..... This not only gives you a sense of satisfaction but also is one of the best ways to bring kids into the mood of festivity, especially when Diwali is not a public holiday where we live...

You might find numerous varieties of decorated Diyas in the market but one that you have painted and decorated yourself adds different kick to the whole affair... what do you say???

2) Bringing outside in...

As many of you might know I am a person who likes to live in my garden and sleep in the house. So it goes without saying that Diwali falling during my all time favourite season of the year .. Fall (Autumn), is the perfect reason and season to incorporate nature's creative colors of this season into my décor pallette.

3) Featuring Flowers...
Well.. well.. how can you have a festive environment without flaunting flowers.. isn't it?? So let's get crazy and creative with flowers..

4) Rangoli..

As important of an element flowers are to my festive décor, so is Rangoli.. I cannot call my décor complete without Rangoli of some kind. But if its a curated combination of diyas, flowers and rangoli then there is nothing to beat that combo!

5) Incorporate your favourite collectables in your decor..

My treasures are my collectables I have collected over years during my travels around the globe. Out of all, terracotta collectables are always very close to my heart. Any place I travel I make sure that I bring at least one native terracotta treasure home. Besides the pottery I make, I have a huge terracotta collection that I take pride in. Some vignettes with my collectables this Diwali...

This is going to be my first Diwali in our new home... so wish me best and light up your Diwali with love and affection!!

Yet again.. Rangkatha wishes its readers a Very Happy Deepavali !

(Pictures: Subject to copyright. All pictures are taken by me, are from my home, featuring my family members. Please do not copy them.)



~Prasanna