Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Twas The Night Before Christmas

It's Christmas Eve today, so expect a lot of photobloggers to be carrying on with Christmas themes (many have been doing so for awhile). I also have a writer's blog, which tends to be demented, twisted, and skewed (in a good way). Sometime today I'll have posted my Christmas Eve blog there; go and check it out.

A little over a week ago, on a snowy Sunday morning, I took the tour of Centre Block on Parliament Hill. Most of the shots I took on the tour will posted in January, but I thought I would share some now, particularly since the space inside is decorated for Christmas.

Christmas decor is worked around the arches we find here in Confederation Hall, the grand entrance space through the main doors.


There is a Christmas tree here in the Hall as well.


The central column in Confederation Hall gets wrapped with ribbons, artificial branches, and lights in an unusual form of Christmas tree.


Here you see the column from above.


Though it's not Christmas related, I thought I'd post this here. There was a book of condolences set up in the Hall after the recent death of Nelson Mandela. 


Confederation Hall remains one of my favourite parts of Centre Block, the arches and attention to detail in the carvings making it such a dramatic use of space.


We leave off today with two Christmas trees. The Senate foyer is on the east side of the building, outside the Senate itself. A tree has been erected here.


On the west side of the building, in the foyer outside the House of Commons stands this Christmas tree.


Tomorrow for Christmas Day I'll be taking you into another Ottawa landmark for more Christmas decorations, assuming scheduling these posts in advance works as it should. I will be back online on the 27th, I expect, so I'll have a good deal of catching up to do.

Merry Christmas!

21 comments:

  1. Very tasteful. I love those columns.
    Merry Christmas to you.

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  2. Oh that is sooooo wonderfully Christmassy.

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  3. Absolutely wonderful, William. Merry Christmas!

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  4. This looks very festive, great!
    Merry Christmas, William.

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  5. Some wonderful shots - thank you. Have a wonderful Christmas and all that's good in the New year.

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  6. How beautiful--and the condolence book display for Nelson Mandela is dignified, just like the man himself.

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  7. Lots of beautiful decorations in an equally beautiful building. Have a Merry Christmas!

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  8. Those decorations are fantastic !

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  9. The decorated column looks great with all the red bows. Merry Christmas!

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  10. Merry Christmas to you, and I have to say the Gothic architecture goes well with the Christmas trees.

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  11. Beautiful building! Excellent set of pics. Have a great Christmas!

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  12. Bright lights and decorations are part of this glorious season! Our Christmas eve was made very lovely with 3 inches of softly falling snow.

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  13. What a fantastically beautiful building. I look forward to see more. I especially love the shots of the poinsettia pillar.

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  14. Oh, that's so beautiful. Those arches are amazing!

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  15. Love the trees! So sad when they have to come down!

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  16. @Hamilton: thank you!

    @Ciel: I think it worked very well!

    @Revrunner: thank you!

    @Karl: thanks!

    @Mike: you're welcome!

    @Inna: thank you!

    @Norma: I should have thought of it when I was prepping a blog for him.

    @Sharon: thank you!

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  17. @Stuart: whoever does this each year does a terrific job.

    @RedPat: thank you!

    @Deb: it looks good indeed!

    @Annette: it's a combination that works well together.

    @Kate: snow on Christmas is a very wonderful thing.

    @Barbara: there's definitely more to come! When to organize the shots is another matter!

    @Krisztina: I've always liked the arches.

    @Cheryl: yes, it means a long wait til next Christmas.

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