A Christmas Confection

From decorations to dinner, it's all a delicious delight

WHILE SOME OF US are just beginning to face up to decking the halls, Karla Waterman's house is in full Christmas bustle. A tireless gardener and fund-raiser for the Washington Park Arboretum, Waterman's glee in transforming her Bainbridge Island house into a sparkly Christmas confection is infectious. From the glassed-in entry filled with orchids and amaryllis to the frosted candy houses she makes, this is a home infused with Christmas delights.

The delight starts outside with the big, old evergreen trees that greet you along the front drive. Thousands of tiny white lights festoon the trees, offering a magical welcome for the many guests who come to the Waterman home. Karla and her husband, Gary, love to entertain, and their guests know they're in for a treat the moment they step into the blooming entry, so packed with plants it feels like a conservatory. More lights shimmer on little conifer cones in tall, pleated terra-cotta pots. Shiny black floors reflect banana trees and tree ferns brought indoors for the holidays. With the amaryllis and orchids, fragrant paperwhite narcissus amplify the mood of generous warmth and hospitality. And the guests haven't even seen the Christmas trees yet.

Waterman devises different decorations every year, picking a theme to tie it all together. Because she loves her garden, the theme usually includes bringing the outdoors in, with an emphasis on flowers. Big potted boxwood balls outside the entry doors are fluffed out with pink, purple and white cyclamen, and pots of lipstick-bright amaryllis are in all the rooms. One vignette in the entry shows off Waterman's gardening prowess, with red twig dogwood branches propping up the extravagant flowers of an amaryllis, set against the deep red splay of living banana leaves. There are no dreary December days in the Waterman household — not with brilliant shades of red, amber, pink and purple running throughout the rooms.

The billowing Christmas tree, a grand fir, is a party in itself. Richly fragrant and wrapped in sparkling ribbons of lime green, yellow, pink and red, it's a swirl of a Christmas fantasy. "I wanted to lighten up the color," says Waterman of the Santas, snowmen, teddy bears, clear glass bubble balls, and peppermint ribbon candies that deck the tree in fine style. Everywhere you look, you'll see the wise old eyes and powdery white beards of Santas, some with pointed hats, others with plaid jackets, all with benevolent faces. "We eat Christmas breakfast in here by the tree," says Waterman, pointing out the round table in a bay window draped in a red cloth and topped with red cyclamen ringed in pinecones. Stockings for the Watermans' sons and daughter-in-law hang from the mantel in anticipation of holiday visits.

In the dining room, the Santas give way to a collection of brightly painted nutcrackers, as well as bears, books and angels. Vases of red-trimmed amber roses bunched with hypericum berries continue the natural theme, as do pots of kalanchoe, trails of variegated ivy and orchids about to pop into bloom. The Watermans host a series of dinner parties over the holidays, and guests are treated to a table set with a white cloth, red and pink napkins, red Venetian glassware, little gold trees and gumdrop-studded candy houses Waterman made from whipping-cream cartons.

Waterman does the cooking for all her dinner parties, and, with her parents and friends, bakes traditional Norwegian cookies, including decorated spritz and rolled krumkake.

This ultra-organized hostess keeps extensive Christmas files over the years, including menus, design and gift ideas, and recipes. "They're inspirational to me," she says of the colorful clippings and butter-stained recipe cards. When I visited, Waterman was loading up tins of Christmas cookies and preparing for a dinner party, while putting the finishing touches on homemade Christmas cards.

Valerie Easton is a Seattle freelance writer and contributing editor for Horticulture magazine. Her e-mail address is valeaston@comcast.net. Benjamin Benschneider is a Pacific Northwest magazine staff photographer.