ALWAYS A COWGIRL CHRISTMAS
Western Horseman Magazine, December 2008 Issue
Page 4
rests on the velvet bedding in
Camarillo’s bedroom. In the
background is a “family tree”
trimmed with Victorian decorations
and portraits of family members.
Greenery also graces Camarillo’s elegantly designed, town-and-country dining room table and a custom-made red hutch on which she displays her grandmother’s collection of antique flo blue china and the Black Forest bear collection from Germany she enjoys collecting with her father, Bob Meffan. Above the table is an antler chandelier, which coordinates with the candle holder that anchors her centerpiece. Warm candlelight casts a golden glow on Bernadotte china in a wildlife motif. A
small, carefully wrapped package sits on
each plate.
“I shop all year for small items to wrap
for my friends and family,” Camarillo says. “I might put pieces of liqueur-filled chocolate, trinkets or small bottles of wine in the boxes.”
Camarillo’s bedroom doubles as a home office. She has created a feminine, Victorian atmosphere with plush velvet bedding, leather and cowhide throws, and floral tapestry curtains in a burgundy, saffron and dark brown color scheme. To coordinate with these, she has a Victorian-style tree decorated with framed family photos and amber lights.
doll was a souvenir from Buffalo
Bill’s Wild West Show. Keeping with
the cowgirl theme, Camarillo has a
photo of Dale Evans on her dresser
and vintage Western jewelry
cascading from a goofus-glass dish.
Beneath the tree is a collection of porcelain dolls made by her mother. An antique dresser is embellished with vintage cowgirl storybook dolls, bisque figurines, cowboy and cowgirl salt and pepper shakers, a photo of Dale Evans and a goofus-glass bowl overflowing with silver and turquoise jewelry. In the corner, a Steiff teddy bear sits atop a sidesaddle, her grandmother’s 16th birthday present, purchased from the
1911 Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog.
Camarillo considers every day Christmas, but she saves some traditions exclusively for the holiday. On Christmas Eve, Camarillo cooks a Mexican feast for her friends and family. Then, in front of the fireplace, her son, Wade, reads The Texas Night Before Christmas and The Polar Express. The latter never fails to bring a tear to Camarillo’s eye.
An aviation boatsman mate in the Navy, Wade is stationed aboard the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier in Bremerton, Washington. You can bet the house will be decorated when he comes home for Christmas, no matter what time of year
that might be.
Jennifer Denison is a Western Horseman editor. Click here to send comments on this story.