Women on Fire

Today is Saint Lucia's Day (Saint Lucy's Day). It's one of the many holidays/feast days that takes place during the last part of the year. Lucia was martyred in the 4th century. One story suggests that she wore a wreath of candles on her head to guide her way when bringing food to Christians hiding from the Romans, but also to free up her hands so she could bring as much as she could carry. Another story suggests that when her fiance found out that she was helping Christians he reported her to the Romans and she was condemned to burn. However, fire did not kill her and she was stabbed to death. Candles are used in many places that celebrate her feast day. The lives of saints are wild. 

While Saint Lucia is celebrated in many parts of the world, she's particularly popular in Italy and Scandinavia. The wreaths, called Lucia wreaths, are worn as part of many celebrations in her honor. My friend Melanie suggested I include Lucia in this month's pieces, and her suggestion made me laugh and think of one of my favorite holiday movies, The Ref.

The Ref is a gem of a movie from 1994, and should be more of holiday staple than it is. I'm sure it doesn't help that Kevin Spacey is one of the stars, but it's still a really funny movie regardless of how you feel about him. I was a huge Spacey fan in the 1990s and early 2000s - I refuse to watch anything he's done in the last decade, but I can't help my love of The Ref. The movie is about a couple, Lloyd and Caroline (the amazing Judy Davis), who are kidnapped by a burglar (Denis Leary) who's trying to hideout until his partner can arrange transportation for them. He ends up having to participate in the family's Christmas Eve dinner with Lloyd's family, including Lloyd's mother (international treasure Glynis Johns) and his brother's family, including Christine Baranski as Lloyd's sister-in-law. Throw in a scandal at their son's military school, house to house searches for the burglar, and a drunk Santa - this movie has everything. 

Anyway, Lloyd and Caroline are in couples' therapy and Lloyd reveals that Caroline never finishes anything she starts including Scandinavian cooking classes. Which brings us to the Lucia wreaths. Caroline prepares a traditional Scandinavian meal for dinner and has everyone wear a Lucia wreath. Here's her version of Lucia's story:

Between Judy Davis's story, Glynis Johns's comment about her forehead blistering, and Christine Baranski's declaration later on about "women on fire," I can never separate this movie and Lucia wreaths. In her honor, today's piece is my version of a Lucia wreath. I don't draw humans at all, so imagine this wreath has been removed so my forehead won't blister. 

Thanks for the recommendation, Mel! I highly recommend everyone check out The Ref this holiday season!

Details:
Stitches: back, straight, and satin stitches

Thread palette: SS 581 (3), 301 (2), DMC B5200 (3), C890 (3)