I painted a home that could have been the setting for Clement Moore's unforgettable poem earlier in my career. It is the centerpiece of Victorian Garden II, where it sits in a sylvan spring garden, embraced by lavish, dew-drenched blossoms.

The Night Before Christmas revisits the stately mansion, while the change of season works a dramatic transformation of the scene. Snow shrouds the foliage, replacing the gemlike dazzle of flowers in the earlier piece with a tapestry woven in shade of white. The lamp is festooned with wreath and bow, a sled stands ready-to-ride on the picket fence, a jaunty snowman greets guests.