These four pictures were taken in Bologna, Italy, during a Festival of crèches from all over the world. All of these crib scenes are from Peru.

These four pictures were taken in Bologna, Italy, during a Festival of crèches from all over the world. These particular images show four different nativity scenes from Europe.

These four pictures were taken in Bologna, Italy, during a Festival of crèches from all over the world. All of these crib scenes are from Latin American countries other than Peru: Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador.

In 2008 I visited Merano, in the Italian Alps, at the border with Austria, famous for its delightful Christkindlemarkt. I had a hard time deciding where to turn my camera lens. A lot of hearts caught my eye, including some made of chocolate. Here they are, just for you…

Angels are an expression of love. Last year I was in Merano, in the Italian Alps, and found many of them that were waiting for me and for my camera. Enjoy this special selection of winged creatures…

This collection includes hyacinths caught by a winter storm in early spring, a hydrangea trying to survive the cold and some common weeds made extraordinarily beautiful by a coating of morning frost.

I love snowmen. They always smile! Making human-featured characters out of snow is said to date back to the Middle Ages…

These little wooden carvings in the form of soldiers, kings or knights evoke memories of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite.

I took these pictures in New York City, walking down Fifth Avenue on a rainy day. My favorite image is the one with the red umbrella reflected in a shop window.

We never get tired of the beauty that these bright colors radiate all around us at this time of the year.