Rachael Ray emotionally debuts Christmas decor in temporary home after fire: ‘I miss our trees’
Celebrity chef Rachael Ray is showing viewers how she’s celebrating Christmas in her temporary home.
Months after a fire ripped through her upstate New York home, Ray provided a tour of how she’s staying in the holiday spirit during Monday’s episode of her daytime talk show, “Rachael Ray Show.”
“This year, we’re not putting up trees, because no families are coming to visit and we lost our main home, our big house,” she explained. “But we absolutely would not let the holidays come and go without some decoration.”
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Despite these circumstances, Ray reveals her festive decorations to viewers, which included handmade garlands bordering the doors, strands of twinkling lights that “look like falling snow,” and pink paper lanterns resembling “falling snowballs.”
The daytime Emmy-winner also showcased one of the only salvageable decorations from the fire.
“(This was) saved from our house that burned; a horse sculpture that is exactly the same as one my mom had in our house when I was a little girl,” she says. “I found it at a flea market.”
Though Ray, who is known for having multiple Christmas trees, didn’t have one this year, she did incorporate a miniature Cyprus tree, which reminded her of “the tree (she and John Cusimano) planted when we were married in Italy.”
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After the tour, Ray emotionally reflected on “this very weird year,” noting that “it honestly makes me want to burst into tears how much I miss our trees.” However, she acknowledges that she’s thankful to be celebrating with her loved ones, even when she’s not in her traditional home.
“I’ve got to tell you, I don’t know where I’d be without friends, and a community, and people so dear to me that helped me bring Christmas to life.”
She continued: “It’s not a lot, but these partridges and pears and sugared fruits and things, they do make me feel at home and nostalgic and grateful for the family that I have and the life I’ve led.”
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rachael Ray shares Christmas decorations months after devastating fire