Decisions On Holiday Decorating
I’ve made decisions about holiday decorating. So that’s on task out of the way.
It is cold, gray, and rainy outside. I’ve had to turn on a few lamps so I don’t stumble around in the dark.
Charlie is in his usual spot on my recliner with me. And Ivy is in her usual morning spot on the table next to me.
She knows that occasionally I will stop typing and pet her. And she will head butt me if I don’t do it often enough to please her. Then she normally takes a morning nap on the soft pet bed laying behind my chair.
The fireplace is on and keeping us all warm and toasty
The Ceramic Buddha From Home Goods:
I’ve been wanting to show you the Buddha I found at Homegoods earlier this week. I grabbed it up because I’ve been looking for a green one this size ever since I broke the original one I had in 2016.
This one is a bit darker green. The other one was more chartreuse. I had the other one outside decorating my gazebo that is no more.
This one stays inside and hopefully I don’t knock it off the table while cleaning as I did the first one.
The windows are all wet and fogged up. Oklahoma wind is blowing and the tree limbs I can see through the French doors are bowing a bit in the breeze.
It’s rather sad to look out on the patio now as all the plants are dead.
Leaving The Dead Leaves Until Spring:
I don’t think I’ll clean everything up and snip back all the plants until spring because the leftover debris might provide cover for birds. They might want to build their nests from the detritus of the now brown ornamental grasses.
The only plant on the patio that still shows any sign of life is the eucalyptus.
Yesterday, after mulling it over this past month, I saw an artificial Christmas tree online at Michaels.com and went to look at it. The online ad said they had it in stock and it was half price.
I have not had a tall tree in years. This is a thin 7-foot tree.
Won’t it be interesting to see how Ivy reacts to the Christmas decor? In other words, will she pull it to the floor? I bought shatter-proof ornaments in case she does.
Color Theme For Christmas Decor This Year:
My color theme this year is red, white, silver, and gold. This week at Michaels you can buy a big plastic container with 50 ornaments in it for half price at $14.99.
I purchased two containers, so I have 100 ornaments to work with.
My plan is to clean my apartment today and maybe put the tree up over the weekend. I cleaned my bathroom yesterday, so that is one room I can mark off the list.
Tomorrow I’m meeting my younger daughter and her husband and Andrew to take photos of them for their yearly Christmas card. We’re going to the park.
They normally have it professionally done, but I said I’m free if you want me to do it. And if they aren’t pleased with my photos they can then contact their usual photographer.
Birthday Lunch:
After that, if my older daughter can make it, we’re all meeting up for lunch for her birthday. I took my younger daughter out for lunch last week on her birthday, as is our custom.
My girls’ birthdays are two weeks apart. The oldest was born on November 28 and the youngest November 14. Their dad’s birthday is today, the 22.
Thus we always had a lot going on in the month of November when they were children.
I went to small table top trees after my 2 new cats (long gone now) loved to climb and pull down the large one – fortunately, only 1 or 2 glass ornaments broke. But what I enjoy the most is the outdoor tree I put on the patio in front of the windows. I can see it from my living area and through my bedroom door. So for the past 2 years, I’ve not bothered with the smaller trees and just use it. It came with lights and I don’t put ornaments on it (mostly because I read out of time the first year). I also use a remote control to turn it off and on so I don’t have to go outside in the cold. It’s not a big tree – 5 ft tall I think. I put some of my favorite glass ornaments on the mantel so I still get to see them.
One year I used toy wooden blocks as ornaments and put all my siblings, niece and nephews names on them along with their birthdates. I need to add all the grands now and use them on the dining room table as part of the decoration.
Have fun and stay warm!
I’m really looking forward to seeing your tree! How exciting! Just beware, cats either ignore them or get into a bit of trouble with them, LOL. the unbreakables was a smart move. I like your color combo. And.. I’m so happy to hear you’re visiting with both of your daughters, wishing you a wonderful time together.
Brenda, I am looking forward to seeing your tree. I love Christmas and love seeing how other people decorate their houses. Hobby Lobby has beautiful trees and decorations.
Have a great time at the park taking photos, I am sure they will be beautiful.
I, too, am glad you are feeling much better. Love your cozy apartment and really like that hanging macrame?type planter..looks nice..Hope your new green B. brings you peace and joy. I have a November birthday and anniversary, also..happy to all of yours..always exciting time end of year blended with other Holidays. I bought a pencil thin tree about three years ago and love how easy it is to to put up and decorate. Enjoy yours and cannot wait to see it…Have a blessed weekend…bet those photos will be awesome, too.
Glad you are feeling better enough to think about holiday decorating and to get together with your girls. I bet you will shoot some really nice photos of daughter and her family. You have such a good eye. Hopefully the light will be nice—not too much sun to create dark shadows.
I can’t wait to see your tree when you get it up. I won’t put mine up ’til after Thanksgiving. We are having it here with my two daughters and the four grandsons plus my older daughter’s “baby daddy” (I wish they’d get married) and my younger daughter’s boyfriend who is a chef and will do a lot of the cooking. Not a bad deal, huh? I will make pumpkin pies and cranberry bread. If we lived close I would bring you some of each!
Have a good weekend, hopefully without pain.
I ‘m glad you decided on a tree. I’ve decided to put up my tree too. No one may ever see it but me, but I enjoy it. The lights always make me feel happy. I’ve been waiting for my knee to get better before I tackle the boxes with my decorations, but as it is feeling somewhat better I am going to try and do some decorating this weekend. Happy birthday to your daughters. Have a fun day with them. xo Laura
Enjoy your new tree. Looking forward to seeing it with the decorations.
Marilyn
We haven’t had a big Christmas tree since 2008. Phil passed away in Sept 2009 and we never had the desire to put one up again after that. And now that we’re empty nesters, neither one of us have any desire to do all that work of putting it up and decorating it and then taking it down and storing everything away. The older I get, the less work and fuss I want with holiday decorating. We have a faux small tabletop tree and we’re satisfied with that. We won’t be putting up any Christmas decor until after Thanksgiving either. I’m in no rush and I’m still not feeling that desire to even start.
Have you thought of using Command hooks? They work very well and don’t leave marks or holes on the wall.
But from my experience with these, they pull the paint off the walls when you go to get them off! 🙁
This will be the first Christmas in 17 years, that we are without our cat, Cleatus. She loved to bite at the lower branches, once pulling a small one off the tree, and drink the water out of the tree stand, and then take a nap under the tree, after attacking the lower ornaments. She will be missed, as she is every day since we said good-by. When we were first married, another cat we had, jumped into the tree, and it came crashing down, with broken “antique” ornaments scattered all over the floor. I remember calling my husband at work, frantic, and he came home and put the tree (10 foot) back up, and tied fish line around it, and hooked it onto a nail in the wall. It worked fine. Now that we don’t have as much room for a large tree, we buy a 5 foot Fraser Fir (they don’t drop needles) and put it on a table in the living room. We’ll be picking ours up, after Thanksgiving, when husband gets home from hunting up North. I’ll be waiting to see yours, as I know it will be Beautiful!!! I don’t know if putting a tack in the wall will be secure enough to hold your tree, all you probably need would be one of those tiny little nails, that don’t leave a huge hole. Anyway…I know you will figure it out, and all will be fine. Would love to see some of your photos of family, if you are allowed to share. Hope you have good weather for your photo shoot. Hugs from “sunny” WI
I always tie my ornaments on with jute. I was in Michaels yesterday getting the tree and ornaments and a young mother with a 2 year old boy was next to me and we started talking. I told her about the jute and she’d never heard of it. So we wandered through the store until I found some for her. A 2 year old boy can be deadly with a Christmas tree! Also I have shatterproof ornaments. I don’t want to get all upset if Ivy manages to pull one off and it hits the floor.
I love Christmas decorating! So every year, day after Halloween, after taking down those decos, I start pulling down my big containers of decorations to decorate all through my house. I decorate 3 trees and I have a big poinsettia tree too! It takes me about a week to get everything done and then I can sit back and enjoy it. So much fun!
Then I put up my parents Christmas tree and decos around Thanksgiving, so they can enjoy theirs! I always wire my trees too bc 1 year I didn’t and a tree started to fall as my daughter walked by it! She grabbed it and hollered to me, nothing broke! Whew! Lesson learned!
Now I can start baking all different kinds of cookies for the holidays and some bundt cakes! Can’t forget quick breads too!
I tried a few new kinds of bundt cakes and a batch of quick breads and they were liked bc the twins and friends came over last weekend, both days and almost demolished them all! I told them to save me a few, so I can taste them. Lol. I cut my cake up in big slices and wrap up individually in plastic, so it makes 10 slices instead of 20 thin ones. Works out great!
I know your going to love your tree when you get it up Brenda! I can’t wait to see it! Oh, if it’s the orn that I have gotten in 2 round containers, they do break, just to let you know bc mine did.
Stay warm and cuddle with your fur babies this weekend!
Didn’t you also decorate your parents’ tree last year? I seem to recall that.
Lol. Yes I did! This will be the 7th year that I’m decorating their tree and putting up their decorations! Wow, good memory Brenda!
I hope you enjoyed your day with your daughters and taking Christmas pics!
In my extended family there are 10 people with birthdays not just in November, but in the last 10 days of November. This number includes my brother (21st) and me (27th). It was easiest to just have one birthday cake at the Thanksgiving meal and sing the Happy Birthday song to everyone with the November birthdays. I disliked that set-up as a young child, having to share a cake and candles. I was a bit envious of my sister, who has a July birthday! But as I got older I decided it was pretty fun to share my birthday with so many other family members. It has created some good memories. (I’m also in a weird group in my husband’s family — I’m among the 10 or so who are left-handed. There is only one other lefty on my side of the family.)
The lefty info is cool – I think its cool to see lefties – That’s interesting the minority in Your family and the majority in Hubby’s family!! 🙂 barb
I love your idea Donnamae!
My older cat Baby will be curious but won’t knock it over. However, Merci Kitty who has only been here 10 months will likely want to scurry up the tree or just dive into it.
Veronica
I am so glad you got a tree. Seems like the pencil ones went out of favor for awhile so glad to see them back. I know it will be beautiful. You just have that knack. Our kitten didn’t bother the tree at all last yr. How lucky was that. But as for Miss Ivy we can only hope the best.
Yes, with Ivy you never know. I bought a birthday card for my oldest daughter and had it up on the high kitchen shelves. Ivy seems to know when anything knew is brought into this apartment. The other morning I got up to find it on the floor. She just couldn’t leave it alone.
I haven’t commented in a long time…but I have a suggestion for your tree that might ease your mind regarding Ivy. We used this trick the first year our cat came to live with us…and it saved our tree from falling over. We put an eye hook in the wall, about 2/3 of the way up the wall where the tree would be. Then strung fishing line around the tree trunk to the eye hook. The tree can’t fall…and we had piece of mind. Sure…Bowser did knock off a couple of ornaments, but the tree stayed up. (Course…this only works if the tree will be close to a wall.). Bowser by the way is part Maine Coone…very large, and very curious. Now…he enjoys sitting under the tree lights to nap. Love all the Ivy and Charlie stories! Hope this helps! 😉
I’ve been thinking of some way to attach it to the wall, so this sounds like a great idea. I wonder if, since I live in an apartment, I could use a thumb tack with fishing line? Wouldn’t make such a big hole.
Hmmmm….I wonder if a command hook might work which would leave no hole in the wall!
oops… should have read ALL the comments. Someone already thought of it…. haha
Looking forward to seeing your tree up and decorated, and seeing how Ivy reacts!!
I can’t wait to see your tree, Brenda – and also how Ivy reacts to it!!! I’ve been putting up my smaller trees one at a time…I’ve got the bar tree up in the dining room, the hall tree up, and now my bedroom tree up. I’m really loving all the twinkling lights and I even started watching my Christmas movies already! I usually wait for that until after Thanksgiving, but seeing Christmas decor all over blogland already has got me excited to get it done! Have a great weekend!!
I usually wait until after Thanksgiving. But I really want to enjoy the lights on the tree. Along with my fireplace, it sounds perfect.