I like the idea of the old sled. I bet it looks lovely. LOL at the peppermint dental floss!

My mom and I banter about this time of year. It's my favorite and it's her least favorite. She can't stand to live with so little sun and I figured out how to beat her this year! I said, "If the sun didn't go down, how could you see the pretty house decorations all lit up?!" She couldn't argue with that. I wish I could see a picture of your sled. I think it's inventive and sounds like it'd remind me of my childhood. We sledded all the time the first year we came back to Tennessee. In 2008, we never had enough snow to sled one time! I don't believe in global warming, I believe in cycles. So it's time for a lot of snow this year.

We certainly go through cycles in putting up outdoor decorations, and have not bothered much in the last few years. It's not grinchiness, but we get so busy with the business around holidays, sometimes we are sated with greenery or decorating. Generally we do one thing, however, and that is weave a large wreath with a huge red velvet bow (about six foot across) and suspend it from a second story window over the front door.

Your sled sounds perfect. It has to pluck the strings of childhood memories. What person over the age of forty didn't have an old wooden sled with metal runners? Even at my age, I wouldn't be above flopping my belly on one and sliding down one of our hills.

Your sled sounds like a great decoration idea.

The last few years our decorating has consisted of stringing little lights around and over our small Japanese maple tree. The problem is that this year it's stayed so warm that the leaves haven't fallen off. They've turned brown, but won't let go. However, they can be pulled --a whole branch at once-- and off they come. My DH says I look goofy pulling leaves off the tree. But hey, I want the lights to show to good advantage when I put them on. :>)

Oh Michelle! I was wondering if you were going to tell your story this year and it looks like the opportune time to tell your leaf pulling story!

Leaf pulling. hehe. I like that.

No more sled here. That's one thing I have against this part of the US, no dependable winter. Every 10 years enough snow to use a snowshovel, an occasional icestorm and more sleet and rain than anything else. Enough grumbling.

On the first Advent a wreath with a bow and pincecones goes up on the door and that is the end of the outdoor decoration. Unless the weather changes, I am debating that this year, my flower boxes are still in full bloom.

After an hour and a half of pulling the leaves off of the Japanese maple (4' tall x 6' wide) in our front yard, I thought Xmas lights would show up O.K. in the now mostly-bare branches. Last year, I bought--but didn't use--two boxes of the "net" lights. I struggled for another hour trying to get them situated to good advantage--not trying to cover the whole tree, but at least the top and sides. Well, the darn nets kept getting caught on the *naked* branches and just wouldn't stretch far enough to cover much at all. Finally, I took them off and draped one set over a huge rock placed next to the maple. It doesn't look too bad--at least, not in the daylight. When I turn the lights on, tonight, if it looks goofy--lights on a rock?--I'll take them off, tomorrow. It's not what I hoped to do, but hey, I got tired of messing with it! :>(