All Things Bright and Beautiful: CHRISTMAS and MORE!

last year

December 18-26: Hanukkah!

December 21: Winter Solstice!

December 23: Festivus!

December 26-January 1: Kwanzaa!

Are you more than ready for some celebrations after the last two seasons were badly affected by Covid? Have you decorated? Or will you? Show us with plenty of pictures! Are you planning your holiday dinner and/or parties? Will you share your plans, menus, recipes, table settings, special dinnerware with us?

What is your family or friends gathering like? Are rising prices making you re-think what you will do? Will it be a small gathering or are you part of a large one? If it's at your house, do you clean madly or just shrug and say "if it's clean enough for me, it's clean enough for my guests?" Do any guests stay overnight? Any funny or frustrating stories there? Any questions or issues we can help you with?

Is it an exhausting holiday or an exciting one for you? Share, share, share1

Now, for me, I live alone (with three cats) but I am so crazy about this time of the year. It takes an enormous amount of effort to make myself wait until October 1 to bring out the autumn decorations. Then on Friday of Thanksgiving weekend I put those away and bring out the Christmas decorations. Because I am getting older and wish to simplify, I donated my tall (lipstick red) tree and its vintage ornaments two years ago. This year I have gone to simple white and green, the colors of my home. There are two tabletop flocked trees, left plain, no lights, no ornaments. I have made them a kind of forest on one end of the nine-foot case in the living room and a kind of mini-forest at the other end with what I think might be dollhouse-sized trees, some bare, some flocked, a couple of mini-fence and a few old English-style lights and town clock. That's it for what is a normally bare top. And five vintage stockings are hung from it.

The coffee table sports a unique 2.5-foot tree of leaves and sticks and a collection of five large different bells that, surprisingly, don't scare the cats when I ring them.

The wall above the small entryway table has a huge silver and white bow found on Etsy that replaces the picture normally there. On another table is a vintage paper cutout of a tree with gifts, obviously from the sixties. The end table holds a large pine-scented candle.

The den has two more table-top trees and one of those lighted birch trees, about three feet tall. And finally the master bedroom has a smallish, absolutely gorgeous sleight in white, gold and green that I hesitated to buy from Neiman Marcus (due to its $80 cost) a couple of years ago but ultimately am glad I did plus a tiny six-inch gold tree from World Market. The rest of the house is undecorated except for a few things outdoors.

I will post pictures in the next week when I can get a friend to come over and take them. In the meantime, tell us ALL about your tree(s), lights, decorations, plans, food, and much more so we can share in your joy!

Featured Answer

Emily R.

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last modified: last year

A few months ago, I bought my first fake tree -- 9 feet tall. I've been super excited to decorate it. A month after it came, we got 2 kittens. (Can you see where this story is going??) The day after Thanksgiving, I set up the tree. I took *hours* to painstakingly separate/fluff out all the branches and make it look good. Then, Buddy and Earl discovered their new favorite toy. And now... all my pretty ornaments remain exiled in the box in the attic, my Type-A-fluff-technique'd tree is covered with gaping holes created from hauling errant cats out of its middle, and the upper branches are decorated with los gatos.

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Comments (17)

functionthenlook
last year
Christmas is my least favorite holiday, but for the family I go along. The inside and outside is decorated. I lost a blowup penguin and as things die they aren't getting replaced. My tree is small. I just throw a bag over it at the end of season and put it back in the shed loft It does spin though. I prefer the traditional Christmas colors. I sit up on a hill overlooking a housing plan. At least they are replacing their airport runway white lights with colored lights.

There are several parties and activities planned. Next weekend starts the festivities. We never stopped gathering with friends and family. As soon as the holiday parties started back up we were there. 2020 was the only year there wasn't any kids christmas parties, but there was adult parties at the club.
arcy_gw
last year

Christmas is for sure a lot of work but it's all soo beautiful and festive how can one resist!

Can't wait to see everyone's outdoors!!!
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kculbers
last year
last modified: last year
I enjoy decorating for Christmas and decorate the day after Thanksgiving. I purchased a new faux Silverado Balsom Hill tree in the spring, and got it at a 60% discount. I collect chalkware Santas and painted spoons. We recently painted our new front door with Behr’s paint, color: “Baby Spinach”. It is quite an unexpected pop of color, and I plan to hang some garland around it, the next warm day we have. (see next post for more pictures).
kculbers
last year
My door, spoons, etc.
claybakin247
last year
Is it against HOUZZ rules to post ”this type of question” more than once?
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Aphaea thanked claybakin247
maree85
last year
Some grinches need to remember that Christmas comes once a year
Aphaea thanked maree85
Aphaea
Original Author
last year
More decorations! Show us more. We all love it!
Anna
last year
Kculbers, I love your grren door!
Aphaea thanked Anna
littlebug Zone 5 Missouri
last year
I’m with you, @functionthenlook. Commercialism has ruined the winter holidays for me.

I will soon take down my exterior fall decorations and replace them with winter decorations. No Santas or flashing bright lights for me. I have a large lawn white silhouette nativity scene which I will use a white spotlight on and sprinkle straw around. That’s the only Christmas decor I will have outside.
Aphaea thanked littlebug Zone 5 Missouri
Aphaea
Original Author
last year
Well, I am now home from Trader Joe's with a lovely and delightful fresh wreath. It smells wonderful! Because of my indoor-only, infinitely curious cats it must stay outside so it sits next to the front door. Umm!
loobab
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last modified: last year
Oh, isn't TJ's the best?

This time of year they have great seasonal foods.

Their Trader Joe's pomegranate pistachio crackers are delicious, and they sell out so frequently, so apparently everyone else likes them too! With a bit of cheese or even plain, they are super!

TJ's has the cutest wool ball trivets in festive colors and I purchased a slew of them. They are perfect for holiday parties.

I like their candles too, I burn them when I am home alone, the gentle scent makes me happy, and I like that they are in a can with a lid so I can easily pop the top on, no mess.
Aphaea thanked loobab
Aphaea
Original Author
last year
Pomegranate pistachio crackers? I've never noticed these but I adore (almost beyond measure) pomegranates. I must look for them.
littlebug zone 5 Missouri
last year
This very same story was posted this morning in my FB feed by a male friend. Except his cats actually pulled the whole tree over. He was real upset and banished the cats, ar least for now.
Aphaea thanked littlebug zone 5 Missouri
functionthenlook
last year
Put a eye hook in your ceiling and with fishing line tie up the tree so the cat can't knock it over. Also fill a squirt bottle or gun with water. Everytime the cat goes near the tree squirt the cat. Cats hate being squirted with water and will learn the tree is off limits. Works great at keeping them off kitchen counters also. And it wouldn't hurt the cat.
Aphaea thanked functionthenlook
Aphaea
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
Emily and LittleBug, this is for .you: http://www.fluffytails.ca/christmas.asp
Emily R.
last year
@functionthenlook We tied the tree to the railings in two different places with butcher twine. ;)
Aphaea thanked Emily R.