Decking the Halls

I haven't decided if we are going to brave the stores today. I'm sure by now (9:30 am) that most everyone looking for deals are already out there shopping. I was thinking instead to dig into the closet under the stairs in the basement and pull out all the Christmas stuff. We were going to do that yesterday, but I was busy in the kitchen and didn't feel like going through all that stuff. Today hubby is working a 24 so we are on our own all day and evening.

If the weather is nice this weekend, maybe he can get the lights up. We only do the lower level because the turret and the peaks of the roof are way too high to reach safely. It would look so cool if we did it but without renting special equipment or a qualified person, there is no way we could do it. I really like the icicle look so we will be doing that again. The upper story has decorative soffit lights, so even without a string of lights in the peaks it has a very festive look.

Maybe this year we could get the reindeer out too. We have two animated reindeer that haven't been set up since we've lived in this house because this time of year we get some pretty strong winds and everything gets blown over. The last two years we put up a nativity scene with a spotlight, and when they stayed up it looked nice, especially lit up at night, but many mornings I would find them blown over. We couldn't figure out a way to keep them from sitting upright.

This year we are thinking of buying a white tree so that I can decorate it grown-up style. The "mom" tree, as I'll call it, will have a place in front of the window in the dining room. At Wal-Mart, there is a pre-lit one for only $35.00. We looked at other places (Home Depot, Lowe's, Michael's) and the trees are $199. The quality is better and the branches are slightly fuller, but I'm not sure it matters $164.00 worth of a difference. If I buy the Wal-Mart tree I have more to spend for the decorations. I love those department store trees with matching ornaments and coordinating colors, and would like to make my own theme tree. I'm thinking of doing a Victorian looking tree.

Our other tree we have had for over ten years and every year we say that we need to buy a new one, and every year we end up putting this same one together and setting it up anyway. This tree is for the kids to decorate with all our favorite hand made ornaments from the past and other old but well-loved ornaments. It is fun getting them out and unwrapping them and reliving cherished memories of Christmases past. By the time the tree is decorated, it looks very cute.

Each year, we add to our Christmas collection for decorating. This year will be the mom tree.

Last year, I bought two little four foot pre-lit trees for the upstairs windows in the boy's rooms. I set them up on boxes so that they could be seen in the window, and the funny thing is that from the outside they look much bigger than they really are. Both the boys have bay windows so it really looks nice at night time.

These candy canes looked really cute but they only lasted one season. They didn't stay up and we were constantly putting them back up, and this area gets flooded when it rains (see the puddle) so it's not a good place to string anything electric. We won't be putting anything on the pathway this year!

I love decorating the house for Christmas. I have a little over two weeks to get ready for BooMama's Christmas tours, and I know the time will fly by. I better get started!