Holiday Decorating?

[VeraBlue]

Like storing winter clothes in the summer, I always spend the days after Thanksgiving decorating the inside and outside of my home for Christmas.

I've left lights on the two trees in the front yard year round. I like the way it looks, and don't know why I cannot enjoy them all year. The back yard and gardens are lit all year, why not the front?

But, I do make it more christmas-y, and I do more on the banisters and along the drive.

I have a dwarf plum tree that is always festooned with mardi gras colours, year round. I have a cherry blossom tree that is always festooned with shades of blue. Yesterday, we added white twinkling snowflakes and large snow balls. The rhododendrons around the trunk are done in green. The banisters along the front steps have fresh pine garland and blue lights. Blue and silver bows at the bottom, and blue and silver poinsettias in the flower boxes at the top of the stairs. Three wreaths, one in each window along side the door, and one in the door, also festooned with blue and silver ribbons, bows and trinkets.

I wish I could put a mirror in front of my house so when I look out the window I can see it............instead of the christmas nightmare I am subjected to across the street.

Across the street is one of the original mcmansions. A new home that is way too big and ostentatious for the street it is placed on. The family who lives there own a construction company. Every year, one of the hispanic underlings comes over the day after Thanksgiving and decorates the house. I have to admit, half the joy of enjoying your lights is putting them up in good cheer. This poor guy pulls everything out of his boss's garage and decorates the house while the prima donna gives direction from the front step. Pathetic.

And it's not even pretty stuff to look at. There are 8 plastic soldiers, faded now from 7 years of use hooked to the stair banisters. Two white christmas trees at the landing. Matching fat A$$ snowmen strapped to two trees. Gingerbread men in christmas light bondage next to a gingerbread house. A gigantic snowbubble machine, and the topper is a lighted reindeer and lighted sleigh with a plastic santa stuck in it....the reindeer's head is dark, the back of the sleigh is dark, and santa's face looks holographic. It's worse than a Nightmare before Christmas....it's more like an LSD christmas display.

They drag the same giant wreath with two red bows out year after year and nail it to the center of the house...no small feat, considering it's made of brick. White brick.


Have you decorated? What's it like? Are you subjected to tastless displays of plastic toys in babeland?

 

[shpj4]

I love to decorate for the Holidays. I have a 6 foot tree that has all colored lights and white lights already on the tree. It comes in three pieces and I just put the bottom one on with it's own stand and then put the second section on then the third. You would never know that it was an artificial tree.

Then I put all my ornaments on it and it looks absolutely georgeous.

 

[Michelemarie]

Vera, thanks for the laughs! Your description of your neighbor's house is hysterical!

Since it is a nice 60 degrees here in the Chicago area we just returned from a walk outside to look at all the Christmas lights. My son loves the snow "bubbles" as he calls it, with the snow flying all around.

We always decorate early so we can turn the lights on the day after Thanksgiving. Inside, however, I am an early bird. I didn't decorate until last weekend, but I usually start in early November - I know, I'm weird. Shpj4 and Verablue, post pictures of your house if you can! I would love to see your decorating

 

[JoAnn L.]

I am just starting to get my decorations out of the basement. We have the lights over the garage door and on three of the bushes in front of the house. My five year old granddaughter, Emily, was here this afternoon with me and I had a fun time showing her some of the snowmen decorations I have been putting around the house.
Up the street our neighbors have a full size "singing" Santa Claus and you should see him dance. I have never seen one of them before.

 

[-DEADLY SUSHI-]

I do not decorate. If I was married I probably would. I have white lights on my fake indoor tree year round though.

 

[amber]

Vera, I absolutely love your threads. I think your very articulate as well. One thing that threw me though was when you described your neighbors as
"hispancic underlings" I'm fairly certain you didnt have any intensions there, but it could be misconstrued as such.

Anyway, I ended up doing Christmas lights on my front porch. I have strings of white and blue, that are sort of icicle looking. Normally I do just white or just blue, but this year I went with both colors. It looks so nice! I may put some garland around my porch posts as well. Eventually I'll get my Christmas tree, and maybe a wreath for the front door. I have to dig alot of stuff out of the attic, we have lots of decorations from my parents, and new ones as well.

I've yet to do a garland of popcorn and cranberries, which I've seen so much about, but it could be fun, and good bird food too!

 

[kadesma]

Outside, DH has multicolored light, I want the white, he loves all colors sooo, since the inside is MINE to do as I please, I've let the colored light be.
My tree is tall, white lights, my colors are silver,gold and crystal icicles or tears, silver garlands of beads, angles Ahhh my angels, The dinning table has a mauve cloth, mirrors on top with silver, mauve sparle fruit and flowers, and in the very center on a mirror the loveliest angel in white and gold given me by a dear dear DC friend.the railing seperating the dinning family room has a garland with flowers and beads to blend with the dinning table and is lighted with the white lights. I have several small trees for the bathrooms along with candles. The kitchen this year will be in silver, amber, gold a large amber cut glass like broken mirrors candle holder,put together again will hold a soft pumpkin or light copper colored candle, there is a silver dish filled with tiny glass bulbs of gold,copper,silver and frosty white, now I have to dig up something for the back porch counter and put up the nativity and magi and I'll be done.
kadesma

 

[TATTRAT]

my jack o lantern looks darling with the lil x-mas lights. Why decorate when you can elaborate?

 

[Ishbel]

It is not the tradition here to decorate until the first week of December at the earliest - and I usually leave it until about the second week. I have white lights in the two largest trees in the front garden, a wreath for the door, and that's it for outside.

Mind you, the stores have been decorated for Christmas since the day after Halloween!

 

[XeniA]

One thing that threw me though was when you described your neighbors as
"hispancic underlings"

I think if you re-read what VeraBlue wrote, you'll see that she was making a reference to a person her neighbors hire, and specifically, what this person was to her neighbors, not what he was to herself. I understood that maybe part of what she dislikes about her neighbors is just that -- that they hire someone they consider inferior to do something as joyful as decorating their house for the holidays. (Or so say I ... only VeraBlue's hairdresser knows for sure!)

 

[boufa06]

Mine will be put up on 1st December. Since I do not have a frontyard and backyard to decorate until we move to our country house, I must confine my attention to my living room and hall of my present house. My artificial Christmas tree is similar to the one that shpj4 has except that the golden lights are separate and form a different pattern. I usually decorate it with cotton wool to resemble snowflakes and hang golden angels, bells, pine cones and miniature Santa Claus and other figurines on it. I must say it looks pretty real and during this festive period DH and I will usually sit by the tree in the evening and watch the twinkling display of the lights. Quite a sight to behold! The house will be also adorned with wreaths and other trimmings to give it a Christmassy effect.

 

[Michelemarie]

I love Christmas decorating! All of your homes sound so wonderful - I wonder, I wonder, can you all post some pictures so we can see how beautiful everything is? This thread could be a walk down our DC neighborhood - all our homes side by side - anyone up for that?

 

[middie]

I have white icicle lights on my house. I have a snowman inflateable that won't inflate, the motor is broke. And I have a polar bear inflateable. That's it. I like to keep it simple.

 

[Katie H]

We have a wonderful little pine tree we brought with us from Maryland. We planted it in a nice open space in the front yard and it has taken off like a rocket. The soil here is divine. We always decorate it with lots of little green lights. It's grown so much this year, it'll take a few more strings of lights.

Our first floor has 10-foot ceilings and the entryway has a beautiful, ornate arch that I usually decorate with artificial greenery, white tulle, strands of pearls, tiny crystal lights, and silver and crystal antique-like ornaments. It's beautiful and it creates a nice Christmassy welcome as you come in.

I'll hang our Advent calendar in the hallway, as I have done for over 36 years. I made it when I was pregnant with my first child, who will be 36 on December 5th. Even though none of the children will be here for Christmas, they would shoot me if I didn't hang it up. I'm in the process of duplicating one for each of them to have for their families.

I don't know if we'll put up a tree this year. Perhaps only our "patriotic" tree, which is decorated with red/white/blue lights and anything flag-like or patriotic. It will be set up in the dining room because it's small enough to be set up on the server.

We've been keeping decorating pretty minimal the last couple of years because it's just been Buck and me and I'm usually the one who does the ladder-climbing, etc. to do the decorating.

In lieu of decorating heavily, I bake LOTS! That's something we both enjoy. The neat thing about that is there's always lots left after the holiday is over, so we can enjoy Christmas far into January.

 

[VeraBlue]

I do not decorate. If I was married I probably would. I have white lights on my fake indoor tree year round though.

I positively love the tiny holiday lights and have them inside my home, year round, too! In my bedroom I have a large multi-limbed branch that I have unusual ornaments hanging from, along with beads, ribbons and small glass birds. I have blue lights on it, and always light it on the weekends. I also have a metal corset and head piece arranged so it looks like Mrs. Claude Rains is wearing it...decorated in red lights.

 

[VeraBlue]

Vera, I absolutely love your threads. I think your very articulate as well. One thing that threw me though was when you described your neighbors as
"hispancic underlings" I'm fairly certain you didnt have any intensions there, but it could be misconstrued as such.

Anyway, I ended up doing Christmas lights on my front porch. I have strings of white and blue, that are sort of icicle looking. Normally I do just white or just blue, but this year I went with both colors. It looks so nice! I may put some garland around my porch posts as well. Eventually I'll get my Christmas tree, and maybe a wreath for the front door. I have to dig alot of stuff out of the attic, we have lots of decorations from my parents, and new ones as well.

I've yet to do a garland of popcorn and cranberries, which I've seen so much about, but it could be fun, and good bird food too!

Amber, I would never intentionally disrepect anyone, indeed. When I referred to hispanic underlings, I meant that the man who owns the home across the street is the same man who owns the construction company (I see the trucks in front of his home every now and then)....and he makes his employees, people of obvious hispanic heritage, come to decorate his home. I was trying to point out the apparent exploitation of employees for personal reasons.

 

[VeraBlue]

I love Christmas decorating! All of your homes sound so wonderful - I wonder, I wonder, can you all post some pictures so we can see how beautiful everything is? This thread could be a walk down our DC neighborhood - all our homes side by side - anyone up for that?

I took a few pictures of the inside earlier today, but haven't taken any of the outside yet. Without a digital camera, I have to wait till I finish the roll. I should put 'digital camera' on my wishlist!

 

[Half Baked]

I have white lights on my fake indoor tree year round though.

Me too, Sushi!

Without the kids or grandbaby coming this year, I'm a little sad. Actually my oldest son and my ex will be driving through so I'll invite them to stay a few days. Fortunately all of us exs get along very well and there is no stress at all. My ex is very ill and is on a lung transplant list so he needs our oldest boy to drive him to his family in Alabama. Each holiday that he is alive gives us great joy.

I do find it very hard to get everything out when I'll enjoy it for a few days and have to put it all away again. We decorated my youngest son's house (inside and out) while I was up there over Thanksgiving and that's enough for me.

 

[amber]

Amber, I would never intentionally disrepect anyone, indeed. When I referred to hispanic underlings, I meant that the man who owns the home across the street is the same man who owns the construction company (I see the trucks in front of his home every now and then)....and he makes his employees, people of obvious hispanic heritage, come to decorate his home. I was trying to point out the apparent exploitation of employees for personal reasons.

I definately misread what you wrote Vera and I do apologize. How sad that he makes his employees decorate the house. He and his wife obviously have no christmas spirit.

 

[VeraBlue]

I definately misread what you wrote Vera and I do apologize. How sad that he makes his employees decorate the house. He and his wife obviously have no christmas spirit.

They remind me of a couple of wanna-be Sopranos. For all I know, he may be the real deal Soprano. Wouldn't surprise me in the least. It still doesn't change the fact that making your employees decorate your home for christmas seems lacking in spirit, to me.

Jetplanes could land on his sidewalk, the white lights so brightly illuminate the entire walkway. Holographic santa could wave the pilot over to the bondage gingerbread people for cocktails. Mayhaps the fata$$ snowmen could do a rumba while the plastic soldier men did a chorus line....