I will confess that I am right this moment listening to Christmas music. And I 100% would have put up some decorations by this point, however we'll be traveling for Christmas, so I'm still trying to content myself with pumpkins. Also, maybe you will help me by filling me in on your holiday preparations? Then I can live vicariously.
I'm feeling a little guilty about skipping Thanksgiving, so I guess I'll go make a thread for that...
Christmas is my favorite - I look forward to it all year long.
All of our outside decorations are up. We put them up a few weeks ago while it was still warm. I even already created a layout showcasing them.
I host a Christmas ornament exchange each year and that is currently in full swing - this year there are 138 participants and 24 people have received their ornaments already. I love seeing the different ones people send. I am still waiting on mine but am excited to see what it is. Here are some that have been received so far this year:
We are planning on putting are Christmas tree up on Monday. This is something I look forward to each year. We always buy ornaments when we travel so it is fun to pull them out and remember the places that we have been.
I also host a Christmas Caroling party every year and have been since 1998 - wow! 18 years - just realized that. Basically everyone gathers together then we walk around the neighborhood spreading Christmas cheer singing to people who answer when we knock on their doors. It is fun. Some years it is really cold and other years it is pretty warm - sometimes there is snow or it is snowing on us and sometimes it is not. After we wander around singing for a hour or so - its been up to 3 hours before and less than one once when it was bitterly cold - we head back and have hot chocolate and treats while we visit and laugh. A few years ago I also made soup and am thinking about doing that again, this post made me realize I better decide soon as caroling is on the 9th this year.
For many years I just reprinted the words to the songs out on the computer each year but a few years ago for Christmas my husband told me to design a book with the songs I wanted in it then he had 20 of them made. I love it! I have one that is mine and I have had everyone sign it with their name and the year when they come to the party. It is fun to see the signatures.
We don´t celebrate thanksgiving in Brazil, our feast is on Christmas, so I don´t have these kind of issue.
On the past 5 years I haven´t had a Christmas tree, because I didn´t want the cats destroying it. This year, and not having any cat below 3 years-old at home anymore, I´m planning on trying some kind of cat-safe tree to have some fun... Even if it´s just to make videos of cats acting like the grinch, lol.
We haven't done all the holiday hoop-laa the last 7 years because we typically travel to the holiday events at other family members houses in other states. We put out white lights around our windmill palm outside from the bottom (about 1/2 way up) It's almost 30' tall... so why it's only 1/2 way. LoL We stick a couple "white" lighted reindeer in the yard, some lighted presents on the porch, & a wreath on the door. So, it looks festive but not too much work.
I have up a wreath and some trimming up for thanksgiving right now... but that's it. Keep it Simple... especially since we don't have kids and family doesn't come here. 
Oh Yeah... but when we are home for the actually Thanksgiving or Christmas day... the hubby fixes Cornish Hens and of course cranberry sauce and lots of other fixin's.
Beautiful! I especially love that Hawaiian ornament! Exquisite!
@Marisa: The beginning of November the Hallmark channels (which I subscribe to) started playing the Christmas movies - I love their movies a ton & we've been watching them (blushing). Haven't started the Christmas music yet though - that I usually start the day after Thanksgiving... Speaking of Thanksgiving I am SO unprepared for it. All I know is we WILL be having my pumpkin-pecan pie (I'm not a fan of pumpkin pie, yeah I know that's so awful...lol, but when it's a layer under pecan pie it's AWESOME), stuffing, mashed potatoes & a baby spinach salad with pecans/craisins/maple balsamic vinaigrette. Still trying to figure out the other stuff & I'm running short on time - where did November go?! These are some of the things I'm thinking of: pumpkin-apple soup, cornish hens or a big chicken roaster with gravy (as I'm allergic to turkey), succotash, asparagus, candied yams, roasted carrots, peas, stuffed pumpkin, homemade rolls, lemon or chocolate torte, and Grandma's Thanksgiving cake.
We haven't traveled for Christmas in years... My mom stopped hosting it (my sister & our families used to travel to her house for Thanksgiving & Christmas), so we stay at home. Around now we usually put up the strands of white lights around the roof eaves (when we lived in Maine we put a candle in each window instead, as we had an antique cape back then). Day after Thanksgiving we usually go to a Christmas tree farm, hunt for the perfect tree, chop it down & then go into the barn to warm up and enjoy some hot chocolate & candy canes. Then we make a swag garland to hang on our antique sled by our side entrance & put a fresh wreath on the main door. Last year we decided to dress up the antique camper & did a "redneck" Christmas photo in front of it (if you look at my latest l/o in my gallery - the one on heart disease - you'll see that photo).
I love Christmas decor, but I try to keep it simple & natural. We often make gingerbread cookies (in different shapes - hearts, gingerbread men, etc.), put a hole through them, and insert a short piece of red satin ribbon through them so we can hang them on the tree. Also make cranberry popcorn garland, and put up a few strings of cranberry red wooden bead garland. Most of my ornaments are antique or handmade (felt, primitive fabric, wooden, etc.), and often reflect my heritage (Scandinavian ornaments, Austrian/German ornaments, etc.). I've even clipped a few feather owls onto the tree (love owls), some angels, a few snow baby ornaments & Annalee ornaments (a trend my mom started when we were young). Each year I buy a couple ornaments to add to my collection... One of these days I'm hoping to buy bubble lights - I just have to find them - I loved them on my mom's tree growing up.
I also have Annalee elf dolls that I scatter around the living room (some sitting atop the wooden beams in the living room) - they're my "elf on the shelf."
I don't have a mantle so my Willow Tree nativity set usually goes in my kitchen windowsill above the sink - yeah, I decorate the kitchen a bit as well (gingerbread garland around the door frame, red berry wreath, gingerbread house on top of the pie safe). And I usually try to do an advent candle setup, with greenery, on my dining room table.
I decorate early to cheer myself up - my birthday is so close to Christmas that I didn't get a celebration or many gifts growing up (still don't) & I used to get bummed. The process of doing the Christmas crafting & decorating really lifted my spirits & still does. I wish Thanksgiving was in October (like it was in the way past) like Canada so I could enjoy all the decor longer. And besides, that's when the harvest is in & who likes traveling in the snow?! (not me) The hardest part is taking down everything after New Years though - the house becomes so bare & ugly... LOL
Lizanne, I saw bubble lights on Amazon a couple days ago...
And there's nothing wrong with keeping your Christmas decorations up into early January, and then decorating for Valentine's Day, if that's what it takes to keep your spirits up!
I'm planning on getting a wall tree for my bedroom this year since my roommate doesn't celebrate Christmas, but I'll be trying not to spend too much on it as I'm hoping to be in England next year. I have a few special ornaments plus the pack of black/white ones I picked up last year from the store, and I'm thinking just a couple of spools of ribbon (possibly out of the stash I already have) and a string of multicolor lights (possibly USB-powered since my computer is always on anyway and that'd add almost no power draw).
Sounds like everyone is getting up to some great fun!
I *just* "decorated" (the mantel in my great room) for Thanksgiving last week, so I'm going to leave those decorations up for a few more days before transitioning to Christmas decorations.
I have a friend who makes the most gorgeous and durable (last year they lasted until February!) pine garland; but she won't have my custom pieces done before Friday. We don't typically decorate for Christmas until after my son's birthday (early in December), but this year we're going to find a tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. It'll be a hoot since we're going to have to hike in to find said tree, saw it down and then haul it back to the car (don't worry, we do this on land we own), and it may or may not be snowing. Then we'll have to wait a few days for it to "relax" - this is my favorite time, when the tree is up, but bare (we get scraggly, Charlie Brown type trees, my absolute favorite). DH will get the lights on, then my kids will decorate the tree....we'll, the bottom half or so of it.
Thanks, Holly - I'll have to check that out! With them being such an old-time thing, I thought I'd have to scour used ads or eBay.
I love the Hawaiian ornament above, too! It's gorgeous!
I must admit that I find it really hard to get into the Christmas spirit until after Thanksgiving. It's so hot so late into the year down south that it's really hard to listen to music about snow when it's 80 degrees outside. I have a tiny foyer at the front door that I bought a special tall but narrow pre-lit tree in a potted gold antique urn that I just love. I do decorate it and open the blinds on the full length glass front door at night when I turn the Christmas Tree lights on. Hubby wraps red light strings around the large white pillars across the front porch and makes them look like candy canes. I have a set of clear glitter filled angels that I love to set out. They are battery operated with a color changing light in the bottom that turns the glitter different colors.
Last year we were in Memphis for Christmas and I loved peaking in all the windows to see all the homes decked out for Christmas. A lot of people seemed to have more than one Christmas tree, of which I'll admit I was a big fan. Of course I currently have zero trees, so a girl can dream
Holly, I would love to see a picture of your wall tree!
For many many years there was a very well known family here who decorated to the super max for Christmas. Every inch of their yard, house, and even the inside of their shed out back was decorated and lit up. It was such a big production that you'd have to park way down the street and walk to it. I don't remember being able to go inside the house, but we COULD go inside the large shed and walk the whole property outside. This elderly man passed away a couple of years ago and I don't know if his family is continuing the tradition. A couple of months ago, his neighborhood flooded in an extremely bad storm that passed through here, so I don't think there will be anything going on there this year as most people here are not back in their houses yet. 80-90% of homes flooded here in August after a super storm, as did most businesses.
Our niece got an 17-18' tree... I was like what???? Our house only has 8 or 9' ceilings... LoL
omg, it's december already? *flips backwards over chair in panic. runs and hides under desk*
but but but I'm not ready!
It just snuck up on me.
As you've asked so nicely, Debra....
It turned out pretty cute, and will pack down into one tote so I shouldn't have to be hurting for storage space for it! The light string is running off to use the other half of it on the two shelves above my desk, which is enough to add a nice little glow to the entire room without being too bright--about like having a couple of pillar candles lit. I'm pretty happy that this 100-light string only uses about 5W, too, because I'm tempted to restring them when I take the tree down!
@ Shawna: I have enough trouble with my 8-10 ft tree... I don't envy her having to decorate it - not only would she need a ton of lights & decorations, but a ladder, and it would take a LONG time (not to mention the clean up in January).
And this is why I opted for a little bitty tree--I still needed to take two breaks while decorating it, but larger would have been so much more time and energy. It was more important to have something up than to burn myself out trying to get something bigger up and have to stop with it unfinished.
@Lizanne: They kept it simple... Mainly white lights and she had little country holiday decor through-out the house. I'll add a pic here in a few minutes if I can get it off the phone.
Ok let's see if I can remember how to do this... LoL
Here's one of the tree, piano, & wall from across the room and then a close up of an example of her decorations through-out the house.
On her dining table she had these wooden boxes her hubby made and inside each were some pine cones & pine stems. they were adorable, but I didn't take a pic.
I have my Christmas card made. Haven't sent it out yet, though!
@Holly: I hear ya... Someday, in the distant future (when my kids are all grown up & have their own families), I picture a table top tree. Too much energy to decorate without help.
@Shawna: her decorations are lovely. I just pictured in my mind all the time & expense of decorating a tree that big - so nice that she kept it simple. Looks lovely, too.
@Lizanne: Don't bet the kids won't bring their families home to celebrate the holidays at grandma's!
I too must live vicariously through the pictures and posts here, as our house is under construction to get handicap accessibility for hubby. We are living in the basement on couches and air mattresses with the ground floor torn p. They promised us the work would be done by Christmas, so keep your fingers crossed. So no lights, no tree, just a few window clings on the mirrors for now. Thanks for posting all your lovely holiday decorations!!
@Patacake: That sounds uncomfortable, but necessary, and a good excuse to do a little decorating outside.
Presents are bought and wrapped, our Christmas card has been sent, cookies are made... but I don't have a SINGLE decoration up. Maybe I can put up the stockings, at least, today!
@Shana - you are SOoooo better than me! My house is decorated, but shopping, cards & cookies? Nope... And we're doing a cookie swap w/one of my hubby's co-workers. I really need to get with it... LOL
I should definitely find a second stocking to hang--after all, I have a dog now who will need at least a couple of little things like some new chew toys or interactive feeders...