Christmas Decorating:

Facebook friends put the pressure on me sometimes.  They don't even know it, and they don't mean to, but they do. 

When we got home on Saturday, and as I was busy posting nearly 300 pictures and making slide shows, they were proudly announcing that their trees were up, and their decorating was done.  Oh, it ate at me to keep up with the Facebook friends.

So, yesterday I got up and vacuumed the carpet.  The house was already pretty clean because Howard doesn't mess it up at all when he takes care of the dogs, thank goodness.  I made the decision that when I got home I would bring in the decorations and the tree from storage.  I lucked out on that this year, because there wasn't a bunch of snow to wade through.


I love decorating for Christmas.  Here is the story of how yesterday's decorating went, and how much I've got done so far.

This is what it looked like when I got started.

The dining room, before.

 

The tree goes next to the hutch.  One thing about living in this house for quite a while is that I have the furniture where I like it and where it works well for us.  All I have to do to make room for the tree is to remove my Grandma's bench.  The extension cords are there from last year.  Oh, see all the roses on top of the hutch?  My BFH gave me everyone of them.  Thanks, honey.

 

This is a before of the living room.

 

Here is the rest of the living room.  Before.

 

I was feeling ambitious, and thinking about doing the top of the cupboards this year.

 

That is actually a lot of work on top of a lot of work, so I am still thinking that over.

 

Now everything is hauled in.  It is at least 2:00 by now, because Glenn Beck is on t.v.  Okay, so now you know my dirty little secret.   But it is either him or A Haunting, and I choose to believe it is healthier to watch him try to figure out what is going on than watch those poor people in haunted houses try to figure out what is going on.  Plus, the other show is all reruns and I have them memorized.  Okay, I'll stop defending myself now.

 

There is a lot of stuff.

 

Fifty years of Christmas decorations.  Seriously ... here is the stocking that Dr. Tingle knitted for me when I was one.  My Mom was her nurse.  Also, I now have a lot of Dad and Jill's decorations that I purchased at their garage sale...for quite a reasonable price, I must say.

 

Thank you, Dr. Tingle.

 

Oh, here is my Jimmy Buffett cup.  It says "The weather is here, I wish you were beautiful."  Just thought I would remind you that I am a Parrothead, after all.

 

Here is the tree.  Cary came home in time to help me get the top parts on.  But, now, I was having trouble plugging in all the sections to light everything up.  It happens every year.  It is very confusing, actually.  Next year I am going to tie red ribbons on the ends.  I know, it is an artificial tree.  When I lived in the valley, I would have never dreamed of getting a fake tree.  But after a whole bunch of winters here, with trees drying out before Christmas; so bad that I was afraid to turn on the lights on for the big day, I gave up and gave in.  Okay, I'll stop apologizing about having a fake tree.  It probably is not as bad a crime as watching Glenn Beck anyway.

 

Getting the lights all plugged in can be frustrating.  I decided to put some wine in my Jimmy Buffett cup.  Okay, I probably would have done that even if I didn't have light trouble. (My most loyal readers are my relatives, and you can never fake out relatives.)

 

I turned to a flashlight for help finding the plug-ins.  I didn't get very far, so I abandoned the tree for now, and went on to other things.  I didn't abandon my Jimmy Buffett cup, however.

I removed the dishes from the little hutch, and from the shelf by the t.v.  Then started adding stuff.  The nativity scene here was Grandma Jill's, from the garage sale.  If she has any regrets, I'll give her stuff back, don't worry.  For a reasonable price, of course. (Just kidding!  I'll give them to her for free.)

 

I brought in another fake tree from the library/den, put lights on it and decorated it.   The bottom nativity scene was one that my girls dad and I painted in 1978 or 1979.

 

Pretty, pretty, pretty.

 

Also pretty, but definitely not finished.  See that clove wreath near the top of the window?  Ron and Jacque Whisler brought it back from Indonesia and gave it to me when our church was still around.  Oh, and the purple glasses on the table?  My friend Carol.  Thanks, you guys.


There will be more pictures when I am all through.  Please check back.  

Merry Christmas!