2015 Day 15 - Deck the Halls

Decking the Halls isn't complete without lights...and a couple of years ago I found these lovely lights at Restoration Hardware

I immediately put them in our pine garland that goes on our mantle...WHERE were these before?  I had found similar ones a few years earlier and they never worked...but these worked from day 1...which they better had..they are expensive.  The best part...they are on a timer...lovely lights popping up on their own and looking lovely for 6 full hours!

After loving them on the mantle, I bought another string on boxing day in 2014 (the last package they had).  SO excited to put them up this year and I wound them around our 'indoor' wreath...yippee!

I need to find another place to put these lights...they are great!  This is one of the new things that have to be setup before it feels like the Halls are Decked.

2014 Day 15 - Deck the Halls

Before we had PJ, I had a LOT more decorations setup in the house.  We have beautiful, lighted garlands that I used to put on the stair rail.  Several large poinsettia displays, two large nutcrackers,  and an ornament tree FULL of Swarovski crystal snowflakes.

Not only do I not have TIME to put all of this out for the holidays...the kiddo has always been too hyper (aka...careless) and I don't want them ruined.  I hope that one day I'll have the time & energy to put them out again.

I just remembered we also have some pretty blue glass ornaments & glass snowflakes & mirror-ball ornaments that I used to put on the tree, as well as tinsel (not the tinsel of my youth, but more like ornamental tinsel) - I really should pull them out next year (well, the snowflakes are pretty sturdy, they could make an appearance and be safe from Mr. Distructo).  See here...Mr. Distructo's 1st Christmas and those ornaments are all on the tree...because he couldn't even sit up yet, so they were safe.

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This year, Dec 15 was a day of getting things done!  I got all gifts that needed to be mailed all wrapped, boxed and ready to go.  I also picked up our Christmas letter and put them with Christmas cards...all labeled, stuffed, stamped and ready to GO!!!!!!!!  PHEW!

2013 Day 15 - Deck the Halls

I'm almost done decking our halls, but I thought I'd take the opportunity to think about this topic from the perspective of my childhood.

'Halls' weren't particularly decked at my mother's house.  In the main living room, there would be a tree (of course).  She would put plastic poinsettia on lamp shades (its not as nasty as it sounds).  She has had several different coffee table centre pieces over the years, which she often made.  The 1st one I that I can recall was full of blues and white and silver baubles, flowers, filler (to hide the Styrofoam base).

Other coffee table centerpieces she had (other than a big bowl of unshelled nuts & a box of turtles) include a Santa in a wicker sleigh and mounted on Styrofoam with cotton batten "snow", pine bough arrangement with large pillar candles, and a large decorative dish loaded with ornaments.  Lately its been large flower arrangements.

I wonder if the reason I think of this particular blue one is because of the colors (since those are my favourite) AND I wonder if it was the catalyst in my loving those colors at Christmas? It's probably the reason why I like to do Christmas crafts (mind you, its been a few years since I 'made' a Christmas decoration...hmmm).


I wish there were photos of these details - not only because it would be nice to see them again, but also because my mother MADE them, to they are special just for that fact alone.