Oh! Christmas Trees
In honor of Susie Sunshine and Dr. B I thought I would give you a run down of the Christmas trees that will be decorated and on display in my house during the holiday season.
Christmas is my most favorite time of year because it is the celebration of the birth of my savior. I do not hide my christain beliefs tidily behind pretty lights.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16 KJVIn the midst of all of the decorating and planning and gift buying the meaning of Christmas is not lost. On Christmas Eve I have always read the scripture to my girls and gone to church. Now that I have married again Steven has taken over the reading. We also read other children's books at bedtime leading up to the holidays. My house is filled with traditonal carols. The children sing them loudly. It has been a blessing to be able to introduce J. to Christmas hymns and carols and proclaim good tidings to the world. Decorating and planning have given me a chance to witness without overwelming. Christmas is also about traditions. I want my children to carry traditions with them into their lives when they have children of their own. I want them to decorate and celebrate. I want them to gather their children at their feet to read the Christmas scripture. I want them to see the awe of it all in the eyes of their children and feel their heart bursting with joy. I love the secrets and the whispering. I love when they are vibrating with excitement and their hands are itching to see and touch everything on and under a brightly lit tree. Is there a sight that tightens your heart more than the smile and hope and happiness of your child? I love fresh cut trees for Christmas. Back in Georgia we could get a monster size tree for about $40. Up here in the almost DC part of Virginia even a tree of quality is $100 or more. So I did what I said I wouldn't do. Last year I gave in and bought an artificial tree. But not just any fake tree. We had people who could not even tell the tree was fake last year. Now if I could just figure out how to get the scent of a real tree -and not that obnoxious fake tree smelling spray that gives me a headache. OK. Here goes. A tree for every room: Giant Livingroom Christmas Tree - Decorated with the nicest ornaments I have collected over the years, lots of cranberry beads and pinecones, my White House collectable ornaments and one ornament purchased special for each person each year. We also choose a family ornament from vacation to add to our tree. Upstairs Hall Tree - New addition this year. Why? Because we have room for it and I love everything decorated nicely for Christmas. The kids wanted a tree decorated in pinks but I don't. It will be traditional and carry on with my theme. Kitchen Tree - Smallish tree decorated with things for a kitchen, glass ornaments that look like candy, sticks of cinnamon, and small kitchen utensils. One of my favorite ornaments on this tree is the S'mores ornament. He is the cutest little thing! Three Bedroom Trees - Each girl has her own little tree. They decorate them with miniature ornaments they have collected or made themselves. I use the 20 light string and they leave them on at night like night lights. Two Bathroomn trees - Small countertop trees with little berries and white lights. Two Topiary Trees - On the front porch on either side of the front door decorated with white lights and poinsetta flowers. I only use white lights on all of my trees. I do not like colored lights. There is a wonderful elegance when using tiny white lights. Oh and no twinkle lights. I hate those, too. Along with the trees the children have christmas bedding, as do I. The bathrooms are bedecked with christmas towels and soap dishes and rugs. The mantle is decorated as are the stairs with lights and garland. Each door has a wreath. All of the windows that display to the public have wreaths with red ribbons. I have tablecloths, placemats, napkins and dishes that we use during the season. The kids have cups and saucers they use at breakfast and for snacks that keep them jolly and happy. I can't wait to buy small poinsettas to line our staircase with. I love coming in a front door and seeing a beautiful staircase dressed for the hoidays. I have one tacky display item that is usually on the back porch and the kids love it. It is one of those lighted outline thingies and in the dark it looks like Rudolph -complete with red nose. How many trees do you decorate? What color lights do you prefer?
I didn't think there was anyone else out there like me! Well if I had my own house me. I too would put trees of all sizes all over the place. I too only like white light and no twinkle lights. And have the same wishes that my children carry on the traditions I'm sharing with them.
So for now I decorate just the one livingroom family tree. It's ornaments are those that we've collected over the years as children into our married life. We have our special ornaments we've bought each year for the kids.
However, my husband doesn't share my love for the white lights ( oh and I have to have a lot like 600 on my 6 ft tree) so each year we switch white lights with the angel on top, with the coloured lights with a star on the top.
This year it's coloured lights again. We decorate them together as a family while listening to christmas carols.
Only 10 trees? What a piker. We always have... oh.... umm.....one?
10 trees? Who is paying this light bill, Bill Gates?
You are truly an all-out sort of girl. All this sounds great.
I have 3 trees for the house. Each year we get a new ornament for the big tree. My favorites are homemade and the ones we've picked up on our travels. I love unpacking them each year and remembering the significance of each one.
I'm sure your home is absolutely breathtaking during the holidays. I hope you are able to share some pictures...and some recipes ;-)
Growing up we had multiple trees all over the house. I cant even remember how many but only one for all 5 of us kids in the family room where we spent our time. My mom had a 12 foot tree in our salarium that was decorated with Victorian ornaments that is where we spent Christmas morning. For a really long time the tree was real and about the last 3 or 4 years we lived there it was artificial.
I really only have 2 trees a real one in our living room decorated with all the special sentimental ornaments that I have received since moving out and then a small ceramic one that has colored bulbs my grandmother had made.
Always our lights are white no flash simple and elegant. I love Christmas. Cant wait to see all the trees you decorate!
My mom has themed us and my theme is Snowman, my sister in law is Santas and my sister is Celestial. Very fun and she loves the season so she cant help but spoil us all.
I have the Lenox Christmas dishes we grew up with, with the matching gold ware. My mom split her service between my sister, my sister in law and I when she moved two years ago from the hosue we grew up in and we each have service for 12. Yes she had that much Christmas ware. I pull it out every year and I love it!
Have a great day!
Usually only one tree, white lights and ornaments collected over 40 years, with 1 or 2 added each year. I sometimes do a tabletop tree in the dining room, with miniature ornaments and glass beads. You have heard me say before that ny the time I finish decorating for other people and businesses, it is lucky if my house has much of anything. I love the season, but I can only take just so much of it, and since I have to start the decor before Thanksgiving, it gets old.
two big trees-one for livingroom and one for familyroom and both kids get small charlie brown trees(that they love) for their bedrooms- White lights and vintage decorations-lots of garlands, wreths and swags-ok angie- now you got me in the mood-darn you!hahaha
Our tradition does consist of me yelling at my husband to NOT touch anything. If he helped there would be no ornaments on the tree in one piece. We do try to drink hot chocolate and play Christmas music while we decorate. I get them PJs to open on Christmas Eve, and they dutifully act surprised every year. I am a white light girl you could put them on a garbage can and I would oohh and aahh.
You mentioned the other day your pantry items and red velvet cake when you were discussing biscuit making. That got me thinking, I have been looking around for a good old fashioned red velvet cake recipe (more than yellow box mix and red food coloring - which is what a lot of the recipes I have found are.) Would you share yours?
It's a little early for me to be thinking about Christmas, but I love your Halloween look! Fabulous!
These last two posts on Christmas are great! I don't mind getting in the spirit early this way- it's the commercial stuff that gets me down. I also collect ornaments and unpacking and re-packing them is one of the best parts. This year the dilemma will be that we are heading to Florida the night of the 25th after our traditional Christmas Eve and Day celebrations- but since we have a real tree I hesitate to leave it stand. So I have that to figure out yet.
You will be quite pregnant at Christmas- good you are getting ready well in advance, Angie. I have things already knit and canned and found some other gifts- a great deal on beautiful English barometers at Gardener's Eden.
I'm looking forward to Christmas in the b**g neighborhood. In the meantime, I'm coming by for tea!
You are definetly going to win some type of Christmas Blog award. I must find a contest out there and nominate you for it. Loved reading about all of your decorations!
Weusually have one tree, but i've always wanted to have a separate tree decorated with tiny white lights and angels. I've been collecting angels for several years and maybe this year I'll have enough to put on one tree. If anyone knows of a reputable internet catalog for buying ornaments with angels, please let me know!
Our main tree is full of ornaments the kids have made, dozens of the Hallmark Collectors ornaments that my mother in law gives us, and other ornaments i've picked up here and there. THen I have a small but growing collection of "florida theme" ornaments. I've often thought they needed their own tree too.
Here in Florida, many people also have outdoor trees on their patios, decorated with outdoor lights and ornaments that can withstand the weather.
My hub had an awful asthma attack one year after CHristmas and we found out that he was allergic to the mold that tends to be found in live christmas tree branches. Since then, we've had to have fake trees. I bought the most realistic looking one I could find.
Your house must truly look like a "Christmas House!" I hope you'll show us some photos of the decorations as it gets closer to Christmas.
Back for a comment on my comment: I wish I could give you the recipe for Chocolate Decadence. It is a closely guarded secret at that club, and the best way to describe it is sort of like thick fudge or dense cake, with a chocolate topping that is creamier/runnier than icing (almost like pudding) and then topped with chocolate curls. I think I remember that it has some sort of raspberry filling too. It is so rich that one portion is all you could eat, and maybe not even a full portion. It is very, very rich.
Oh, I have a huge debate going with Hubs over tree lights. I am dead set on clear, small white lights. My husband prefers fat colored lights. NO. No. No. NO. NEVER.
At first, this was an issue, but he soon discovered that he had no wish to put the lights on the tree. So it's lady's choice.
Currently, we put up just two trees- a big one and a small one in the playroom with children's ornaments on it.
And I love your Christian traditions. I plan to continue them with Baby once she's old enough to understand. That's how I grew up, too. But my girls only started going to church in the last two years. Their mother is an atheist. Can you believe they don't know the words to any Christian carols? Like Silent Night???? They're not singing those kinds of songs in school anymore, so they never learned them!
We definitely try to make it the Christ-centered holiday that it is, now, but I've done it very carefully with them so that they don't feel overwhelmed. I'm looking forward to Baby growing up with these beliefs.