Decorating for Christmas

I used to love to decorate for Christmas.  I love the lights and the glow of everything.  The lights reflecting on the snow or through the house at night was always special to me.  It reminded me of Christmas past and times with Grandma and Grandpa at the farm and happier times when we lived in The Little Brown House on 62.

Then it seemed like our house became too cluttered. I liked the way it looked before the holidays, with everything in its place and the hominess of it.  When Gary started to drag everything out, I was just overwhelmed with where to put things and what to do with the things I had to put away for a month.  Then I could never find the things I had put away and had to substitute different things.  It just seemed to overwhelming.  And when I am overwhelmed, my patience level drops considerably and no one is happy!  In the past few years I have dreaded the days of decorating.  I was always happy when it was done, but I dreaded doing it---and un-doing it was even worse.

I was determined last year that I would streamline and get rid of things that we no longer used, that had gone out of style, or were just old and decrepit and would never grace a table or wall again.  Fast forward to 2018, and that determination became a reality when we moved to the new house.

New house meant new challenges in decorating.  

First of all - new tree!  The tall slender tree we have used for probably 12 years or so has seen better days.  The branches didn't fall naturally anymore, the lights burned out and new ones had to be added to the pre-lit ones and Gary didn't want to take off the old strands so the tree looked like a giant mess of wires and bulbs.  I thought we might be able to resurrect it for the family room, but no.  It was best just to trash it and start new.  The top of it did end up stuck in the iron kettle from Dad that sits on the circle, so it is getting some use now, in a new spot.

The new tree is much larger and fuller than any we have ever had, but it looks perfect in the spot for it in the living room. I think it will be a good choice for the Siemens Family Christmas as well as the smaller one we will have with the kids.

Digging through the old decorations has been interesting.  Some things we have no place for sine we moved and those areas no longer exist.  The things we put on the entertainment center had to find new homes since we didn't move the entertainment center with us.  Then there is Ann's washstand which used to be in the kitchen and held the microwave but now is in the living room with her bowl and pitcher.  Wall hangings - where to put them?  Plus we have two bathrooms to decorate also.  The fireplace mantle is longer and the hearth is much nicer.  The window lights won't fit into the current windows plus the outlets are not close enough for some of them.  Battery operated might work, but then I thought about who would actually see any lights we put in them. Our house sits back from the road so far that no one can see any of our lighted outside decorations.

Then we have three bedrooms to decorate, plus the family room that is used, and a larger kithen and dining room, but the brick wall on the south side of those two hinder hanging anything.

All in all, though, the house does look very nice for the holidays.  I am pleased with the effects.  When we take down everything and store it away, there will be a new evaluation of any decor which did not make it out for display this year.  Keep it?  Donate it?  Trash it?

Lights along the railings on the deck.

Wreath on the barn.

Snowman and wreath on the front porch.

All exterior doors have wreaths.

Lighted garland on the mantle.

New wooden box for cards.

Many battery operated candles scattered through the house.

Big full tree full of white lights and old ornaments that we found in boxes in the garage.

New location for the nativity.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas---and the joy of decorating has returned.