A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall Home for the Holidays Holiday Decorating

I just called my best friend and told her to remind me how much I love Christmas.

I'm surrounded by 12 boxes of decorations and feeling a little stressed.

I love it though but I forget where things go, I have so much stuff now.

Got everything out early because tomorrow is supposed to be 60 degrees and I'm doing the outside then for sure. I was going to do it Friday but the high friday is only 32 degress. Rather do it when it's warm!

My nephew carried all the boxes up for me and put my tree together, now I'm on my own!

I would do it while it is nice out too! Especially the outside stuff! Tristen and I put some snowmen stuff out the other night because he was really in the mood to decorate for Christmas. We get a real tree every year so I told him that we have to wait for the rest until we get our tree. We will get that over the weekend.

I've got one box of stuff ............I'm on my way to help Loz decorate.

Tamara, come on down---you are the next contestant on "help Loz decorate her house".

Jessica, that's cool you put some things up outside.....I never have had a real tree, I guess because growing up we didn't have one...

I am so sad--it is looking like I will not decorate for xmas--because I do not have a clue who would do it, as I cannot lift yet.--I can just hear mt DH complaining the whole time if I enlist him to help me---oh well this is where I suck it up and "act" like an adult, right???

At least I might get my outside stuff put up--if for no other reason than my DH got the 3 wisemen addition to our nativity for his B-day & I am hoping he is anxious to see them up.

Oh Junie Do you have a friend or relative that would spend the day to help? Wish I was close to you.

Loz, you have never had a real tree? I am shocked.

Today I will put up my lights...I keep putting it off but MUST do it today. Gosh, I hope they still all work

Bless you sweetheart--you guys are the best---

and yes, but everyone is busy--my sister works 5 full days a week & has a metal rod up her spine anyway, & so cannot lift much herself.

my brother is in the middle of building a house & selling his--so every spare minute of his is pretty much spoken for.
it will be ok--like I said--i just have to be adult about it

How about your daughters Carol?? I sure hope you find someone to help you with your decorations so that you can get in the holiday spirit more.

We didn't have a real tree growing up either Loz but I have always gotten a real tree since I have lived on my own. I love them! The smell is wonderful. I'm sure one of these years I will get tired of it and buy an artificial but for now I will keep buying the real ones. We don't even own an artificial so unless I would run out and buy one right now it isn't even an option for me.

I put up an artificail tree one year for DD(who cried that everyone else had trees up all month). It wasn't the same....mind you it was a cheap ugly artificial one.....not that some of my real ones have looked much better.

The past two years DH made me buy our tree from a tree farm-they are cheap here($15-20) but still not the same as cutting it down yourself. I even put up a spruce tree one year, it had snowed so much before Christmas that it was to hard to plunge in the woods for a nice one, so I cut the first tree that looked half acceptable. Sure made the house smell nice.

I just burn tarts that smell of trees. For cost reasons I like using a fake one each year, it's cheaper and if you get a nice one they can be nice, plus I'd be scared of fires.......I think it's great though to have a real one if that's what you like.

Carol, I was wondering about your daughters too, you know if I lived nearby I'd be there turning your house into a winter wonderland!

Oh don't get me wrong Loz, I've seen fake trees that are beautiful. Mind you the $20 bargain one I got didn't impress me much.

If I didn't live in an area where I could just go and cut my own in my woodlot then I'd invest in a big full one like I see in the catalogs. I don't have much room in my house either so 7 to 10 days is enough time for a tree.

Oh, forgot to add....I got my lights up. There was alot of swearing and cussing but it's done

I can imagine Tam!

I leave my tree up for almost a month. It starts to lose needles the last few days but it stays nice.

Cr@p, I forgot to go tip some trees to make my wreath. I knew I was supposed to do something this morning. I swear if I don't write it down and post it on the fridge......I'm losing my mind lately.

I should go cut the tips of the neighbour's cedar in her yard

Sounds like a good idea to me!

It's going to be pitch dark here in two hours, by the time I cook supper I won't have time to go back to the woods. Guess I'll have to plunge this weekend.

Oooo, now I wouldn't mind a real wreath! That would be nice. I have a whole bunch of them but never had a real one.

I wish that you guys could come see the inside of my house---it's totally Christmased out....to the point where mom walked in and shook her head and said WOW Loz! I just laughed and said I know mom.

And Athena came in for the first time since I decorated and said WOW---it's Christmas in your house already and it's not even Thanksgiving yet, then she ran around checking every single thing out and telling me what are her favorite decorations.....

i had a real one, once. it was out of the house in under an hour, and kate and i couldn't breat for 2 days that was the first and last time "real" christmas greenery came in my house. but they sure are pretty!!!

Bless you Loz, you are a real sweetheart. thank you so much for the thought!!

my girls got me a real nice artificial tree a few years ago and the new lights I spoke of someplace on here. so to have the smell of trees in my house I always bought pine roping & placed it on my entertainmant center--well that stoped the yer i was still vacuuming pine needles out of the rug in June---

but there are candles th smell like pine--so that is fun.

about the girls--I will see both of them tomorrow. Em & her DH are staying the weekend with val & JJ.(where the dinner is) So perhpsa the subject of decorating will come up.

if not, I think I will have my DH help me put up 1 or 2 of my large ceramic trees--

I have to have an artifical tree because my daughter has asthma. I grew up with live trees and hated the artifical. But I finally found two that look real and I cut evergreen from outside and make table decorations and wreaths for the door so I can get that smell.

It is strange that a tree makes my daughter sick but a few fragrant sprigs here and there does not effect her.

Show us some pics Loz

I plan on doing some decorating this weekend. I put lights in the windows and we have window decals. I also have a decoration for my car. We're going to wait a couple more weeks before we get a tree though.

Okay Tam, I will.

Tomorrow.

Glad to read that everyone is getting in the spirit of things.

still no inside done---BUT---my nativity is up outside, my candles by the door,& my columns are wrapped with lighted garland are done. We need to put lights up on the porch roof and make a star for the nativity yet--but that may come next year

Awww Carol, you just need to do what you can do....don't overdo yourself. It sounds really pretty.

Oh Loz, no--I did nothing outside. Rod did all the work--at first i went out to assist but eventually he told me to go inside & he did it all by himself.

he says he will help me with the inside--but he is working 10 hrs a day here until christmas time--so we shall see

and Loz. thanks once again----

I still never went tipping to make my wreath.....and it's supposed to storm again tonight. Maybe I should just take my artificial garland and wrap it around my wreath frame......nobody is going to know the difference but me...

That is true tamara---and if yo do not go out into the woods then you are that much more safe--don't have to worry about being out in the bad weather & falling or something---go for the fake--and as a bonus--it will not get all brown & get bad before you want to take it down !!!

I put up all my Christmas decorations over the weekend. It is so fun decorating for Christmas and to see our house transform for a month. Tristen is really excited now! He is already checking his stocking! I keep telling him that it isn't Christmas yet. I have to start wrapping presents now. I have a few more blankets to finish too.

I bought a little glass snowman cup thingy today, it holds candy canes. I love that $1 to $5 store they opened in our area. It's a small store but it's only 5 minutes away. I get excited over the stupidest things

That's cool Tamara, I love little stores like that where everything is cheap. Just remembered, I'm supposed to be taking pictures of my decorations aren't I?

Yes you are.....

Added pics down in my pic area! But remember this isn't all of it at all! Just all I took pics of! I'm nuts...and each year I have more to put out! I think next year I'll get rid of a lot of the older stuff.

I can't figure out that gallery place I'll post my pics here. it took me over a month just to figure out how to use my new camera

Here's the 'fake' wreath I just made. Word to the wise~don't use glass dust covered berries. My hands are cut up from picking the glittery pieces.


This is the set of stacking boxes I got on clearance for $5 the other year. I'm sorry I didn't buy a few sets.


It's a start....

I love the wreath Tamara!!! You did a very nice job on that!

The stacking boxes are very cool! Did you wrap them or did they come like that?

The boxes came like that, it's covered in cartoon-like snowmen.

Thanks Jessica, I need a few pinecones to put in the wreath, I have a bag with some in the shed somewhere.

See the shiny glittery stuff under the scissors?..........that's crushed glass that fell off the berry sticks. What a mess.

Oh I bet that was a mess! It is very pretty though! Pinecones would be a nice addition to it!

Very pretty Tamara!! I cannot wait to see the pinecone addition!!!