Deck the Halls

[Prissy]

Mary and Frankie,

I am glad to see this thread revived.  Funny about the system of storing things.  I have a spiral notebook that I use for Christmas.  Each year I list everyone and the gifts I give on a page.  I also add my Christmas Card list there t another sheet to keep track of cards sent and received.  Then on a third  page I make a calendar from Thanksgiving to New Year's listing the different activities, parties, etc. that happen;  even weddings, too!! :violin    On the 4th page I list each Christmas box and what it contains.  This year I plan to get rid of, give away, decorations I have  not used in several years.  I have many ornaments I no longer use and a peach and gold color scheme I don't think I will use again;  so about half my decorations I'm no longer using. 
The notebook enables me to go back to previous years and check on gifts, etc.  I also list any gifts I buy after Christmas or during the year.

Some current Christmas pictures!  Notice the big screen TV took in front of the fireplace. 
(Stockings are now hung in the dining room on various draw pulls!!)
      

Snacks with various snowmen dishes on my kitchen counter
       

Christmas tree cake on my dining room table.
Granddaughters with Mr. and Mrs. Santa.  I have taken this same shot for years; 
ever since the older granddaughter was as tall as Santa!
      

[fhmmany2]

Our decorations really don't change that much form year to year - someone usually adds to my Santa collection - but basically it's the same. I thought I would post a few photos from our little town's Christmas parade and fireworks display, which were both held yesterday:

Of course you have to dress properly for a Christmas parade - everybody has to wear their reindeer antlers!  This is my husband and our youngest grandchild:




Kaitlyn sitting on the curb waiting for the parade to start:




When we got to the Fairgrounds for the fireworks display last night, the family parked next to us invited Kaitlyn to sit on their blanket on the ground  (it is very warm here this weekend - in the 80s) to watch the fireworks - aren't children wonderful? They had never met before, but made instant frinds (Kaitlyn is on the left)



And here are a couple of shots of the fireworks - I had never tried my night setting on my camera before;





I'd love to see your community's Holiday celebrations, too.

[clayniac4ver]

i'll be playing deck the halls by mannheim steamroller in the christmas concert at my school!!!!!

alyse

[Mary]

Hi, Alyse. It's nice to see you here. If you haven't already you should read back and see all the wonderful pictures.

Frankie, fireworks at Christmas! Amazing how different parts of the country have unique ways of celebrating.

Our town has a tree lighting ceremony with everyone singing Christmas songs. The boys were always excited to go because Santa always made an appearance and he came in a firetruck! I was thinking how much I miss the days when they were little but the truth is I froze my butt off every year.

What are your family traditions? Any favorite memories?

I'll start with a favorite memory. I always shopped for the tree with my father. We would bring it in on Christmas Eve when Dad came home from work. Then we all decorated it with Christmas music playing in the background.

Well one year it was snowing and Dad was late coming home, then he was very, very late and we all started worrying. Because of the snow Mom and her three little girls wrestled the tree into the house but Mom had no intention of putting it up or decorating until Dad came home.

Because it is a favorite memory you know Dad finally did show up and told us the story of his trip home while eating his way overheated dinner. He managed to get a subway to the George Washington Bridge but once above ground the buses were not moving so after a long wait he decided to walk across the bridge and then the two miles home. Three girls stayed up way past their bedtime!

Sometime I'll tell you all about our weird Christmas dinner that we have now and how it came to be the way it is. It really started out in a very normal way.

[clayniac4ver]

CHRISTMAS ROCKS 
 

alyse

[Prissy]

Here are some more Christmas pictures from my house and yard this year.  I'm still using the snowman theme, so these shots may look familiar!! 

      

      

   

 

[clayniac4ver]

2morrow night my high school band will be decking the halls of the mannheim steamroller version of the song

alyse

[Prissy]

It's that time of year again when several of us on the site start decorating for Christmas.  I know some have already finished.  I have yet to start.  My tree is in the den, but still in the box.

I'm looking forward to pictures of homes and yards ready for Christmas!!

Here are a couple of  pictures from a few years ago!

[Mary]

Oh, I love this thread! I haven't started to decorate yet also. This weekend I'll get Norm to get out all the hundreds of boxes and I kid you not there must be over a hundred.

I put up a tree in every room in the house, halls and basement too. Last weekend I packed up all the fall and Thanksgiving decorations. The boys always end up in the basement at night playing board games so that tree has candy canes for decorations. Every year I think that they will out grow that tree but the candy canes still disappear. My nephews are 31 and 29 and my boys are 28 and 25.

Last year I bought a tall tree for the foyer and that will eventually become my colored Waterford glass ornament tree. I'll just add onto it every year but I did have a head start from previous years and bought a big box last year and seven ornaments so far this year. I'm filling it in with other ornaments that seem to fit.

The living room will have the live tree. This tree is my favorite (except when Norm bought the joke... see previous page). I have all of my parents old ornaments. Many are over 60 years old.

Every year since we have been married (30 years) I bought a box or two of new ornaments and a special one for each boy that they eventually picked for themselves. Can I tell you that a sailboat ornaments definitely not my first choice, heck it wasn't even in the running!

The dining room has the clear crystal Waterford ornaments. I bought one for me and one for my parents in 1978 and added one for each of us every year even after the passed away thinking that each boy could get a full set.

In the kitchen I usually buy a tiny (think 8") live tree. Nothing on it and place it on top of the refrigerator

In the family room I have a 6' tree that I placed in a rotating stand. This tree has my two Clay ornaments that I bought at the Christmas show in the Beacon theater in NYC. It also has Thomas Pacconi ornaments that I bought from QVC an some Christopher Radco ornaments I bought on sale.

In the laundry room I have a tree shaped wreath? that my MIL made hanging on the door. I've wanted to put a small tree with tiny doll cloths in there for years but never found anything thing wanted. I have to admit that I didn't try very hard.

In the powder room I have a small tree than is on the toilet tank top.  I also have Candy Cane towels.

As you go upstairs I have something that I made on each stair. I started when the boys were in nursery school with a sled with a Santa and pine greenery. I have updated a few but haven't touched the first one yet and it really needs it.

At the top of the stairway I have a Hummel tree. Tiny Hummel ornaments about 1 to 2 inches tall. I never "un-decorate" it. I just put it away with a big plastic bag over it. It was standing on an end table that my sister gave to me. Tim wanted the end table. Then I placed it on the trestle table that Tim made in wood shop. Again he wanted it. Last year I placed it on the other end table that Jane gave to me. Oh, Yes, Tim wants it! Tough! He isn't getting it! At least not if or until I find something suitable.

In our bed room I have a white Lenox tree with a lot of brass ornaments. Every year my mother bought a brass ornament for everyone. My sisters didn't want any of them when we were going through their house so I got them all. Heck they didn't even want the old ornaments that I have on the living room tree. Oh, but Tim does! Brian,not so much. I bought most of the Lenox ornaments at the Lenonx outlet store as well as the Waterford ornaments. The Waterford outlet closed.
 Sad face.

Tim didn't even want a tree but his house mates overruled him.

Oh I am so tired. Gotta nap.

[Pepe]

MARY, how in the world do you do it all!!!!  All I have to say is "I WANT TO COME TO  YOUR HOUSE FOR CHRISTMAS"!!!!!!!!!   

[Beth]

I have yet to hang any Christmas decorations this year.  Maybe by the end of the week, they'll all be put up.  With having a 10 week old kitten who still has his claws, I'm thinking of having a half a tree this year.  That may not even work.  That little stinker can really jump, and once he's as high as he can jump, then he'll just climb his way up the rest of the tree.  Oh brother.  Now I'm wondering what to do!  Maybe we'll put the baby gate, that we haven't used in 4 years, around the tree.   

[Prissy]

Mary,
I am amazed at how you get all those trees decorated.  I'm having problems just starting on the one in the den.  It's set up with its prelit lights but no decorations yet.  You are so good at describing your trees and decorations, I can almost see them, but , wow, would we all love to see pictures!!!
By the way, my quartet once played at a big home that had about a two foot tree in the laundry room with a little rope wound around the tree like a clothes line and Barbie doll clothes were on the clothes line in different places attached with tiny clothes pins.   

Pepe,
I want to go to Mary's house, too!

Beth,
I have heard of people putting their tree in a play pen to protect it from pets or little children.  But if the kitten can jump.....?   We are lucky in that Shadow and Sandy totally ignore the Christmas tree.  However, if something falls on the floor from the tree, it's fair game. 


Fort Worth Botanic Gardes always has some lovely trees and decorations.  Here are pictures from this year.

This tree had gingerbread dolls, ribbon candy ornaments, lollipops,  rope that looks like candy, some peppermint candy ornaments, a ribbon that has a candy print on it, and much more.

(Click on thumbnail  picture for an enlarged view. Then click on that picture for an even bigger view!  This must be a new feature.)

   
         
 

[clayMaine-iac]

Here are a few pictures.  This is my kitchen window:



This is my bay window:


This is my tree.  I used red, white and blue lights this year:


These guys guard my big deck:

[Prissy]

Deanna,

I've been waiting for you!    Love all your decorations and hope you post more.  I like the little lighted trees you posted in the Garden Thread, too.

My tree is different this year in that I have snowmen and no violins on it (so far!)  I was inspired by the Botanic Garden trees with gingerbread toys on them. Pictures soon.

[Pepe]

DEANNA, love your decorations!!!!!!!!!! 

PRISSY, still waiting for your pictures!!

MARY, all those trees you are decorating I was hoping pictures of them would be here.  I can't imagine  UNDECORATING all those trees.  What a job!!!!!!!!!  What a fun house you have during the holidays. 

[Prissy]

Here is a picture of my Christmas tree which I've decorated a little differently this year.  No violin ornaments, but deep red poinsettias, snowmen, red tassel and red and gold ornaments, white ornaments with red and green designs, and ribbon candy ornaments I found this year.

(CLickable)

[Prissy]

More pictures of the den:

(Clickable)








And since our enormous TV is still sitting on the hearth of the fireplace,  I hung some stockings on the TV cabinet still in the room! 

[Prissy]

(Clickable)

A small tiered table with treat and snowmen favors for different groups.


My entry hall

[Prissy]

Front porch decorations with red poinsettias and snowflake lights.  (Shadow and Sandy, too!)


(Clickable)
      

[Prissy]

Here are some decorations from the Fort Worth Woman's Club:

In the lobby, a large angel with the tree:
   

Violin tree and other music ornaments;  violin centerpiece, too.

          


More beautiful centerpieces: