I'm in here hiding out on the computer so I won't be in the kitchen spoon feeding Hubs his breakfast - when I get an idea in my head, I want to do it NOW!! and that man eats slower than anyone I've ever seen!!

My NOW! idea is to put out the inside holiday decorations - inside, because even I'm not dumb enough to think I'm going to get him outside to string the lights and garland on the porch today! So, do the rest of you do any decorating? If so, what do you do?

I have the big multicolor lights strung along the porch gutters; and fake evergreen garland looped on the porch railing - some years the garland gets red bows at the spots where I loop it up, if I think the dogs won't tear them down. I also cut fresh pine and make swags with bright red bows for each side of both entrance doors. I use fake garland for 2 reasons - one, the real stuff is outrageously priced; and two, I used to make the real garlands when I worked out at the Christmas tree farm and it isn't priced nearly high enough for the amount of work that goes in them!!

Inside, the crock that sits on top of the upper kitchen cabinets (where the soffit ought to be, according to Pop) has it's silk daisies removed and replaced by silk poinsettias. Poinsettia candle rings are slipped over the hanging light fixtures over the kitchen island, and over the kitchen and living room ceiling fan light fixtures. I pull out my red, green, and red and green plaid tablecloths; and also my winter placemats that have the bright red cardinals on them. The everyday dishes are tucked away on a pantry shelf and the ones decorated with pine and winterberries are put out to use.

The living room chair gets moved to the opposite wall to make room for the tree - live or fake depends on Hubs; he hates putting together the artificial tree, even though it was his idea to buy the darn thing in the first place. The tree is decorated with white lights, red, and red and white baubles, red bows, and assorted decorations that have come our way over the years. Homemade holiday pattern pillow covers are slipped over the couch pillows, and garland is draped around the stair banister and upper railing. Holiday cards from family and friends line the bottom board of the stairs; and sometimes go around both living room windows and the dining area window as well. I love holiday cards, and sometimes put out favorites saved from other years - cards from my grandmothers always sit on my window sill each year; they passed away in 86 and 89, but seeing the cards reminds me of them during this time of year and my memories make me smile.

I also take a wreath or topper to the cemetary to put on Mama's grave. I make sure that it is decorated in an elegant manner, as Mama loved gilt and velvet. I tuck a laminated copy of one of my favorite photos - the one that shows me, at age 5, sitting on Mama's lap in front of the Christmas tree, in the frame, so that she'll know that it's from me.

We also pull out the favorite sweatshirts - Pop got a new Grinch one a couple of years ago, mine has a snowman, Hubs has a demented looking raindeer and Jes has penguins decked out in holiday wear. Our rule is that anyone that shows up for Christmas eve dinner and gift unwrapping has to be in holiday wear - if not, they have to wear the flashing red nose and antler headband. We do keep a couple of extra sweatshirts and a scarf and necktie around for unexpected (and unwary!) visitors!

-- Anonymous, December 03, 2003

Answers

just a tree for the dogs and cat and grave blankets for my ancestors.

-- Anonymous, December 04, 2003

Oh yes!!! This is my favorite time of the year.

As soon as the in-laws left I pulled out my many boxes of decorations and started with the house. I put garland (fake) on top of my china hutch and I have 11/2 foot santa that goes in the middle and then add candles and the santas that stack inside each other. Then on the rest I add other santas figurines,santa & snowman plates and mugs. It so gorgeous when done.

Every room has some form of christmas charm. In the entry way I have lots of candles, fake garland etc. We even have small trees in our rooms. Each window has lights in the windows and hubby is putting up lights outside this weekend.

We went out and got a live tree this year but I'm hoping to get a fake when they start reducing them later this month. It is a very full tree. Mike made me a foot tall stand to put it on so it would be taller(better price for shorter tree) plus it puts it up enough so my christmas village looks so much better.

I'm cutting rosemary to bring into the kitchen this weekend. I make swags and put them over the stove door ways etc. It makes the kitchen smell so good!!

Happy decorating!! Brightest Blessings, Sandy

-- Anonymous, December 05, 2003

I don't do much of anything anymore; did lots more when the kids were little of course. Don't have time this year anyway! I will put up my christmas village on the mantel, cuz I painted the little buildings myself and are kind of attached to them, since I have zero artistic talent and they turned out pretty good anyway. (even have two more never opened ones somewhere in the attic to finish someday in my dotage, if I can still see!) Otherwise all I'm doing is taping the cards up around the doorway as they come.

Ali has taken over the decorating on her own though; she got irked at us last couple of years cuz the rest of us could care less if there's even a tree, so she has taken on the role of holiday cheerleader around here. She's stringing lights outside as we speak, and I think she and Bren will go get a tree this weekend.

(Decorating the tree was more fun when Bren and I used to accompany the procedure with Christmas music in the background and several Tom & Jerry's to drink! If I let it get to me, I can easily get depressed about not being able to imbibe anymore, so I'd rather keep busy with something new, rather than filling myself with the memories that make me sad.

Enough pity party stuff! I do so love to drive around the city looking at some of the wonderful light displays! I cannot believe all the work some folks put into it. Must take em weeks and lotsa bucks, but it's sooo purty!

-- Anonymous, December 06, 2003

Glenn hung up those icicle lights on the porch but complained that he wasn't any good at the other stuff so I did the colored bulbs. He likes the big bulbs for outside. Well, he asked if I checked the strands because nothing was working. Of course I did but something blew. So during the blizzard, I was out putting up new lights. They are really pretty looking bulbs, more clear. Blue, red, purple, yellow and green.

We put our tree (artificial, had it as long as we've been married. 18 years) up in the living room. Gary thinks there is too much tinsle on it but I love the stuff. My grandmother used to have it on her real tree and I always loved it. We have these lights that are on a strand with all the colored strands running of the main. I use two and alternate them up and down on the tree so that when they blink in their motion setting, they are in time. Pink garland to match the living room. Hallmark ornaments collected over the years. My homemade stuff, all my horse and carosel horses. Our stockings hanging on the stair railing (oh, have to remember to get stuff to fill them with. I usually put a big KitKat bar in each)

Hey, did anyone else, as a kid, have a aluminum foil tree? I remember we used to pull the branches out of a sleeve and they fluffed out. It was silver and had colored lights that rotated on it. My husband's uncle used to have one too. I remember that my parents donated it to the school when they bought a new one so I got to see it for quite a few more years after it was gone.

I have some ceramic pieces that I've made over the years but I didn't put them out this year.

Have the Santa on the toilet seat though.

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2003

Yes, Dee; we had one of the aluminum trees when I was a kid - in fact; when Jes was little and I was going through my "retro" stage; I bought another one at the Salvation Army. Gawd, I love that tree! Jes absolutely hated it! Her friends thought it was cool. Hmm - wonder where it got stored when we moved - I could put it up on the balcony...I always decorated it with silver and red balls; and had a little felt tree skirt that had Santa and Reindeer appliqued on it...

I did actually get the tree up, but the tall person who resides here has yet to get the gold and red bead garland on it so that I can put the bows and baubles on. When I started putting away the stuff on the windowsills so that I could put out the holiday stuff, I noticed that the windows needed washed, ditto the curtains...so the only room that is decorated so far is the living room - kitchen and outside lights and garland are scheduled for tomorrow; before the storm that is supposed to hit on Wednesday.

I'd really like to put candles (electric) in the windows; but I'm not sure that I really want to climb into the attic to put one in the false dormer. Fat little lady, little square hole, would have to move or cover Pop's bed...but it wouldn't look balanced if I didn't put one there....hmmmm

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2003

I used to decorate in the years shortly after I was married but I've gotten out of the habit. Partially it was because we spend the holidays in Michigan and I didn't see the sense in decorating if I wasn't going to be there, but mostly it was because I take a perverse pleasure in being a Grinch!

Finally this year I've gotten the urge to decorate again. I think it's because for the first time in a long time I'm living somewhere that feels like home. So far my decorating efforts have consisted of burning a holiday spice candle; I've just been too busy to do anything else. I think that I will hit the stores after Christmas and stock up for next year.

-- Anonymous, December 09, 2003

The only decorating I do is to put these Christmas lights around my computer screen. The wife and daughter have a different idea of decorating though.

Wildman, (alias Scrooge)

http://www.penticton.ca/events/holidays/Christmas/XmasGames.asp

-- Anonymous, December 13, 2003

I used to put up lots of inside decorations. My favorite thing to do was to go out in the woods and do some "brush-tipping" for balsam fir. These I would staple around the windows (after taking down the curtains!) and I'd also line our center carrying beam of the downstairs ceiling with them. Sometimes I'd hang small ornaments on the boughs and maybe some tinsel. Sure made the house smell wonderful!!! Now it all seems like a helluva alot of work and we really don't have any company for Christmas that would appreciate decorations. Mike, Amy and the kids are here for a short visit...just long enough to open their presents...then they're all gone til next year!! We did go out and cut a small Christmas tree yesterday (almost didn't do that!!). But now I'm not sure if I want to drag out all the decorations...just have to clean everything up again in a couple of weeks.....!! Harry and I have decided to NOT do anything for each other this year. Our gift to each other was to FINALLY get our wide pine board floors done in the house! They really look fantastic and I've covered them minimally with a couple of braided rugs. Now...if I could train my cats to deposit hairballs ONLY on the rugs and not on the new boards. :-)!!! Yeah...right!

-- Anonymous, December 15, 2003

The girls went to fetch a tree, asked me for some money while I was working on the puter, I muttered something like 'there's money in my billfold' and went on working. So they come home with this humongous balsam (really gorgeous actually) and said something about how expensive Christmas trees are. Oh? I say, how expensive? Almost 50 bucks, says they. Um........I never paid no 50 bucks for no dead tree, although in so California they were pretty pricey, but here?! Anyway, didnt occur to me that they had no clue about pricing trees and I wasnt paying attention, so now they know not to pay that much, even when spending someone else's money! Fortunately it was a charity lot, proceeds going to some homeless shelter, so that helps. The balsam sure smells good in here!

-- Anonymous, December 16, 2003