Wednesday, December 10, 2008

WHY DECORATE FOR THE HOLIDAY?

Why should we spend endless hours unpacking breakables and rearrange our living spaces to accommodate them? Some how putting up the lights, searching our minds to recall how we set all of it up last year and obsessing over the spacing between ornaments makes us feel good?? Hmmm... I don't know, it's an added bonus if you enjoy the preparations, but you know, you and your family love the end result. A transformed living space ready to entertain in, even if just for the immediate family. An American tradition...like watching fire works on the fourth of July or Trick or Treating with your siblings.
Every year our house is completely decorated for Christmas by the tenth of December (Whitney's Birthday) but not this year, Whit doesn't get home from school till Monday. She had asked to please wait for her arrival before the decorating begins. I am sorta spoiled, not everyone has a willing helper to do the lights on the tree. She has learned well the art of layering the tree....fluff, lights, fluff, filler, fluff, ornaments, birds, bows...view. With over twenty five years of collecting ornaments, the tree usually takes two days.
One might think with the shop so decorated for the holiday I might cut back on the home decor, however the shop feels public to me...you know none of the ornaments are attached to a memory yet.

OK... I wanted to give some tips on planning your decorating this year.

1. organize your decorations by color, they will compliment your homes decor better

2. groupings or small clusters, telling a story with items is always better than spreading the decorations everywhere

3. holiday music helps set the mood...you will get more done

4. those tacking plastic pieces from your husbands childhood tree will look better grouped on a wreath, the more the better, you can tell him they were so special you wanted to highlight them

5. there is nothing wrong with having a fake tree, just be sure to light a "Tree in the Can" candle, you don't want to miss out on the pine scent in your home for the season

6. tinsel is a must, if you don't want the mess you can always get reusable tin tinsel

7. when decorating the tree... pool a fluffy quilt under it until all the ornaments are safely hung

8. save those silly holiday drawings the kids did in grade school in the bottoms of your decoration boxes, they will get a kick out of them every year

9. mistletoe

10. don't try to get it done all in one day...remember you are suppose to be enjoying yourself

I'm sure I will think of five more things after I post this blog, but I know you understand when I say I love decorating my home. I love being surrounded by Christmas past while enjoying being in the moment of this years memories in the making.