So far, the weather ‘event’ is simply rain and lots of it. But I expect that to change as the day goes on. Predictions still vary, but the prevailing thought seems to be a wintry mix.
The dire predictions sure spurred me on, which probably is a good thing. We got our tree yesterday (a few days earlier than is our norm), I hung the outdoor lights on the porch railing, the ornaments have been brought inside from the shed. We’ll decorate the tree this evening.
Not sure why the upper portion of the tree looks like it’s a different color. It isn’t. Probably the early morning light combined with the lamp light in the den. We always buy a real tree and our preference – since the days in which we first celebrated Christmas together – is for a Noble Fir. I’ll say this: it sure smells good here as I sit in my blogging chair!
Even with the weather predictions, I am proud to say I have stayed true to my ‘nothing until the second week of December’ rule. Of course, that probably only matters to me, but it does matter, because it nicely separates Thanksgiving from the Christmas season. Two different holidays. Two different seasons. Don feels the same way, maybe even more so, because he always needs to be motivated to get the tree. I think even the second week of December is too early for him!
And though I admire and applaud everyone’s Christmas decorations and tours here in Blogland, I would feel overwhelmed by having to meet a deadline that is just too soon for me. Besides, we decorate for us. Except for a slight variation here and there, we use the same beloved ornaments on our tree every year. We’ll put up the little white tree in the living room. I’ll put together the little Christmas snow scene in my vintage Necco jar. We’ll hang a wreath on the door. And that will be it. Oh, and the dollhouse will be decorated, of course!
You know what? It’s just the right amount for this little cottage. Simple. Serene. And, hopefully, pretty!
So far, except for the bare tree, the only decoration I have is this:
On sale for $3.00 at Target. I have an excessive fondness for bottle brush anything.
I also found this agate bookend at Target. It’s really heavy. I love agates and geodes and crystals and there were only two left (on sale) so I grabbed one. After all, the books on the new bookshelves need bookends, right?
I’ve given us a deadline. By Thursday night at 10:00, each of us must submit a list of what we want for Christmas. Right now, neither of us can think of anything except socks. Pathetic. As a girl who has a birthday in late November, it is sometimes hard to come up with yet another list of ideas. I’m trying.
By the way, Don just came in and presented me with a plate of hash browns, raisin toast and an avocado omelet.
Oh my god. That man makes a great breakfast.
I have a few dollhouse-related projects that I’m going to tackle today. It seems to be the perfect day for little projects. Hint: one of them has to do with Christmas.
Happy Tuesday.
What a gorgeous tree! One Christmas funds were extremely tight, but we splurged and bought our first Noble fir. We were hooked and now whenever we get a fresh tree, it has to be a noble. A pretty fitting description, I reckon. The avocado omelet sounds delish! I cleared the veggie drawer last night and made a frittata for dinner, but no avocado to add.
I love noble firs! Perfect lines, perfect for ornament hanging….just plain perfect!
This is one gorgeous tree, Claudia. Decorations will just be icing on the cake!
I think that’s why I like it to be bare for at least 24 hours – I really have time to appreciate the tree itself.
I have a thing for snowmen and sheep for Christmas decorating. I have one snowman peeping out the glass in the front door. And if possible, always have a child put up your creche for you. One year when my granddaughter was about 5 she put baby Jesus in the middle and everyone else and the animals surrounded him. A few days ago I was at a friends house and her 3 year old grandson had everyone (and the animals) in the grotto for dinner. They always seem to get it right.
My friend had a large wooden creche and we would place the wise men and shepherds far away and gradually move them closer until they finally arrived on Christmas Eve.
That is definitely a ‘noble’ looking fir – and so beautiful even while bare so I don’t blame you leaving it that way for a while. We put up our faux tree in the gazebo as always – can view it from the widows well – in the dining room just the vintage metal tree again. No space in the living room for a real tree – we have lots of company expected over the season and they need to be able to move/sit etc.
Loved those pics recent pics of Scout’s sleeping positions – what a charmer she is even when in dreamland. Lists – oh my, we are like you, except haven’t even put socks down! Actually can’t think of a darned thing we need really. Right now we’re consumed with Christmas concerts (Jasmin), the upcoming wedding (Cassie), friends arriving from California, England and South Africa – enough said!
Hope your weather doesn’t get too bad Claudia – we’ve just got clouds, wind, and chilly so far.
Hugs – Mary
It’s been raining heavily all day long – I suppose at some point it will freeze and/or turn to snow. We’re waiting to see what transpires.
If we didn’t have the den, I don’t know what we would do. The tree is always crammed in there, but it works, somehow.
Pretty tree..Nice shape..I thought it was a Frazier when I first saw it..ALL seasons are forced upon us way too early..Hard not to be tired of them when they actually come.. Happy decorating..
That’s why I try to control when I start to celebrate on my end, Missy.
I am with you on this point Claudia. I just started decorating for Christmas yesterday. Partly it was because I was not sure if I wanted to decorate at all this year. This is, as it is for you, the first Christmas without Mom. Yet like you, I don’t like to rush the holidays. Time flies by fast enough as it is and I just like to savor the moment. Your tree is a beauty. Ours arrived yesterday. It’s in the living room now just waiting for the lights. At the moment I am just enjoying the beauty and the simplicity of the tree in all it’s natural splendor. This has become a chatty comment, so I will close by saying that your tree is lovely and your husband is a gem! You are a lucky girl ~ David for all his goodness does not cook ;-)
Big Texas Hugs,
Susan and Bentley
I am lucky, especially since I hate to cook! I know this will be a hard Christmas for you, as it will be for me. Even harder for you, I think, because your mom lived with you, so her absence will be even more acute. Sending you love and hugs, my friend.
I agree, that tree is gorgeous without ornaments! It’s going to be spectacular when decorated. Loved Scout falling off the couch asleep….my 150 lb. Newfie, Bear sleeps like that, usually in front of a door I have to open so we’ll just slide him out of the way and he never wakes up.
Boy, I wish I could go to sleep as easily as my dog!
OMG, your house must smell luscious. There’s nothing like the aroma of fresh evergreens. Whisks me back on a laser-beam to childhood when my Dad would bring our tree in from the screened porch a couple of days before Christmas Eve and chilly balsam-scented air would fill the dining room. We never saw it decorated until Christmas morning but it had to be indoors to “let its branches down.” I think that was the way Dad put it. It’s really not practical for me to have a real tree now, but a vial of balsam essential oil is the next best thing. Come to think of it, I gotta go find mine. Enjoy your Socked-In-By-the-Weather projects day…
Yes, my dad said that the branches had to settle. And it’s true. Ours has settled overnight and it’s looking quite lovely!
Noble firs are beautiful trees, aren’t they? Throughout my childhood, we always bought silver tips, which are native to the western states, and up until about 15 years ago, I continued to get silver tips. They became harder to find, as nobles gained popularity, so I purchased a very nice artificial silver tip, which I still use. Silver tips have wide spaces between branches, so ornaments can be displayed beautifully. If you have seen Pottery Barn holiday catalogs, they use silver tips in their photo shoots. Enjoy decorating your pretty tree. I love getting all my stuff out every year, and getting to revisit my old friends, some of which I have had for over 40 years!
Me too! I have some ornaments that I got when I was a teenager – so yes, some are definitely 40 years old!
Such a beautiful tree!
I always like to let real trees “relax” for 24 hours when they come indoors, but yours is already a lovely shape. Have you seen the latest Martha Stewart Living? I think they borrowed your Necco jar idea, although yours is much nicer.
My employer assigns me the corporate gift list every December – is it me or are things especially over the top this year? Purple poinsettias with glitter?
I look forward to seeing your tree in all its finery and your latest dollhouse projects – so inspiring!
Oh, that Martha Stewart – she always steals my ideas! The tree, by the way, had already settled a great deal when I took the photo. It had been in the house about 17 hours by that point.
Such a pretty tree. Can’t wait to see it decorated, I know it will be magical!! Oh and breakfast sounded wonderful YUM!
Hugs
Oh my goodness, Nancy, it was SO good!
Your tree looks about perfect Claudia..I too thought it was a Frazier Fir..that is what I had every year when my son was growing up..I thought of getting one this year but with a new kitten in the house..well it is best to wait a year as kittens love to climb..I will put up my little white tree like yours and see how that goes..That bottle brush tree is very nice for $3.00..The bookend geode is so pretty..Don is such a good cook..an avocado omelet sounds great..
He is a really good cook – and it’s usually grabbing whatever ingredients are on hand and winging it –
Your tree is beautiful, Claudia!
Thank you so much, Patricia!
I like your second week of Christmas decorating. My dad never got the tree until the 10th or 11th so that it would stay fresh til New Year’s Day, when Mom would usually take it down. My husband has different traditions. With him, the outdoor lights go up the day after Thanksgiving and it’s always too soon for me. Also, he then takes them down the day after Christmas and it is also too soon for me. Confess to say that inside, I have no decorations up yet. A few times, I have actually decorated the tree on Christmas Eve.
I am trying to get where you are on the simpler decorating. Over the years I have amassed a scary/ridiculous amount of Christmas ornaments, which was sort of a hobby/love. Because there are now SO MANY boxes of ornaments and STUFF to bring out, enjoyment has been overtaken by being overwhelmed by which used to be a joyous ‘task.’ We moved this year and my faves are packed to where I can’t get to them. So, what is the sense in any of it? My aim over the ‘winter’ (we’re in Calif. – we don’t really get ‘winter’) is to find every single one of those boxes and I’m thinking of who could want my ornaments…school teachers if they still decorate their classrooms which I assume they have to do now in a non-religious way; maybe the Boys & Girls Club; a women’s shelter. Sad to think so muck of my decorations would have to be chucked into boxes for Goodwill or Salvation Army although I’m sure they’d eventually find their way into someone’s life who might enjoy them via that route, too. I regret I fell into over-buying in years past. I was single for 13 years before I got married and my one little green artificial tree with just a few ornaments suited me nicely during that time…then I got married, owned my first house and I guess I thought a tree in every room was a good thing. NOT!
Now you have me wanting to go to Target…
…and don’t you just love a man who can cook…
I donated a lot of ornaments to the Salvation Army a few years back. And though I have tubs of decorations, I use less and less of them. The same wonderful vintage ornaments on the tree, but less elsewhere in the house.
Your tree is gorgeous…very Noble indeed! Our tree isn’t up yet…it’ll be a few more days. I think we may anchor it to the ceiling….our cat has never experienced a Christmas tree before….so we don’t know what he’ll do yet! I’ve really been skimping on the decorations this year…don’t want to add to the perceived clutter I guess. The house looks decorated, but not too much. I’m so glad you’re really not having a big weather event….sounds like it’s been downgraded. Do you eat like that every morning? Sounds wonderful! ;)
No, it’s usually oatmeal with raisins, so today’s meal was a treat!
What a beautiful tree! My preference is Noble Fir as well, but with my allergies I can no longer have a real tree in my house :( I love using a mix of well loved ornaments … I can’t wait to see your tree decorated, I do remember that you have some lovely ornaments. What a pretty bookend. My grandparents had tons of agates on their farm. People used to actually pay to come and dig for them on their property!
Oh, how wonderful! I would have spent days there, gathering agates.
Your tree is so pretty. I always got a sore throat when we had a real tree so we went to a fake one a few years back. I so miss the searching for a perfect tree and the wonderful smell.
I saw those bookends at Target last time I was there and thought they were so nice, kicking myself for not buying them.
I almost bought the other one, but that would have been too much money for me at the time. Maybe there will be some left at your store?
Please excuse my pushing in on conversation, but what type of jar idea did our Miss Martha Stewart borrow from you? She really gets around….borrows ideas from me quite frequently :-)
Thanks!
Apparently, this one (though I haven’t seen Martha’s version): https://mockingbirdhillcottage.com/2011/12/necco-snow-globe/
I loved this link to the Necco jar scene! How inventive and beautiful!
Thank you! That jar you scored is a beauty!!! I love what you did with the snow scene :-) I made a similar one with a tiny gnome, tiny mushrooms, fawns and some green moss. Used a generic jar out of the recycle bin :-) I have a “thing” for things under glass or in jars.
Me too!
I’m envious of your beautiful tree!! My son and I are both allergic to the fresh trees, so we purchased an artificial one many years ago which we still use.
I know many people are allergic to trees. I’m allergic to tree pollen, but thankfully, not to the fresh Christmas tree.
The tree is lovely, and I can’t wait to see it decorated. Does Scout remember having a tree every year, or is it a new experience each time? Ours don’t bother the tree at all. The cat sleeps under it most of the day, and she doesn’t mess with anything, so I do think we are lucky in that regard.
I shopped most of the day today. The stores weren’t crowded and I was able to find everything I needed. I am so glad that it is done. Hope the weather never materialized beyond the rain. We are to be in the 40’s the next several days. That sounds wonderful to me!
She is mildly curious every year, but only mildly. It’s been rainy all day – constantly – and now it’s windy, but the snow has not appeared. There may be some snow showers tomorrow, and the watery driveway will probably ice up over night, but we dodged a bullet, for sure.
Breakfast sounds yummy! and can’t wait to see your tee decked out. I had our tree for 8 days in the house before I had time to decorate it, when I asked if anyone wanted to help they all scattered like flies, so I decorated alone this year. I hardly have time for anything these days, so Im glad I fit the tree into my schedule.
Those boys should have helped you, Dawn! Glad you found time to do it. We didn’t get around to decorating the tree today – we will do it tomorrow, instead.
Claudia your tree is beautiful. I miss the days when the husband, kids and I would go out to the tree farm and pick a live tree. So pretty and fragrant. Now I can’t handle it by myself so my little 4ft faux tree works for me. I’m starting to realize that if I decorate too soon I’m so tired of it all by Christmas and I like to keep the decorations up until New Years (I just do). This year I needed to get it done early because I’m going on a trip but I think next year I’m going to just add some Christmas to what’s already out in my home. I see taking things easier in my future! :)
Hugs,
Linda
I never decorate until the calendar at least says December. I agree about celebrating one holiday at a time. I do like to decorate the first week of December though as the season is so short-lived, that I like to enjoy all the beauty and my hard work for at least the 25 days! I start taking everything down right after Christmas because to me, Christmas is then over. We don’t put up a regular sized tree anymore (too much work; no desire, especially after Phil passed away) and we couldn’t have a real one anyway because I’m allergic to pine. Your tree is gorgeous. Can’t wait to see it after it’s decorated.
Can you believe we have “warm” weather headed our way? 42 on Friday, 45 on Saturday, 50 on Sunday!
As we don’t have Thanksgiving here in the UK, people have started their Christmas decorating earlier and earlier every year. I’ve now seen homes with their Christmas trees up in Novemeber. We have got most of our decorating done now – just a few more bits and pieces.