Living Beauty Full in the Burbs
Living Beauty Full in the Burbs
Well….of course I can. What a question. But it was an issue for me. Because my Christmases have almost always been celebrated around a decorated “Christmas Tree.”…
Well….of course I can. What a question. But it was an issue for me. Because my Christmases have almost always been celebrated around a decorated “Christmas Tree.” There were those lean years as a single mom that meant spending money for a tree meant cutting back on presents, so trees were out. I wanted my son to enjoy Christmas abundance even if it meant no tree. We always had other decorations out, stockings, things inherited from my Grams, but a few years it was my Ficus tree decorated with tiny lights, ribbon bows and candy canes. Festive yes, but not exactly the Christmas vision in my head.
Looking back those Christmases were some of the best. We had a big, over the top dinner, presents picked out just for my son and homemade Christmas cards, cookies and candy for friends. There was an abundance of love. That was enough.
As my finances improved, so did our Christmas celebrations, there was money for a tree, perhaps just a small one, but a tree nonetheless. And always the stocking filled to the brim with all manner of goodies. There were Christmases filled with friends, music and laughter and those big dinners.
I don’t know when the tree became such a big deal to me. Decorating a tree was something I looked forward to, year after year. I loved the white lights, the old ornaments, the sparkle. Decorating a tree to me is an art form. Each branch must have multiple ornaments, beginning with larger ones at the trunk and ending with tiny decorations on the tips of the branches. I use dozens of decorations. Bins and boxes of ornaments were stored waiting for their holiday release. It could take anywhere from two days to five to get it just right.
When Mr B and I moved into this house with the high ceilings, we got a 10 foot tree. Not a huge tree by today’s standards, but I was in Christmas Heaven!! It was time to buy even more ornaments. Insert smiley face and ignore Mr Grumpy Pants over in the corner. Each year I give a new ornament to every family member. I started this tradition when Trev was very young and now his old ornaments have been passed down to his children, the ones we can still find anyway, apparently he was denied the hoarding gene. sigh.
I continued the tradition after marrying Mr B and with the addition of the Grands, I’m a happy ornament shopping Grams! As the kids grow into adulthood and leave to begin lives of their own, they’ll have a box of Christmas memories to enjoy and a head start on decorating their own trees. It’s a tradition that I still follow today, even thought the kids are grown, they still get a new Christmas ornie each year. It’s sweet to see the progression of ornaments, from Super Heroes and Princesses to more sophisticated choices, they’ve grown up and out grown the super heroes, although I still have princesses, I mean come on! Princesses born are Princesses forever. Right??
Where was I? Oh, the year of the 10 footer. I was beyond excited! I got to shop for new ornaments for me! ME!!! Oh joy! (Still ignoring Mr Grumpy Pants.) Those days there was a tree in every room in the house, even the bathrooms. Furniture had to be moved to make room, regular decor needed to be packed away to make room for Christmas. I was the Queen of Christmas! In some rooms there were 2 trees, sometimes 3. These were mostly small but they were still trees, and each room had its own theme.
The dining room had a 7 foot tree and was snowflakes and snow people. Mr B’s small tree was aviation inspired, a nod to his military service as an F16 pilot and then a commercial airline guy. His bathroom was all about golf, the guest bedroom was always festooned with girlie Christmas and the guest bath was my junker’s tree, decorated with escutcheons, door knobs and skeleton keys. A woodland tree and Santa decorated the tiny living room and the kitchen tree was an ode to eating, adorned with cookie cutters, old spoons and tiny china cups and saucers. You get the idea. There were trees, lots and lots of trees. The first year we had the “big” tree I was embarrassed at how skimpy the decorations were. But no one else seemed to care in the free-for-all of opening gifts. I hit the after Christmas sales and loaded up, determined not to feel embarrassed again.
As the kids got older so did I, and decorating that tree became a bit of an issue since I had to climb a ladder to decorate the top. I have major back issues and it became painful to “do’ the tree. Still I persisted. Mr B is not the Christmas King, he went along for the ride when the kids were young and even when the Grands were still living close by. But the tree was my domain and he was happy to let me have at it. He would put it up, and do the lights and hand the holiday baton to me. Then the miracle of pre-lit trees!!! He no longer had to fuss with, or fix those pesky light strings. He could put the tree sections together, place it where I wanted it, plug it in, then go enjoy a glass of beer while watching college football, or golf, or god forbid, tennis, while I fluffed, and cajoled the tree into shape and did my magic thing, turning faux into fabulous.
I gave up our 10 footer several years ago, it was just too much. So we gave it to our neighbors and bought a smaller 7½ footer. It lasted a couple of years but succumbed to the heat in the attic and disintegrated. Enter “Gloria.” A flocked, glorious pre-lit beauty. I loved Gloria with a Christmas passion, I moved all the Hallmark and brightly colored ornaments to a small 4 foot tree in the family room. Nothing but silver and gold and copper for Gloria. Oh my, the days spent getting the ornaments just right. Again I was spending 2-3 days bending over, stooping, squatting and yes, standing on a little stool to place Grandma’s angel. My back couldn’t take it even though I had stopped with the whole ornies on every branch thing. Besides, Gloria had like 700 tips or something astronomical like that. Even I couldn’t justify purchasing 1,000 ornies.
Plus there was Mr B who became a stranger, known only as Mr Grumpy Pants when it came time to move the bins, bags and boxes of “Christmas crap beauty,” down from the roof furnace, otherwise known as that “hotter than hell” attic crawl space. It took an afternoon, then I commandeered the ladder and headed to my closet’s top shelves to remove even more boxes of precious Christmas decor that couldn’t take the heat in hell. It was quite the production.
Last year I had to be honest and say it was too much. I cut back, I sent boxes of ornies to my Dil, I stopped with most of the trees, I had only 3 or 4 small ones plus Gloria. It required 3 trips to the chiropractor and a couple of days in bed, but I got the house decorated for our Christmas party and I was happy.
Putting it all away was a chore. I’m not one to keep Christmas up for long, by the time January 1 rolls around I’m craving simplicity. It takes longer to pack everything up because of course things have to be wrapped, placed in original boxes, etc etc. There are boxes stacked for days during the take down. And even I begin to wear Grumpy Pants, although mine are prettier than Mr B’s. When it’s finally all put away, Mr B is happy not having to crawl into the hotter then hell attic for another year. He returns to his good-natured self the minute that attic door slams shut and he can say goodbye to Christmas and Mr Grumpy Pants. Me? I’m already making notes to myself for Christmas the next year. My Grumpy Pants are stored with the ghosts of Christmas Past.
This year, I actually dreaded getting the tree out. WHAT???? Was I ill? Did I suddenly catch a bad case of Grumpitis?? What the hell was wrong with me? I just wasn’t looking forward to all the pain and the issues that decorating Gloria would cause, what with the chiro visits and pain meds. So I made the decision to sell Gloria. Then I spent a couple of days whining and being the guest of honor at my very own pity party. How could I have Christmas? What would the house be without a treeee??? Oh whine, and then whine some more. I became ashamed of myself. Here I was, whining about not having a tree when so many have no homes, no money for gifts, and may not even know where they will be living January 1st. That put things in perspective.
So Gloria was sold to a nice family who promised to glorify her with lots of ornaments and sing carols around her. I brought out the little 4 foot tree and decorated him with lots and lots and LOTS of ornies. I still had to bend and twist to do the little tree even though it was on a table, and I still had to see my chiro. Sooo, it’s a sure thing, I need to make even more changes.
The funny thing is, I’m OK with that. Not having a larger, main tree actually stirred my creative juices. I started donating boxes of ornies and greenery. I sold several more things. The more I sold and gave away the more excited I became. The years “Of Hallmark” didn’t make it down from the attic. I could have a simple farmhouse Christmas! Yes!!! If your idea of simple is greenery adorning every surface, and bowls of ornaments and fairy lights, then Yes! It will be a simple Christmas.
Next year there may not be a tree at all and I’m OK with that. I already have ideas for using some of my more precious ornaments. Or maybe I’ll have a pencil tree, pre-lit, unadorned except for the lights and the angel. Maybe not. Christmas isn’t about the tree. It’s about spending time with family, it’s about generosity and love. It’s about the birth of Christ. I’m definitely OK with that.
Create your Christmas sanctuary no matter where you live. Use a tree…..or not. Love the home you’re in.
Oh my goodness. Time flies. I already packed up Christmas. My house looks naked. I always hate to begin to pack everything up, mostly because I have way too much holiday crap treasures. I purged last year and pared down in anticipation of a scaled back farmhouse Christmas. Didn’t happen. I started out fine, my mantel was simple. I didn’t even remove anything to add Christmas. Just some greens, a few pine cones, a couple of ornies and I was good to go. Then I added fairy lights. OK, still simple. I added 3 little naked pines to the top of the entertainment center. Yay! Simple Farmhouse Christmas. Oh yes, simple. We Mr B brought down the boxes from the attic with the plan to use just a few things. I opened my first box. Big mistake. I went from simple to “OH, LOOOK, ORNIES!!” in the blink of an eye. Within an hour 3 trees were up and 10 or 12 boxes were in the tiny living room, waiting to be opened and the adorning of the main tree to begin. My plan was thwarted by boxes. Boxes of years of ornament collecting. And my inability to look away from those wondrous shiny orbs. My simple farmhouse Christmas goose was cooked. It was an explosion of holiday at my house.
Within a week every room in the house had its share of Christmas joy. I love it. I love Christmas decorations and lights. Yes, I go overboard. But if you can’t go overboard at Christmas when can you?? I basked in the glow of lights every night. I adored each twinkle. I savored the oohs and ahhs of our guests. It was magical. Until it wasn’t. Which was two days ago when I decided Christmas had.to.go. This was the week I’d planned to relax and enjoy some down time by the glow of the Christmas lights. That week between Christmas and New Years when I usually curl up with a good book, listen to music and just chill. These plans went the same way my simple farmhouse plan went. Buh bye. I woke up and said, “I’m done with Christmas.” So the boxes came in the house and I began putting things away. Let me just say, putting Christmas up is a lot more fun than taking it down. A LOT more fun.
Besides trying to remember which mercury glass ornament went into what box, I wrapped each individual ornie in tissue. Every stinkin one that didn’t have the original box. Annd there were dozens, maybe hundreds. I may have more ornaments than I need.
So after purging 4 more boxes of crapola goodies to gift to a friend, I still ended up with 22 boxes of Christmas. TWENTY TWO. (This may have something to do with Mr B’s crankiness each year he heads into the attic.) Did I say I may have more ornaments than I need??? To be fair, some of the boxes contain nothing but greenery, which.I.must.have. I can’t have Christmas without sticking greens in every conceivable place. It’s not normal, I know. But I do it. And I do it with a great amount of joy. And that’s the key. It brings me joy. So I’ll make plans to cut back again next year. Maybe I’ll pull it off. There are Christmas miracles, right?
My memories of Christmas span about 6 decades. Getting close to 7! whew! That’s a long time. I remember holidays when both my Grandparents were still alive. Halloween meant homemade popcorn balls, and I can still remember the smell of scorching sugar if one or the other forgot to man the stove. There was a lot of love in the house, the two of them dancing around the kitchen or my Grandmother bent double with laughter at something my Gramps said or did. Caramel apples were a special treat and watching my Grams at the stove, wearing one of her numerous aprons, stirring the caramel, laughing at something my Gramps said, still lingers today, many years after they passed. Thanksgiving and Christmas always came with my Grams bent over, pulling the pan that held the turkey out of the oven, steam rising like a cloud all around her head, the kitchen passing for a native american sweat lodge.
Christmas meant no school or homework, sledding, and snow forts (and the required snowball battles to protect our forts), singing and dancing, family dinners and gaily wrapped presents under a huge tree. It was cold snowy mornings with big breakfasts, it was homemade pies and brownies, hot chocolate and late night movies. There were trips to Ebys Pines where we all trooped to pick out just the right tree. My Grams like the shorter fat ones so there would be plenty of space for her ornaments. I remember paper chains, popcorn garland and homemade cookies, my Grandfather practically passing out from the effort to blow up the huge snowman to adorn the front yard, and all of us kids laughing at the faces he made.
I was just about 13 when my Grandfather died unexpectedly. It changed our lives as most deaths in a family do. Traditions fell by the wayside, too painful to continue and new ones slowly took their place. By that time, my Mom and Stepdad and my siblings were living “in town.” I stayed with my Grams and she and I continued to decorate every year. There were still family dinners with all the Aunts, Uncles and siblings and over time those new traditions became the norm. As the years went by, I married, had a son, divorced, and after her death, I continued the traditions my Grams and I had carved out over the years. Traditions and memories for my son to enjoy and pass on to his children.
I can’t remember a Christmas without a little plastic Santa, he was my favorite ornament as a girl and he is one of my favorites now. He’s hung on every tree, even on my ficus trees during the lean years. My Grandmother’s angel still adorns the top of my tree, just as it did hers. Or it did until I convinced her to get a new tree topper, a hideous plastic minaret that was filled in the middle with angel hair. Did I mention it was hideous? Sigh. As a teenager I thought it was beautiful. But what did I know? I’m the girl who talked my Grams into getting rid of her beautiful antiques so that we could go modern, as in Danish Modern. Oh, the heartburn I suffer over that! I clearly had no clue back then. My lack of family heirlooms is because of me. ME! arrgh. The pain.
My Grandmother, a wise woman, put some things away in her cedar chest for safekeeping from my modern loving eyeballs. I’m ever grateful to her. Because of her foresight I still have not only her angel, but also her little plastic snowman that still lights up, her bird ornaments and two angel ornaments I updated with new paint. If she could only know how much I treasure those timeworn pieces now…….and that I am the “Memory Keeper” in the family. I wear that title proudly. I guard those few things I have ferociously and will pass on my title to one of my grandchildren when the time comes.
No Christmas is complete without those ornaments and the few vintage holiday things I still have. The snowman, the angels, the little plastic santa. The trio of santa elves who now grace Mr B’s bathroom, where they hold special golf balls instead of christmas ornaments. The little elf who sits on a pillow, even the unopened package of ornament hooks, still wearing the 2/25¢ price, the box now an ornament in its own right. These things keep the memories of my parents and grandparents alive. The memory of my son is still fresh with special ornaments that he loved. No matter what style my home is, whether it’s “Modern Farmhouse” or “Danish Modern” those memories will always be front and center. Old things and old memories never go out of style.
Why do you need a lesson in decorating your tree? You’ve been doing it for years, right? Just put it in the stand, wrap some lights around it and hang some ornies. And Bingo! Done. Not so fast my little helper elves. There are a few things to consider. For the sake of this post I’m dealing only with the faux tree, there are other considerations for live ones but I’ll save that post for another time. If you’ve already done your tree like the majority of can’t-wait-to-put-up-my-tree people, then just file this away for next year.
When you take your tree out of the box, it’s smushed (technical term) to fit. Take it out and put the bottom section in the base and secure it, if it’s a pre-lit tree, check the lights on this section before proceeding. You don’t want to get your tree all together and find that one section of lights doesn’t work. It’s aggravating. Trust me on this. FLUFF this section (another technical term) and insert the next section(s) in the same manner, checking each section of lights and fluffing a bit as you go. The fluffing step is the most important! (After lights, lights are really the most important, but fluffing is second on the important list.) You want a full looking tree, not one that looks like it survived a tornado. You’ll need to give your final fluff after you’ve put your tree together and checked all the lights. Tree branches are forgiving so bend them and manipulate until your tree looks like it’s all one glorious full product of nature.
If your tree isn’t pre-lit, add your lights. There are many methods of “doing lights”. None are wrong, whatever works. But I’ve found that starting at the bottom of the tree and working up is the easiest for me. Count on using a minimum of 100 lights per linear foot of tree. (Example: a 7 foot tree would require a minimum of 700 lights.) I like to use more because….well, I love lights. If your lights are worn out with lots of burned out bulbs this may be the time to upgrade to LEDs. Just as bright but don’t use as much energy and don’t get hot. Don’t throw your old lights away. There are a number of recycling options. Google “Recycling old Christmas lights” for sites and shipping instructions. If your tree comes in sections, it may be easier to do your lights a section at a time, right after the fluffing. String your lights by wrapping each branch and tucking your lights into the greenery before moving on to the next branch. The object is to hide the wires so that your tree looks like it was born with lights. You know, “natural.” Place lights the length of the branch all the way to the trunk so that you give the appearance of lights coming from within the branches. Do a final light check and fluff. This is the most tedious part for me. I want to get on with the decorations! But nothing destroys the look of a beautifully decorated tree quicker than visible, dangling wires. So take your time and get it right.
Once your lights are on, add your topper. What? Isn’t the topper supposed to be done last? Perhaps by raising your little darling up high enough to adorn your creation with the crowning glory? I’ve had the pleasure of watching a 10 foot tree laden with ornaments fall over by leaving the topper until last. Lesson learned. Add any smaller ornaments to this area now as well. You can thank me later. Taller trees, especially slim ones can be a bit prone to wobbling, particularly if the “front” of the tree is laden with ornaments and the side that’s in the corner has none (why waste the beauty of ornaments hanging them on a section that’s never seen?) My tree sits in front of a sliding glass door so I have to put ornaments on so that it’s purdy from the “back side” too. It still wobbles and I find I hold my breath when people come to admire it and want to touch it. My Christmas nightmare isn’t of Christmas past. Nope. It’s of that tree falling over and crashing on top of a dear friend. Who will be picking mercury glass out of her hair for years.
Place your largest heavy ornaments at the bottom, towards the trunk where the branches are sturdier. Reach into the middle of the tree and hang ornaments close to the trunk the entire height of the tree. This will also help with giving the tree a full look and help disguise the inevitable spaces in the interior. No matter how good you are at fluffing, you’ll end up with empty spaces. Large ornaments make these look like part of your design. Clever, no? Work your way out on each branch, adding ornaments as you go, ending with the smallest lightest ornaments at the tips. I like putting more than one ornie on each branch. EACH branch. It gives dimension to the tree. Don’t be one of those people who throw a dozen ornaments on and call it a day. Those people have no respect for the beauty that is a Christmas tree. I pity those people. Don’t be one of those people. Buy more ornaments.
If you have a set of ornaments with only three or four to the set, place these in a triangle so that it appears you have more than just three. Two lower, spaced apart, one higher and in the “middle.” This tricks the eye in to believing there are more ornies. Do this with every small set of ornaments you have. Don’t be afraid to overlap ornaments. Hang smaller ornaments on the same branch in front of a larger one.
Step back frequently during this phase so that you distribute your ornaments equally. Add any florals at this point, or feathers. These can be tucked in and help disguise the fact that there aren’t a lot of ornaments on a tree. It’s a good trick to use if you like to change the color of your ornies every year and don’t have many, or if you are just starting out. (And an old window designer trick of the trade.) I’m a garland goes on last woman, so after you’ve placed your ornaments add your garland. If you’re into ribbon, there are two schools of thought. One is to add the ribbon after the lights. The current ribbon craze is to go vertically with ribbon, starting at the crown of the tree, tucking it into branches as you make your way to the bottom. Then add ornies and floral picks, feathers, etc whatever you’re using to adorn your tree. The second method is to put your ribbon on after the ornaments. You can also add your ribbon the garland way, just wrapping it around the tree. If going vertical, plan on purchasing about triple the amount of ribbon you think you’ll need, each length of ribbon should extend from the top to the bottom of the tree. That’s it, you’re done. And look at your wonderous, glorious tree. There is no prettier tree in all the land. Except mine. Mine is the prettiest.
If you are like me you hate the flimsy ornament hooks we’ve all used for years. I’ve collected ornaments for many years and I almost cry when one falls to the floor and shatters in a million pieces when the hook fails. Plus I’m not a big fan of sweeping up tiny shards of glass. I’m always afraid I’ll miss some and one of the dogs will end up with cut tootsies. So I was filled with joy (yes, I’m easily wowed) when I found a new style hook a couple years ago. They’re decorative and sturdy and hold ornaments securely. Bonus….They hold heavier ornaments without a problem. I like that they add some detail to the tree. They are longer than regular hooks however, so bear that in mind when placing ornies on your tree. Plan to go up one branch so the ornament actually ends up where you want it.
I also use twine to tie any especially fragile or vintage heirlooms on the tree. Green twine for natural trees and either silver or white twist ties or sheer white ribbon for flocked trees. Hide the ends within the tree’s branches. The new hooks have a spiral end, and once on the ornies won’t come off the hook, just make sure the hook end is securely on your branch. I found a different design last year and like these as well, especially for heavier ornaments. These are also longer, and have bulbous ends so that ornies won’t slip off. I found both brass and silver at Target. Both hook designs are also available on Amazon. (What isn’t available on Amazon?) So get the new hooks and feel secure in the knowledge your ornies are safe and your tree has some hook pizazz. And who doesn’t love pizazz?
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