Wednesday, December 22, 2010

finally...a tree

I'm just not one of those people who starts holiday decorating the day after Thanksgiving. It's okay by me if you do, I just don't want to see all of that...stuff in my house for 6 weeks.  I love all the stuff!  For two or three weeks, tops.  But I did finally get my tree and I was lucky enough to have one of the girls here to help me decorate it.  I've been decorating it myself for the last few years, now that they're grown, and it's just not the same without them.  I don't have much space in the living room, so I put the tree in the sun room, which is also our dining room.  I put some fresh wreaths, a little fresh garland, some scented candles here and there throughout the house, and some garland and lights around the front door outside, but the bulk of the decorating is done in this room, which is where we spend most of our time.


I like the way the lights are reflected in the surrounding glass. And yes, we DO have a LOT of ornaments on that tree!
We have lots of hand-made in elementary school ornaments.
These two kindergarten ones are my favorites!
Pretty!  We ate our dinner here, by the light of the tree, that night!
A simple holiday decoration - the cross-stitched Santa on the right was done by my sister a few years ago.  She's a wonderful, multi-talented crafter - crocheting, cross-stitching, etc.!
Another simple holiday decoration - three potted paperwhites will be blooming just in time for Christmas!
So, other than setting the table with holiday dinnerware and the holiday plaid tablecloth and napkins, that's about the extent of my holiday decorating.

I hope everyone has a beautiful holiday and I wish you all every kind of joy for 2011.  Peace.

13 comments:

  1. You can never have too many ornaments on a tree! Love the homemade decorations.

    108 sun salutations, huh? I'm quite impressed. I developed frozen shoulder syndrome about 1 1/2 years ago which really put a damper on my up dogs but I'm hoping to get back to that pretty soon.

    A beautiful holiday to you, too!

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  2. Steve - People often say they're impressed by 108 sun salutations, but if you take your time (took us almost 2 hours)it's really not hard. I have to admit, I woke up this morning feeling my shoulders and hips (where did those muscles come from??), though!

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  3. Lovely tree! And the paperwhites make such a natural, simple and beautiful centerpiece.
    My husband insists on getting the house decked out the day after Christmas - it's his favorite time of year so I don't mind too much if it makes him happy. But if it were up to me, I would rather not have all this stuff around for so long.

    Happy Holidays!

    Adrienne

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  4. Love the tree in the sunroom. I still have a mantel to decorate. Probably will do it tomorrow. I want all the fresh greenery to be fresh for my Christmas Eve party.

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  5. Adrienne - If someone else were to offer to do it, I would be happy to have "stuff" up earlier! I think you're wonderful to make him happy!
    Bonnie - That will be nice - have a great party!

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  6. Your decorations are lovely. I'm the same way as you. I can handle about 3 weeks - tops - of the decorations. I love them but if they are up too long I don't appreciate them fully.

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  7. All looks lovely and bright. May your holidays be the same!

    xo Jane

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  8. hi karin,

    where did i miss 108 sun salutations?

    omg that would kill me and i don't care that you had 2 hours to do them.

    your tree is magnificent and i adore all the handmade ornaments.

    merry christmas to you and your family.

    xo
    janet

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  9. Janet - I KNOW you could do it!
    Thanks to all for the lovely comments, and like I said, my very best wishes for a warm and happy holiday and every joy in 2011 (seems weird to type that - 2011!)!

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  10. Oh, your tree is lovely!! Like you, my favorite ornaments are the ones with a history. I get misty-eyed as I unwrap certain ones each year, like the little clown toy my daughter teethed on that still has her tooth marks in his hat, and the cross-stitch gingerbread man my son made in 2nd grade.

    I think the answer to the question I asked on my blog (Does everyone think their tree is "best"?) SHOULD be true, and it's sad if it's not. It's nice if everything is color coordinated and matches the living room decor, but it's not magical - which a Christmas tree surely ought to be - unless it's decorated with memories.

    As for 108 sun salutations? What?! When did you do that?!!

    xox,
    Susan

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  11. You were the first person to notice that I had the light in the attic. It's nice to see that SOMEONE reads the words I labor over! Thanks for noticing!

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  12. Steve - hahaha - I notice EVERYTHING! hahahaha!
    Susan - Every summer and winter solstice, and new years day I(and thousands of other people around the world) do 108 sun salutations with my favorite yoga teacher and a dozen or so other crazy people - I mean dedicated yogis. It is a soul cleansing endevour and while it takes some determination IT IS NOT HARD.

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  13. I love the home made christmas decorations - they're the most precious!

    I just got that exact dining table from craig's list this week. Yours has a darker finish on it which I like much better. Where did you get yours? Just curious because I've never seen one like it before (those feet).

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