how did you decorate for Christmas?

[Eeyoreloverforever]

I need more decorations. But for now there is a wreath on the door and some garland on the railing outside (that still has to be plugged in). Some holly berry garland and bows on the railing of the stairs going to the bedrooms and at the top of the stairs a holiday arrangement. A silver Mickey snow globe in the bathroom and some red snowflake beaded garland over the shower curtain. The girls both have pink trees in their rooms. Candelabra in my bedroom window. The tree in the living room decorated with multi colored lights and all Disney ornaments, Tink tree topper and Mickey and Minnie Victorian cream tree skirt.

I wish I could go to Disney now and buy more stuff, but it will have to wait until January 4.

 

[piratesmate]

So far we have garlands on the double-wide doorway between the living room & dining room. They have red button lights & gold beaded garland strung through them. When we put the tree up, we'll add the heavy ornaments to the garland. (We cut a live tree & the branches never hold the heavier ornaments.)

There's a group of pictures, craft items, etc above our table. (It's really an L-shaped "nook".) We replaced most of the items with Christmas things. We got out all the holiday candles & put up 2 small trees. (2 1/2 ft?) We have 18" window sills & have the trees on 2 of them as well as the nutcrackers & a bunch of other handmade craft items.

In the dining room window we have our Moravian Star hanging & on the window sill is one of our wooden nativity sets.

I put my Christmas beanie babies out on my desk along with another mini tree (11"). The Christmas stocking are hung on the dry sink with care.

Outside, DH put up the icicle lights, added a red spotlight to shine on the wreath beside the door. He also put his old Flexible Flyer sled on the porch with my old figure skates haning on them & a big red bow. He hasn't put the net lights on the bushes yet.

The washstand in the hallways upstairs has a Christmas counted cross stitch towel on it & there's something in the bathroom as well.

That's about it. We have white electric candles in the windows year round, but they really add to the festive look now. That doesn't seem like much to me yet, but it took hours! We won't get our tree for another week or so. I can't wait!

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Well this year is a little unusual since we are going to be out of town for the holidays. All I did is put a silk flower/grapevine wreath on the brick of the front porch and we put up a 4 footish artificial tree with ornaments the kids have made on it in the living room.

USUALLY, it is a multi-day event to get everything decorated.

Outside we put lights up on the house, evergreens around the front, and in the apple and dogwood trees in the front yard. A combination of icicle style and fairy lights. There are sets of icicle lights in the upstairs bedroom windows as well. In the back we put lights on the porch railing. All of these are on remotes for easy on and off without tromping outdoors in our jammies at night! Also wreaths or evergreen swags on either side of the garage door.

Inside, that tree mentioned above is usually in the family room along with LOTS of miscellaneous stockings on the family room mantel. There are also candles on the mantel.

Upstairs there would be a wreath on the front door as you enter. Around the coat closet in the entry I do an artificial greens swag that has white fairy lights wound into it, and a silver & navy blue ribbon with a big bow in the center above the door and the ends drape along the swag to the corners of the closet (it is one of those double door kind). From the bow is a white "sugar crystal" dove, same sort of stars at the corners. The table in the entry would have a ceramic "gingerbread" cookie tree. The candles on that table would change to holiday colors and the mirror over the table gets holly clings in the corners.

The living room would find all of the large art swagged with gold ribbons. A large live tree would be in the front window decorated with lots and lots of white and multi color lights. Ornaments range from Disney to heirloom with lots of things in between. Many are ornaments we've given the kids each year so they have a start when they start their own homes. The tree skirt is a hooked rug style my mom made us the year DH & I married. The valance over the window gets a pearl and blue iridescent set of beads to dress it up.

The fireplace in the living room gets another artificial greenery swag with lights. This one has silk poinsettias and cones in it. The stocking holders nestle through it from the mantel with the stockings for each of us. The mantel keeps the old fashioned clock but I add lots of candles (some of them are character candles) in all sorts of heights, etc. There are various knickknacks, etc throughout the living room and diningroom which are connected in a large L.

The kitchen gets a holiday spoon rest, decorations on the fixture over the table, a few candles, and clings on the slider. The bathroom gets a small ceramic tree that plugs in and one that holds a candle. A red basket that holds a bunch of holiday hand towels and ornament clings around the mirror.

Our bedroom would switch to the deep green with red poinsettias duvet and a straw wreath with swans in the middle (it was a wedding present).

There are other items that are scattered around the house as well. Including a wide range of ceramic pieces. The week of Christmas proper the entry table would find the gingerbread tree replaced with a fresh floral arrangement - it changes every year, but last year was a large crystal ice bucket with cranberries in the bottom, some evergreens, and a couple dozen white carnations. A centerpiece style floral arrangement would go on the diningroom table with my Disney table runner.

Deb

 

[HunnyPots]

Here's what I have so far:

DS 13 has a 6 ft. tree in his room decorated with all red lights and silver balls. Looks really cool, as his room is all red, black, and gray/chrome.

DD 17 has a 6 ft. tree in her room with multi-colored lights and sentimental ornaments, mostly from our travel and some special ones from early childhood. Her BF also added a few of his own to the tree.

In the living room I have evergreen (fake) garlands swagged over the windows with red bows at the corners, a lighted garland and wreath above the fireplace, and our main tree, which is done this year in a peppermint theme. I used all red and white lights (tons of them!), red balls tied with white bows, two sizes of candy canes, red bows, red striped bows, and a garland of starlight mints that I spent two weeks stringing together!
I've got to say, it is the best tree I've ever done! I just love it.
I have my very large snowman collection displayed on the bookshelves and a small fiber optic tree in the kitchen/dining area, along with red placemats and snowman tableware.

Outside: Mini white lights on the house, large "candy canes" and white lights along the sidewalk, artificial poinsetias and more of the large candy canes in the flower box that runs along the front of the house, and last but not least, a snow family that I painted and cut out of plywood is spotlighted in the center of the yard!

Still to do: Christmas village will go up today. It will take up space on top of the piano and on top of the entertainment center. I will also do our main bathroom all in red and green with red plaid accents. It's an easy switch, since it is already done in red, all I have to do is switch around a few accesories, hang a wreath, and set the 2 ft. tree on the counter.

I'd better get busy!

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Ok, so just HOW do you ladies get your kids' rooms clean enough to actually put trees in them? DD's I can barely walk through and DS would have a fit if I even suggested something like that. He mentioned over the weekend he was glad the "Christmas" sheets don't fit his bed anymore (they were twins and he now has a full size bed).

Deb

 

[piratesmate]

We didn't. DD's mini tree is at one end of the living room & mine is here by my desk.

That's not DD's fault though...she's going to be moved into a different room, but we've had problems with leaks & can't finish the new room until they're fixed. In the meantime, her current room is a disaster!

 

[HunnyPots]

Actually, my kids rooms stay pretty clean, at least compared to a lot of kid's rooms I've seen. We've never allowed them to leave clothes on the floor, beds unmade, etc. I just always figured that if I can keep the rest of the house picked up, surely they can manage one room.

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Ah....recognition dawns! There is the presumption that the rest of the house stays picked up! Guess that explains it. Our general attitude is that things need to be contained enough in the rest of the house that we can function and clean enough that the health department doesn't shut us down!

Ok, before anyone freaks it isn't that bad. Just that none of us get too hung up if things are totally picked up, etc all the time. We're busy and cleaning isn't a priority. Seems like once or twice a week I clear off the kitchen counter where the mail, etc accumulates and on weekends clear out what accumulates through out the week in other spots. Of course that assumes we're home to do that! This week we won't be home and awake hardly at all!

Deb