Everywhere you turn, Christmas decorations are coming out of attics and storage spaces. Hobby store shelves are becoming bare. Lights are decorating the night sky.
I loved the picture of the neighbor decorating the front façade with letters D – I – T – T – O next to a fabulously decorated home and yard.
My own decorating skills are nothing compared to my mothers. Our last Christmas in our mud dwelling looked something like this.
Now my mother on the other hand pulls out all the stops. It’s a beautiful home she and my step-father spend countless hours decorating and re-inventing some of the most spectacular Christmas montage you’ve ever seen. Let me give you a sampling, and I do mean sampling.
Where are you in the spectrum of holiday decorating?
Your mom does go all out!! I love the tree with the feathers on top!!
Jillian, that one is the newest decoration. It used to be white with red & white lollipops.
Great pictures! I’m afraid my decorating is complete with a Christmas bedspread and Christmas paper towels. I have a huge collection of mercury glass ornaments but I have those out year around…..
You and my mom would get along great! I didn’t even mention the mechanical christmas decorations she has all over the house. Can’t imagine what the electric bill is for December.
They obviously REALLY love Christmas … and each other! You have to be truly enjoying yourself to put that much effort into something so more power to them.
Patricia, they do REALLY love Christmas. The yard work in the summer is their other great love.
Having seen this myself Nancy is correct saying this is just a sampling!
I guess we are somewhere in between. 🙂 One tree, stockings on the mantle, snowmen in every nook and cranny plus greens and lights on the front porch. Scaled back a little each year lately.
I think scaling back isn’t a bad thing. Sometime we have to balance life with our wishes.
LOL, I imagine there isn’t a lot of room on a boat to store stuff you only bring out once a year. Love that sleigh. I bet Christmas at your mother’s is a blast.
I decorate the whole house except the bedrooms and upstairs bath. We also used to do two trees (living and family) but our current house isn’t big enough for that. Working on the kitchen/dining today 🙂
Raelyn, welcome aboard! I could sent my mother to your house. I bet she’d figure out how to get at least five more trees of various sizes into that small house. 😉
I’m exhausted just looking at all those decorations! No one can accuse them of not having enough Christmas spirit!! You can see that they put their heart into it and they do a wonderful job 🙂
Yeah, exhaustion does come to mind, but they love the thrill of it all.
OMG I am IN LOVE with the ladder and the elves outside – that’s fabulous!! Your Mom and step-dad really go all out. LOL!
I LOVE outdoor lights. Tastefully but I can get a real kick out of tacky ones to. I’d love to go all out but hubby bares the bulk of the responsiblity so I don’t push my luck. We put lights around the garage, door, and a lit snow man. Inside, we’ll put a few odds and ends around the house and fire up a real tree. So it’s enough for me. I am happy and love a little twinkle but we try not to go too overboard.
I LOVE your Mom’s place but I’d never have the patience, or the know-how, to do it up like that. LOL!
Natalie, going all out is an understatement. They love it and if I could have gotten good night pictures, their outside is decorated very well and tastefully.
For the last three or four Christmases aboard we have had a five inch high fake tree and a two inch wide wreath and some candles. Minimal to say the least. As innkeepers for a high end establishment in this resort town we have to pull out all, and I mean all stops. The tree alone is twelve foot high and decked out. Millions of wreaths and holly, bows and sparkle. Holiday culture shock.
Quite the switch between a boat and high end resort. Can’t imagine but I know your creative spirit is up to the challenge. 😉
Great pics! I’m actually married to Chevy Chase. We won our neighborhood’s Christmas lights contest last year (my crazy hubby even had a snow machine mounted on our roof) I’m actually grateful that he’s so gung-ho and now my boys are old enough to decorate the tree…I’m just in charge of baking and shopping. 🙂
ps. Why is the snow on the snowman yellow??? lol
Shannon, Welcome Aboard. I’m sure your husband really loves the challenge. I’d be in your same position of baking and shopping.
My step-father likes to dress the ‘bucket’ men with colored dish soap. He kind of builds his snowmen like a sand castle on the beach, with buckets.
Hello Nancy!
Haven’t decided whether to get a tree this year. I might go to the farmer’s market and get a bunch of branches and stick them in an urn and hang lights and ornaments on them. Thanks to Carrie’s suggestion, I entered a holiday tablescape contest the other day, so the dining room table is all decked out (will cover with a sheet so it will stay clean until Christmas).
I’ve got a wreath on the door and one on the gate, and I’m sitting on my hands so I won’t head over to eBay and start looking at vintage ornaments. Eeep.
Jennifer, welcome aboard Fawkes. This time of year is a catch 22 of spreading the spirit of the holidays and spreading our money around. I like the simple, but sometimes its good to splurge just a little on something that makes you smile.
Those trees are beautiful! We used to decorate more, but for the past couple years we’ve gotten rid of some of our decorations each time we pack them up. This year turned out to be quite simple. A tree and some other knickknacks.
When I was a kid, there was this one house we always went to see. The couple that lived there opened up their house for people to come in and look. Each room was fully decked out, every inch covered in decorations, and each room had a different theme. There was everything Disney Christmas room, and a train set room, and a Christmas at midnight room. The old man dressed up as Santa and sold goodies his wife baked in the garage. *sigh* Those are good memories. Unfortunately, they retired and moved to Florida. Maybe some other kids are having the same experience there this year. 🙂
Angela, my mother would be that house and she really enjoys sharing the joy with people as she takes them on a tour.
Beautiful decorations, Nancy.
I noticed over the past few years more and more Christmas decorations in the bigger shops here in Thailand. The malls even have Christmas music playing, which is odd since 95% of the people are Buddhist.
We have planted poinsettias and they grow large here and turn a beautiful brilliant red in November and December. The Thai word for them is– Christmas. We also have large bushes and in the ‘winter’ months they turn a beautiful bright white. the Thai word for these are– White Christmas. Make a beautiful picture for several months.
It’s also a way to introduce the people to a few Christian tradition.
Great post.
Dannie, My parents desrve all the praise. I’m not sure if the added Christmas is a good thing in Thailand. Many people don’t manage all the hype very well. I love that you can grow poinsettias and love Thailands translation.
Wow, very impressive decorating! I LOVE the little elves climbing up the ladder 🙂 And your step-father is pretty skilled with the snow-sculpturing.
We just decorated the house for Christmas today (Saturday). Only the outside is left to do, but my lights are not working so I need to buy a few new sets, sigh.
Thanks Angela, I love my step-father’s inner child.