Holiday style without the tree....
My Mother and my EX were in competition (for years) as to how many trees they could fit into every nook and cranny of the house and how many Christmas gewgaws they could put everywhere. It always involved countless hours of glue guns, staple guns, and loads of bows to hide the glue and the staples. UGH....the thought of it even now makes me tired. Mother died the same year I "got shed" of the EX (RIP to both), then I auctioned off a warehouse full (literally) of Dept. 56 villages and you name it's. For the uninitiated, Dept. 56 is a brand that sells and markets Christmas faux stuff to millions of housewives and gay men for the purpose of decorating...if that's what you want call it.
I do miss Mother at this time of year. As a ever stylish gal, she would have grown past all the junk she felt it took in the early 90's to make it feel like Christmas. My number one pet peeve was and is the faux greenery. Frankly, it just collects dust all year in the attic or basement, then just get nastier and nastier as the years go by. Sorry if this steps on your toes. Oopsy!
After passing the 50 mark, I care little what others think (to a point) and only do what I enjoy. This involves a yearly trip to the Farmer's Market for fresh boxwood wreaths, a trip out to the yard with my shears in hand for a few red berries, perhaps a magnolia leaf or two, and this year I have sent the red velvet ribbon of my youth packing in favor of a lovely red linen. Red is my go to color at Christmas...mixed with lots of gold and silver. Some traditions never die. I have tried other colors, but always go back to red.
The one thing I do not do is a tree. I held onto Mother's old bottle brush and porcelain trees, and this makes a lovely display on the back of the piano with her collection of Santas. I put her collection of antique mercury glass ornaments in a crystal bowl and call it done. Oh...and the silver bells go in a silver bowl on the dining room table....a must for me!
Christmas has to be what makes you feel festive and what gets you and yours in the holiday mode. So deck your halls any way you like...just keep it real if you can...and if you can't then take that stuff out back and turn the water hose on it!
HOHOHO/DT
I do miss Mother at this time of year. As a ever stylish gal, she would have grown past all the junk she felt it took in the early 90's to make it feel like Christmas. My number one pet peeve was and is the faux greenery. Frankly, it just collects dust all year in the attic or basement, then just get nastier and nastier as the years go by. Sorry if this steps on your toes. Oopsy!
The one thing I do not do is a tree. I held onto Mother's old bottle brush and porcelain trees, and this makes a lovely display on the back of the piano with her collection of Santas. I put her collection of antique mercury glass ornaments in a crystal bowl and call it done. Oh...and the silver bells go in a silver bowl on the dining room table....a must for me!
Christmas has to be what makes you feel festive and what gets you and yours in the holiday mode. So deck your halls any way you like...just keep it real if you can...and if you can't then take that stuff out back and turn the water hose on it!
HOHOHO/DT
I don't care for faux greenery either, but when your significant other is allergic, what are you gonna do? Mine doesn't get dusty; I keep it in plastic tubs all year.
ReplyDeleteThis is my last year for a full-sized tree. I'm getting too old to lug it up and down stairs, but I will miss having it - a good place to put all my frog ornaments that otherwise wouldn't have a home.
Speaking of Dept. 56 villages: I won't tell my husband that you said they are for women and gay men. He was the one who demanded that I start a collection of them!
Merry Christmas!