Christmas Prep in the Works!
I know that a lot of people find it a bit crazy (and mildly annoying) when they start seeing Christmas trees, lights and festive December decor before Thanksgiving… but in OUR little family, it’s been a tradition every year to have a Christmas tree up usually the week or so before turkey day, so we can enjoy it’s beauty as long as possible!
The month of December moves SO fast and before you know it, the holiday season is over! So we like to get the work and messy part of Christmas out of the way BEFORE December 1st hits.
This is also the time of the year when our vacuum gets a major workout. Billions of pine needles on the carpet is inevitable when setting up our tree.
Also, a few weeks ago while I was out with a friend, Cason surprised me with a house full of beautiful, classy, white lights on our rooftops! I was BEYOND excited because it’s our first year having them and I know how big of a pain they are to put up.
I’ve been itching to turn them on each night but Cason’s convinced me that we’ll probably seem a bit crazy if we do… so I’m impatiently holding off till December 1st.
๐
Another thing I was anxious to do this year was find a fun Christmas theme for our decor. Two years ago we had sort of a blue, white and silver theme and last year we used the classic holiday reds with poinsettias.
This year I thought it would be fun to go with an all natural theme. A woodsy-winter-wonderland!
I stopped in at The Black Goose Design the other day to look for a few things not related to Christmas, but seriously couldn’t help myself because they had SO many fun trimmings that were screaming our themes name!
Birch garland, white-washed bells, acorns, snow topped white berry sprigs and even little tree branch pieces for filler; perfect for a centerpiece or around a candle in a jar.
All of these special little things can be used to go along side a couple of other pretty items we snagged at Target, Zgallerie and Tai Pan. I’m excited to start pulling everything together to see how it all works. Hopefully I can achieve this “woodsy winter wonderland” look that I’ve imagined in my head.
Do you theme your Christmases differently each year? or do you like to hang onto the same decor, while simply adding a few new, pretty pieces to the mix?
If you DO like to theme your Christmas decor, what type of theme are YOU going for in 2012!? The possibilities are endless, don’t you think!?
Oh! PS: I used Black Goose Designs latest coupon too, from their newsletter they sent out this month. It’s a freakin’ AWESOME one! $50 off of a $100 purchase. Booya! It’s good till the 24th.
If you want to get all their deals and coupons, you can sign up really easily, here. They only send out a newsletter once a month, so you don’t have to worry about getting bombarded with any extras.
PPS: For those of you who have asked, YES! They WILL ship their items to you, if you’re not in the state.
Shipping charges apply.
Bethany says
I'm pathetically sentimental when it comes to Christmas decorations. I have ornaments that make me cry every year when I pull them out. Like the one that says "Parents-to-be 2005" or "First year in our new home 2007" Yep, they get me every time. So, needless to say, we definitely do the old and add a little something new each year.
I'm excited to see what you come up with I love the woodsy idea. Fun!
Anonymous says
I always love your home. I am doing a turquoise, silver and white theme this year. My sister passed away May 1st and I am using her ornaments.
Anonymous says
Can't wait to see how it all comes together! I just know it will be delightful.
Kate
Celebrating Moments by Marcie says
Think all of us designers brains think the same. I LOVE to change mine up each year, even if it is just one room. This year I too am feeling a woodsy fell for my kitchen, but more of the plaid and rusted kinda woodsy with pops of red. Can't wait to see what you do!!!
Heather Kirtland says
You've put me in the holiday mood!!! We usually use the same decor every year. Each piece has memories for our family.
Amanda says
We're waiting until Friday to put our tree up, but we're so excited! I keep my decor the same every year, but it's similar to yours this year – it's a bit rustic with burlap and lots of natural elements and a bit "glam" with lots of sparkles.
Jody Tolsma says
I'm lovin that birch garland! Can't wait to see how you use it!
Broke Ass Home says
The woodsy vibe is going to be so beautiful with your planked walls! Can't wait to see it.
For now, since this is only our 2nd Christmas actually decorating more than a Charlie Brown Tree, we are going to expand on what we already have by focusing on stuff like Garland, mini trees, etc.
Jenny says
So pretty! I'm loving the natural look for Christmas. I tend to do the same thing each year, but am itching for something new! So maybe I just need to add a second tree to my house for the purpose of my theme of the year… ๐
Linda says
I'm going with earthy, woodland theme for this year.
But keeping my tree traditional.
Meg Kearney says
I can't wait to see your lights?! Maybe Thanksgiving evening you can have a preview!
I can't wait to get our tree, we didn't have one last year because we were all moving that week!
I did pick up a fresh wreath already – to welcome our thanksgiving guests at the back door. Fresh pine is one of my favorite things at Christmas!
Andrea says
good for you putting it out there that you decorate early!! we do as well for the exact same reasons =) You may be interested in my post today about mt woodland gift tags I downloaded willowispandrea.blogspot.ca/2012/11/woodland-christmas-tags.html
while I didn't purposefully set out to do a theme, my decor is certainly more natural/woodsy.
SerendipityRefined says
Great minds! I have the same theme and the same color scheme as you do this year! I can't wait to see how yours turns out! Our elements are similar but slightly different! Good Luck with your decorating…you're so lucky to have your tree up! xo, Kimberly
Lucrecia says
We are seriously considering starting tonight! And in my neighborhood you wouldn't seem strange, our neighbor has had the full on outside decorations up for a few days now!
Unknown says
I don't theme my decor, but I have a color palate I stick with (darker reds & greens, tans. It's only my 2nd Christmas in my own house so hopefully in a few years I can do different themes. It would be fun to look at new items & design a Christmas decor every year!
Jeannine says
Out of sheer curiosity, do you (or plan to) recycle your themes? And if not, where do you store or how do you re-purpose them? I have accumulated quite a collection (eight themes to be exact) and have trouble figuring out what to do with all the ornaments…so I move theme into another room. This year I'm officially out of extra spaces and storage areas-much to the delight of my husband who is happy I've not purchased/created one ornament this year ๐
Ashley Harris says
So glad you posted this!! I have been wanting to put up my decorations early this year but have been hesitant. Question for you, what is the font used for your A Woodsy Winter Wonderland? I need it!! ๐
Angela says
Lol, I think you have the exact same artificial Christmas tree as us! Can I ask you how many lights you put on it?
Susan says
This year we're going gold and white, with a rustic touch. I've used red for years but it seems to have run it's course. I just want to make sure to simplify EVERYTHING so I can enjoy it all.
House of Smiths says
Hi Jeannine,
We usually keep the larger or more expensive pieces, and then I either offer the rest to my Mom/friends, give it to a thrift shop or donate it.
We don't keep a lot of things that aren't super sentimental. But the things we DO keep are just in plastic storage containers, in our garage.
I DID purchase a BUNCH of silver ornaments last year on clearance, that we used, and to store them, I just repackaged them into their boxes and piled them nicely in a big square tub that slides under our bed.
House of Smiths says
Hey Angela,
We usually put about 6 or 7 strands of lights on our tree ๐ We say the MORE the MERRIER! ๐
Melanie@Crafty Cupboard says
We just reuse everything year after year, replacing broken or outdated things as we go! Someday we will have two trees in two rooms with two themes, just so my husband can actually have his way and I won't mope about it ๐
And we're a 7-strand tree-light family too- we want to light the neighborhood!!
Dena says
I can't wait – I can't wait – I can't wait!! went shopping last week for new decorations…I collect REINDEER! I LOVE them!!! I'm doing reindeer and santas in red and green! Can't wait to see your house!
The Mauermans says
I'm newer to your blog and I am enjoying it very much. You have a wonderful talent for decorating and I'm excited to see what you do with your natural decor theme this year. Since you change your theme each year, what do you do with decor from each previous years?
And go ahead and turn on those outside lights, I promise I won't think you're crazy. Hey, if the stores can do it, so can we! ;0)
Lisa says
I don't theme my Christmas decor. It just seems kind of expensive to change things up every year. We use the same decorations, but as we pull them out, we all get excited reliving memories and stuff. So, it works out.
Dannyelle @ www.lifeisaparty.ca says
I love that you're decorating early. We don't have the same "after Thanksgiving" rule here in Canada, so it's a little easier to get started early. ๐ I once heard someone say that November is for getting ready for Christmas and December is for doing Christmas -I love the idea of enjoying it instead of just rushing though. This year I'm also doing a Woodland theme, but more silver, white, winter woodland -picture dear head painted gloss white. I can't wait to see yours too.
Merry Christmas!
Anna @ annie and m says
We do the fun red & white stripes on most of our Christmas decor and will be adding gold to the mix this year. We are going to hit up a tree farm and cut our own down for the first time & can't wait for that!
–Anna
Christine @ Rustic-Refined says
You are definitely not alone as far as hanging Christmas Lights and getting a head start on Christmas Deco……I started yesterday. Please take a look at my quick blog about hanging Christmas Lights. This idea does take a couple of hours of prep time, but it is a one time thing and for every year after…..it only takes minutes. I swear!
Christine
cgtablescapes.blogspot.com/p/holiday-decorating.html
Unknown says
I have always done the same thing! I work so hard on my Christmas decorations and I want to enjoy them as long as possible! I love your idea of a woodsy winter wonderland! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Leslie
houseontheway[at]gmail.com
Susi says
Sounds lovely. I've been stalking your blog for awhile now and just wanted to say Thanks for all the inspiration.
House of Smiths says
My hubby wants a kid tree, and the older they get I realize how much we really need one for all the fun, memorable ornaments we are collecting year after year. Maybe I'll snag one on clearance at Michaels or something after Christmas ๐
They are probably dirt cheap after the holidays, right?
House of Smiths says
Thanks so much for your sweet comment!!! ๐
Like I was saying before, we usually box up our stuff we want to keep in bins, but just today, Cason said: "okay, what do you want to donate, and what do you want to keep?"
Really, this year has been the first year that we're having to give away stuff from last year. And I found a lot of it on clearance, so I'm not too sad to see it go, since I didn't really spend all that that much. And the previous year we didn't even have Christmas at home, so really all we decorated was our shelves and a little table display ๐
This year will be a lot different, because we invested in some really fun things, BUT we're going to use a lot of them in our home AFTER Christmas too, because they will work! The newer items we purchased are also things that we will be keeping, so hopefully we'll be able to just substitute last years storage space, with this years, since we'll be getting rid of some things.
I think something else that people forget to consider, is that new, fun, fresh ideas are why people come check us out too! So if we just kept putting up the same stuff… it probably wouldn't be as appealing ๐ haha!
House of Smiths says
Thank you SO MUCH Susi! You're sweet comment made my night! ๐
Dawn says
Most of the ornaments on our tree we've collected over the first 10 yrs of our marriage. We were married the day after Christmas and several of our wedding gifts had ornaments attached to help us start our collection. Santas, snowmen, elves, angels, and everything else under the sun. (I think we even have a sun ornament). Every yr I suggest to my 3 boys that we do something "different" to the tree and the looks I get…lets just say, it aint gonna fly! Truth be told, it wouldn't be OUR Christmas if we didn't have the Santas, snowmen, elves…I've found other ways to work in the themes that I so desire and everybody wins.
Anonymous says
I'm excited to see what you've come up with. I love your fresh ideas and have developed your obsession with gray!!!
Thanks for the great ideas!
Krista
Caryn Allen says
Down here south of you in Woodland Hills, EVERYBODY has their Christmas lights up and on already! I say if he's making you wait, at least compromise and make him let you turn them on the day after Thanksgiving!!
Pinky says
Great looking tree. I like to change it up each year and co ordinate my table and tree, I pick my christmas colours at the start of the year and carry around samples of the exact shades and pick up "supplies" thru out the year for the decorating especially when there are sales around. Colour combos have incuded, white and red, turquiose and chocolate brown, hot pink and electric blue, black and hot pink, This year I am going to traditional ones for a change – red and green but really want to to the citrus colours next year (yellow, orange and lime!!!)
Keep up the inspiration!1
Unknown says
Love the Woodland decor you've chosen. We always change out every year. This year is Marine Corps themed (hubby is a marine of 21 years). Previous hears have been Nutcrackers & the Marzipan Palace, black & white, Rudolph (as in the claymation animation), Peppermint, Snowmen, a woodland theme focusing on owls & brown, all greens, etc…. I love changing out every year and hope my kids enjoy divvying up the ornaments when I am gone.
Unknown says
Love the Woodland decor you've chosen. We always change out every year. This year is Marine Corps themed (hubby is a marine of 21 years). Previous hears have been Nutcrackers & the Marzipan Palace, black & white, Rudolph (as in the claymation animation), Peppermint, Snowmen, a woodland theme focusing on owls & brown, all greens, etc…. I love changing out every year and hope my kids enjoy divvying up the ornaments when I am gone.
Unknown says
Love the woodland theme. We change out every year as well. This year is Marine Corps theme (hubby is a Marine of 21 years). Previous years have been a Owls/Nature/Brown, Nutcracker/Marzipan Palace, Rudolph/Claymation animation, black & white, peppermint, etc…. I think its really fun choosing a new theme every year. I try to choose the previous Christmas though, so I can shop the after Christmas clearance. That way it doesn't cost me a fortune to rework my theme.
Natalie@Endless Crafting says
Yay!! I love decorating for Christmas! Can't wait to see what you come up with…I loved last years!
ritajoy says
This is hilarious, Shelley, as I just typed up my post for tomorrow. And, wouldn't you know it, it's about my Christmas entryway "theme"…"Winter Wonderland"!! Ha!:) The inspiration came from the memory of when our youngest boy discovered snow for the first time. The pictures we have of him "catching" and "tasting" the snow were of him wearing a gray and white cowichan sweater and hat. So…the colors are gray, white, and silver. It's still a work in progress.;)
Unknown says
I love your designs so much I mentioned you in my Blog post today with a link back. As a bonus I was thrilled to see you had your last two shelf vignettes in your latest post! Thanks for your inspiration! ~Dawn
birdiebirdiewait.com/
DenofSix says
I love that you are decorating for Christmas early! I live in Canada so our Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we are in full Christmas spirits around here!
I can't wait to see what you do with all the cool woodsy stuff you purchased!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Oh, as for what we do with our decorations, well, as much as I would like to change out my 'theme' every year, I end up keeping everything and reusing it. Although, for some reason I can't find my red bows, and I may have passed them on to new hands. Leaving me with space to buy new 'fillers'. YAY!
kansasgirl1 says
We have several different themes also. This year, I'm using our "natural" theme – wheatweaving ornaments, animal ornaments made from natural materials, dried "road-a-pholia" (grasses, wild flowers from family land), cotton bolls "harvested" from local cotton fields. This year, to change it up a little, I'm adding cardinals for beautiful pops of bright red. My wrapping paper this year is red/gold scrolls paper and "brown paper packages tied up with string". We have a LOT of boxes of Christmas decorations in our storage room, so I'm trying use what we have, with a little variation.
kansasgirl1 says
By the way, my son gets his own tree in his bedroom with his own ornaments. It's a four-foot tree, and he already has so many ornaments we can't get them all on the tree. His tree theme is "BOY" – lots of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, super heroes, plus ornaments he's made and ornaments he received when he was a baby. Santa leaves his gifts under the "boy tree", and is that boy excited when he wakes up Christmas morning!
theresa says
I love that you asked, I am a traditionalist, but I do change it up often. This year each room has a theme based on my favorite holiday songs. Of course the most important song for me is Silent Night, because my Grandfather sang it to me all year long! So this is the first room in my house, my sitting room where we put the big tree and do our presents. My dinning room is Joy to the World, and the color's make it so special, it's silver and bonze, with aqua and apple green, lot's of mercury glass silver plates and glitter, and of course for my Boo Audrey(granddaughter) we have lot's of tule! the familyroom open to kitchen I am a bit stumped, got any suggestions. We are big cook's and always entertain throughout the month, and always decorate our kitchen, lot's of wreaths and hanging things, normal colors apple green gold, need something new and classic! I live in a colonial so I like to keep it in style with my decor. thanks could use the help!! we were think deck the halls! but what?
Melanie says
I completely agree, the more the merrier. We buy a real tree and then compost when we are done with it so it doesn't end up in our local landfill. We live on 10 acres of woods so it works for us. We usually put 12-15 strands of lights on our tree. Although or tree isn't tall {only 7 1/2 feet} it is VERY full and has a large girth. I love to be able to sit by my tree and have the lights be bright enough to read by but still be warm and cozy. I think my favorite lights so far are my twinkle lights. They have a very subtle twinkle so the whole tree isn't flashing. Of course, since I have gotten into wood working, my theme is going to be more woodsy with canvas, burlap, natural fillers but with a little sparkle.
Jennifer Wathen says
Turn on the Lights!!!!! Mine are light Thanksgiving night every year!
Anonymous says
Lol! Yes, I'm the same way. I also like to put up my Christmas tree in and around the week of Thanksgiving as well. However, this year I decided to hold off on it since I have a full house. They would probably think I'm cu coo…lol! No, but I should be safe by now; I'm hoping it'll go up by tomorrow morning. As far as a theme goes, I guess I'll just go with whatever I have on hand; probably throw in a few other goodies…who knows:p