It's Looking a Lot Like Christmas 2010

Since I've had a respiratory infection since Thanksgiving practically, the Christmas decorating process was completed very slowly. Normally I start one or two days after Thanksgiving and have it done in just a couple of days. This time around it was stretched out over three weeks and was been pared down considerably.

So let's get started! The main attraction for me is the Christmas tree. It is the only big one I am putting up this year. I have another full size one for the diningroom but I did not bother this year since I was not feeling well. The tree is a prelit one but the very last piece at the top refused to light up.  We replaced fuses to no avail so I just wrapped one loose strand of lights on it instead.  So much for the prelit tree. And also since since I love to place the Swarovski crystal ornaments on spinners, I always have additional strands on the tree since they mechanisms don't fit into the prelit light holes. Well one of those strands was no longer working either so I had to figure out how to get that one off and replace with a good one. That is not as easy as it sounds since the standalone strands pretty much look exactly like the prelit strands. I try to buy something new for the tree each year. Usually it's just an ornament but this year I splurged on the light sticks at the top which I think was a bit fortuitous on my part considering the lights struggle!

I love to wrap gifts and only use gift bags for those items that simply aren't going to fit in a box. I also often do not use actual Christmas paper on my gifts, like this one. Recognize the tags? They are the ones I made last month.

Over the years my taste in mantle decor has changed.  I use to go all out, stuff on the hearth, large heavy garland, wreathes, a gazillion candles, etc.  Several years ago I decided that I really wanted a cleaner look but I do manage to change it up a bit every year. The candles and initial are there all year and I just worked around them. 

I have a few smaller decorations here and there mostly because I think it looks odd to have everything clustered on one side of the room.

Very simple foyer decor this year:

And even simpler stairs:

If you are a former Lifetime Moments member, you might remember this small tree.  Unfortunately I couldn't find the ornaments I made for it so it's only the storebought ones this year.  It's located in the diningroom:

More simple half bath decorations:

Now onto the kitchen.  I've had this tree for several years now and it's easy to include because it stays decorated all year long.  I just wrap it in plastic and store it in the basement. It is a combo of kitchen related ornaments as well as real kitchen utensils. The alpine shape is perfect as it doesn't take up a lot of room. I admit that I'm getting a bit tired of it but it never fails to illicit comments from my guests.

Another small tree in my bedroom:

No Christmas is complete without a navity in my humble opinion. (Located in my hallway).  

The front porch:

Outdoor lights:

That's it.  If you have photos of your decoration anywhere, please send me a link so I can take a look. Thanks for looking.