What do you all do for decorations at Christmas? Do you decorate the barn,yard and the house? Do you cut your own trees and make your own wreaths and garlands? Do you use lights (big -old fashion type or minis)? I am fishing for ideas!!!Tjhanks Debbie

-- Debbie T in N.C. (rdtyner@mindspring.com), November 08, 2000

Answers

We have one artificial green tree, very pretty, with tiny lights and bubblers. What I like is the all clear mini light sets. I got 12 boxes after Christmas a couple years ago clearanced. They really light up the rooms, even so much you can turn off the regular lights. Put them around all the windows and just everywhere. And you can hang them on the porch too as long as it is dry. I don't have any holiday knick-knacks at all, just the tree, lights, and one navitity set.

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@msn.com), November 08, 2000.

Three trees, (yeah, I know, overkill but my mother left me hers when she passed away). The trees are fake because I like to put them up the day after Thanksgiving and they stay until New Years. Too dangerous with real trees for that length of time. One tree in the living room/studio, one in the dining room and a very tiny natural one in the family room. The decorations consist of ones the kids made in school, store bought ones that tickled my fancy, and home made ones. This year I hand dipped tiny cinnamon scented beeswax candles in pairs to add to one of the trees. Other decorations around the house including an English Village I made from cardboard and paper capers some years ago. Each child has their own building. Carols on the stereo constantly. Not many presents but they are handmade and a lot of love and thought goes into each one. I always but one video for the family though. The presents are wrapped in plain white paper with different fun ribbons etc that I find on sale. The gift tags are handmade and different for each gift. Oh, almost forgot, the dog always gets new tennis balls. We have a wonderful love filled Christmas. I hope the rest of you do too.

-- Cheryl (bramblecottage@hotmail.com), November 08, 2000.

I like to put up a live tree in the family room , and a small artificial tree in the dining room, plus tiny trees in each kids bedroom( makes them feel special having their own trees!) I like to dress up the windows with pieces of bright red and gold colored material . There's lots of decorations ( 3 LARGE box's full) !! All of the tree decorations are hand made ( though not all by me ) or something special someone gave me. We hang 2 large strands of the icecickle lights on the porch. I like them because they give off such a bright light for walking our daughter to the bus in the morning. Theres candles burning everywhere, and cinnamon sticks in water on the wood stove. I actually listen to christmas music all year long though.

-- sherry (Calfarm@msn.com), November 08, 2000.

We have our Dept56 village displayed year round. At Christmas we add the animated stuff on the window seat. This year I was little down in the dumps and pulled an 'Auntie Maime' I decorated the mantle for Xmas in August. Usually, we start to decorate right after Thanksgiving, but this year honey wants a 'fresh' tree, so I guess we'll cut that down the second week in December. I haven't made up my mind about outdoor lights, almost seems like too much trouble, guess I'm still in the dumps.

-- Kathy (catfish@bestweb.net), November 08, 2000.

We do a "real" tree-I just love the smell, even though they are more of a fire hazard, and I put out all the dozens and dozens of old fashioned santa figures I've collected over the years. These aren't the jolly chubby santas, but the father Christmas type. Also put out an all white nativity we made years ago when doing ceramics. It is kind of pearlized, and looks really nice under the tree. I love to have all the lights off, except the tree, have Christmas music playing, and the woodstove burning, and sit back and sip a cup of hot spiced cider. Can't wait for the season! Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), November 08, 2000.

I love the season I do it all and in excess. I have been listening to christmas music for a month already. We are going to add more outdoor decorations this year yes a live tree it wouldnt be christmas without the smell. We also have oyster stew, on christmas eve wassil, and english plum pudding boiled in a bag not in a mold, all traditions from my english grandma Tupper

-- ronda (thejohnsons@localaccess.com), November 08, 2000.

Love the real tree aroma! We use the mini white lights, handmade & wooden ornaments. We decorate just the inside of the house, don't do the barn or outbuildings. We heavily pruned the grape vines this year & I plan on making garland for the stairs, maybe a strand of minis twisted along with the vines. We have wooden angels that hold small candles that go up every year, a lovely friend made them for us one year. Christmas tins come out to hold the candy and freshly baked cookies for all who visit. Christmas music playing, sipping hot chocolate or tea, cinnamon sticks & other spices simmering on the stove, thanks, Debbie, for getting me started earlier than usual this year. God bless.

-- Phyllis (almostafarm@yahoo.com), November 09, 2000.

We don't have a tree, but I hang Christmas cards as they come in from the mantel. Put a simple wreath on the front door. A few decorations on the mantel (the dining table is in the kitchen, and functions more as a work island for all purposes, so I don't decorate that unless we are having Christmas dinner here). I do like to play Christmas music -- I'd play it all year round, but my husband bans it til after Thanksgiving. Also it's kind of hard to get to the CD player right now, with his honey extractor and a couple of stacks of honey supers sitting in front of the shelf!! I do hope he gets that stuff out of the kitchen soon (like before Thanksgiving! LOL!!!). 'Fraid I don't have any special ideas for you, except maybe this one -- because we don't use a tree, when the girls were little, we used to leave the antique blanket chest open, fill it with the presents, and have them spilling out of it. I think that even if a family does put up a tree, this might be a good idea, because that pile of presents can sure take up a lot of floor space!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), November 09, 2000.

Thanks everyone! Several of my friends and family members have been after me to have a "Christmas Open House" for family and friends! It sounds like fun and I have LOTS and LOTS of decorations! I needed some new ways to use them or decorated with the ones I have. A few of my ideas are:

I am going to take a lot of old glass painted balls (the ones with the paint on the inside) and clean them out and put them in a guest bathtub with the head of a large Santa Claus--Make it look like he's taking a "bubble bathe"! I'm using "bubble wrap" to help fill the tub so I don't need so many balls!

I am going to take canning jars w/sand in them and candles to light my walk way, porch and stairs. I am using 9 gauge wire to form spirals and taping white mini lights to them to form "Christmas trees" that will be on either side of my driveway. Single candles in each window will be the only lights on the house. We have a old,log barn that I want to put a great big wreath w/ a big red bow on the end of! And it will be lit with a spot light!

I like the "presents pouring out of the chest" idea--I have an old trunk that I'm going to do that with!

The mantel will be filled with greenery and candles. If it is not hot enough for a fire -my fireplace will be lite with 30 candles(all shapes and sizes but all white!

I have a collection of over 300 Santas from all over the world- some new, some old! That will be placed all through the house on tables,stairs and counters!

My Christmas Village will weclome guest at the front door. I am forcing Amaryllis bulbs for my kitchen counter and the bathrooms will have ivy, pinecones, holly and candles!

It may sound like a lot but I am afraid when I get started I'll run out of Ideas! I will need an idea for everyroom ! So if you have more send them on!

thanks again Debbie

-- Debbie T in N.C. (rdtyner@mindspring.com), November 10, 2000.

Debbie, it sounds like an ambitious project, but I bet your house will be beautiful! Take pictures, and post them if you can!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), November 10, 2000.

While cleaning out our trash filled barn, we came across a sled, made of wood, the runners are metal. The manufacturer's name is on the bottom, only we can't make it out. Have thought about putting a large bow on its steering bar & then putting it on the front porch. We were just given a very large umbrella plant, some ornaments may look nice on it. I gave dh a small train set several years ago & he said it would look great under the plant. So I guess we'll have 2 trees this year. We usually trim some of the lower branches on the pine tree & then make little swags with a bow in the center and then put them over each window & doorway. (forgot all about this in my first post) And if I can find the little brass bells they'll go on the little swags also. I really like some of the above ideas, perhaps we'll put some to work on our homestead. Thanks all and God bless!

-- Phyllis (almostafarm@yahoo.com), November 10, 2000.

We have a tree with lights, many beaded ornaments my Grandmother made, things the kids made, and some wrap around tinsel, after all this there's no room for balls so we don't put them on. I have several nativity scenes I display and several cutsy sit on the shelf type things people have given me, I make up a batch of holiday scent and have it simmering a lot for the smell and drinking, that really adds to the atmosphere, we don't do much for the outside, it's pretty costly. Oh and we have handmade stockings we hang. I like the real trees but there a lot of trouble and dh sd no more after last year so I bought a nice artifical one at W/M after Christmas. Christmas Eve, we have all the candy, snack stuff you could want, and I just let the kids eat when and all they want, (it's only once a year), then Christmas Day we have a dinner with all the trimings. I'd like to say we have a Norman Rockwall type Christmas but we don't dh won't turn off the T.V. most the time but we try and we read the Christmas story from the BIBLE every year, sing carol's, drink hot chocolate, just our own type of style I guess.

-- Carol in Tx (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), November 11, 2000.

I have a small tree and nativity scene I put in a bird cage and hang from the ceiling. With six house cats that seems to be the only way to have something that will last. If I had my choice between the tree and the nativity scene I would not use the tree. I also have a Bible open to one of the christmas stories in front of the tree and nativity scene. gail

-- gail missouri ozarks (gef123@hotmail.com), November 11, 2000.

I like to wait till after thanksgiving to do christmas. I think people rush things to much. One holiday at a time. The only thing I endorse early is saving and buying, it spreads the load out.

-- Tom (Calfarm@msn.com), November 11, 2000.

Small tree in every room instead of one big one,Makes every room festive.Some are live like rosemary & Norfolk island pine.The last is my Charlie Brown tree.I had wooden toy minitures on it.

Another tree is all the hand made ormanents that I've been given or that I made, it's like my fond memories tree.Another is made of atremesia,another a moss tree,another is fake, but has old fashion ornaments,lace,tussie mussies I make out of gourds or milkweed and everlastings,bubble lights,and tin icicles and tin garland.Well you get the idea.

I also make my gardening gourdhead kids for every occasion,so I do up some for the porch for Xmas as well.And weed or sorgum door & window swags with a xmas accent.I make stuff like this for craft shops and festivals,so I use it around my place too.As much as I can get to, anyway,which this year is very little,I'm afraid.

-- sharon wt (wildflower@ekyol.com), November 11, 2000.

We like to decorate the entire house, since we live out a dead-end road, the only thing I decorate outside is the porch area around the front door(with lights, garland, and a lighted snowman). The last few years I have started making wreaths and garland with rag strips. Using fabic with Christmasy colors, you can make some neat looking decorations. I used high tensile wire and made a circle about 14 inches across. Tie strips of fabric cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch strips,around the wreath . experiment with the lenth of the strips. Continue tying until wreath is full, add a bow and/or a string of lights, it looks great! You can make garland by tying strips of fabic around wire, baling twine, or strings of lights (cool touch lights are best, USE COMMON SENSE with this type of garland). Also this year I am going to make rag ball ornaments, glue long strips of fabic around styrofoam balls. this is a great way to use up fabric scraps or material you might not use for anything else.

-- Melissa N. (cmnorris@1st.net), November 13, 2000.

Since we live within 200 ft of 2 christmas tree farms we usually go to one of those and cut the tree (only one) on my husbands birthday. (Dec. 20th) I would like to do it before but they don't last long. I put single candles in each of the windows and local wreaths on the doors. This year I found bittersweet and made wreaths for inside that I will put clear lites on. I have lots of xmas music and lots of greens around with winterberry for decortations. This year I am making garlands with jute and xmas fabric and cinnamon ornaments for the windows. I have lots of "snowflakes" from my grandmother (who died 3 years ago) and that I have made. They hang in the windows until the tree goes up. My decorations have changed over the years to more natural types of stuff. Happy Holidays!!

-- Mary R. (cntryfolk@ime.net), November 14, 2000.