Wander Or Ponder: Ponder: Christmas 2019 Decorating

Decorating Philosophy
In reading one of the quilt blogs I follow, the author mentioned that her husband suggested they use all new Christmas decorations this year instead of deploying the same old stuff in the same places. She stated she felt creative again instead of doing a chore.

I liked the creativity aspect, but I do not want to spend the money on new stuff and then store it, especially because I know myself well enough that I would not be able to part with the old. I decided to deploy the old decorations in a new way hence calling upon some pleasure of creativity. Utilitarian-wise also, I wanted to eliminate entirely any ladder climbing for Frank – or me. I promised I would try to keep it simple reminding myself that anything taken out had to be put away and it would be only the three of us, Frank, Alex, and me. For my Christmas Eve blog post here are pictures of the results, interspersed with a few comments. Hope it inspires yuletide peace and joy.

In the Living Room

The two strings of huge C-9 bulb are tacked up as high on the wall as Frank can reach without a ladder. The strand's length is the perfect window height. Metal signs bought at Michael's Craft store last year were a different addition to our tree.

Our standard garland above the hutch was replaced by a row of glittery glam jeweled ornaments that I could stand on tippy-toe and set in place.

I found a new place for my flat wooden nativity figures - on the Grandfather's clock. Joseph had to hangout with the other shepherd because he did not fit up at the higher level with Mary and the Babe. I will think of it as guy's night out.

Our dining room table houses the jumbo glitter houses Frank made recalling his childhood ones.

The snow people are from Dan's college days when he spied them in the window display of an architectural supply store in San Luis Obispo. He and Robin conspired to buy them from the store's owner. They were a huge surprise when he drove home from college, rang the front door bell, and held out Mr. Snowman smack dab in my face. Displaying them now is an annual tradition. Note the tiny rubber Avon nativity off to the left. The three-legged donkey recalls the time Alex dropped him in the bunny cage and the bunny used him for teething. Aah, another Christmas memory. Frank installed the peg-leg.

I'd bought a galvanized tray with different size bottles a few months ago on a decorating impulse. It was on clearance. I did not buy more floral sprays, just plunked in pinecones and balls on sticks from previous gifted delivered floral arrangements to create a hearth filler that was inexpensively festive.

These knit Christmas stocking were made by Frank's Aunt Ruth for our family of five. Since then I have knitted seven others for a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law, and five grandchildren. Ironically the only ones remaining in our house are not my handiwork but Aunt Ruth's.

A blue Christmas Tree rug on the floor and a Grinch quilt over the back of the couch are the final largish items. There are several smaller quilts scattered about on the chairs.

In the Family Room

Bought last year and never removed from its original box, this white tree and its clearance price called to me. Designed as a yard decoration, we repurposed this white, glittery tree next to our family room hearth to add glow. We chose to leave it in its undecorated simplicity.

Inspired by this black and white sign, I set up this montage with zebra on the piano. The sheet music is from a song Dan sang with his class in kindergarten.

Santa's using zebras now to pull his Christmas sleigh

'cause a boy in Africa wrote to him one day.

"Santa please stop by," he said, "and bring some toys with you."

Santa's using zebras now south of Timbuktu.

--

Donner, Blitzen, all the reindeer put him on the spot -

they were used to ice and snow but Africa was hot!

Then some zebras came along and they pulled Santa through.

Santa's using zebras now south of Timbuktu.

--

See the pyramids to by and there's the Nile below.

Watch out for that tall giraffe; mustn't fly too low.

Hello hippopotamus the season's joy to you!

Hello Mr. Crocodile merry Christmas too!

--

As they gallop over jungles lions stop and stare,

wonderin' what those zebras could be doing way up there.

While the reindeer wait for him back home in their igloo,

Santa's using zebras now south of Timbuktu.

Having bought this galvanized metal house with 25 compartments from Michael's at a post-Christmas bargain, I have been tripping over that "bargain" in my downstairs closet for over a year. This Christmas, it was time to display and use it in some way. A few shiny balls and glittery ornaments turned folly into festive.

Roughly a decade ago, after placing Alex in St. Denis home and later with Robin and Dan both off, married, and out of the house, Frank and I bought this wreath at a garage boutique symbolizing that now it was just the two of us.

My dad put these lighted wreaths in the windows of our home in Linden, NJ every year. They followed him to North Carolina and have now made their way as an annual tradition in our California home. A long tube light as for a piano lamp directs the glow upward onto the wreath screen printed on plexiglass. They were fabricated in Elizabeth, NJ and we have never, ever seen anything like them and we have googled and searched eBay extensively. Even with compromised flexibility and limited range of motion from his emergency hip replacement shortly before Christmas of 2016, Frank still crawls around the floor and behind furniture to set these up for me every year.