Christmas decorating is a slightly controversial topic in our house. In fact, we’ve had many a discussion about wreaths, trees, and lights. The CPA firmly believes that holiday decorations should not be displayed until a couple of weeks before Christmas and not a minute earlier. I, on the other hand, feel that Christmas decorations are to be enjoyed and therefore should be put up as soon as possible, preferrably at the end of November.
Last year, the year of our first official Christmas tree, we reached a compromise and I was able to decorate fairly early. This year, since we were to be out of town for the entire holiday, we decided to forego the decorating altogether. But that didn’t stop us from discussing it. In fact, I remember asking my new brother-in-law what his feelings were on decorating. He agreed with my husband (men!!!) and my sister agreed with me. Which got me thinking – is it a women thing? Or is it something else?
The question was answered when we showed up at my mother’s house a few days before Christmas. We opened the door of our car and saw this:
and this:
Then we entered her home to be greeted by one of the four (yes, you read that correctly: I said four) Christmas trees that were proudly on display. The first is my favorite. I call it the “red” tree (because I’m creative like that).
It was found in the sitting room just inside the front door.
The red tree is full of all things red and white…
and all things Santa.
Next to the red tree, we found the “plain” tree in the dining room. It was labeled as the plain tree because, well, it’s plain. But it’s still pretty.
There were also a couple of red light trees by the front door, but they are not included on the list of “official” Christmas trees. I just liked the look of them.
Moving into the living room, we found my second favorite, the purple and gold tree.
This one was very stately and very large, which is fitting because it is a large room with a high ceiling.
It was the most elegant of all of the trees with its beautiful gold and purple balls…
and its tear drop jewelry.
The last tree was found in the downstairs den and was perfect for that setting.
Since the den is the place where games are played and TV shows watched, it is only fitting that this tree is fun and colorful.
It was full of shiny balls…
and fun ornaments.
But my favorite part of the tree was the lights.
They are little green and red bulbs that have a tube of bubbling water shooting out from them. I loved sitting and watching the water move. It was mesmorizing really.
We walked around my mother’s house in awe at all the work she had done. In addition to the trees, she had wreaths on the doors, stockings over the fireplace, and poinsettias in their pots. It made everything look beautiful and inviting.
And that’s when it hit me – this love of decorating that I have is not necessarily a women thing – it’s genetic! I must have inherited the “Christmas decorating gene” directly from my mother. And the way I look at it, you can’t fight your genetic makeup!
What about you – when do you put up your Christmas decorations? When do you take them down again?
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