A community of crafty DIYers? Yup, knee-deep in Christmas ornaments.
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We gave up the tree. We’d actually experimented with this a couple of times while the kids were still around, largely due to my (Xan) discomfort with the holiday, but they weren’t ready to relent. However, with the kids living on their own, we’re now on our third treeless year, and having a blast finding creative ways to use the dozens and dozens of ornaments. Being a slightly obsessive organizer, I’ve got them sorted into little box according the theme: skating ornaments, animals, ethnic, artsy, religious, santas, etc. So far this year, though, I’ve only managed to decorate the goat.
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Treeless here at our house too. When we lived in Palm Springs, I (Sincerely, Emily) was still at a point where I decorated the house. As the years went on, I was working full-time and doing art shows on weekends and some evenings. Eventually, I was beading non-stop and doing arts & craft shows full -time. January was the start of a busy season of art/craft shows in my area and the tree and decorations seemed to still be up in April. There came I point that I just didn’t go all out with the decorations anymore.
I truly enjoy the decorating part, I love seeing all the ornaments and the memories as I hung them on the tree, but I really dislike the take-down part. So, even though we are in Texas now, and I am not beading up a storm and doing arts/craft shows every-other minute, I still do not put a tree up (unless my mom visits). I MAY still wander up to the attic this year and dig out some things to put around the house, and then again, I may not.
For this post, I did manage to unearth one of my favorite ornaments (I have several). I love the clear sparkle of glass or crystal on my tree with the white lights. I have many other ornaments of color, but love the mix in the glass & crystal for the sparkly factor they bring.
I found these ornaments at a store in Bayfield, WI one January long long ago. Oh, I think I will head up to the attic now and find one of the smaller trees to bring out.
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What are your favorite Christmas decorations?
Is the Dark Days Challenge happening this year? I’d be happy to host a linky party every week.
Hi Margo! We opted not to do the Dark Days Challenge this year; we felt it was too overwhelming (don’t know how Laura managed it on her own all those years!) However, that means it could use a new host. Email us at notdabbling@gmail.com if you’re interested in doing this; I know a lot of people would participate (we feel a little guilty about that…)
Back in 2009 we started a fateful horticulture course and BAM suddenly we went from having a fresh cut Christmas tree every single year to “NO MORE TREE MURDER!”…We started making our own Christmas trees as none of us like fake trees and our first was a large dead Eucalypt branch sprayed gold and silver and decorated accordingly and sparcely…the next year we made a spiffy tree with a central branch and a spiral of decreasing twigs in a helix around the central branch and this tree served for 2 years and looked amazing when we decorated it BUT this year is succumbed to borers and couldn’t be used
… we made a driftwood tree from driftwood washed up on the riverbank (around the corner from the sea) directly in front of our front gate and it looks like a pirate tree or something from “The Hobbit”! I love making our own trees and recycling deceased trees to effect the mood of the season 
. I love those crystal decorations! We went “old school” this year and aside from a few treasured decorations and lights we made decorations. I love the act of making something for the tree…it adds a real homemade touch that reminds us that Christmas is a time to be thankful and grateful for everything that the year has brought us a sort of Aussie Thanksgiving 