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Holiday Decorations

Echo

Veteran

I realize that we have many non-Christian members, and I love seeing all pictures of all holiday celebrations and/or decorations! I am secular, but we still put up a Christmas tree. If you have a tree photo or any holiday decorations pictures to share, I would love to see them!

Here is our tree. It is kind of a dark picture, but it is decorated in birds. We also have a secondary white tree decorated entirely with a peacock theme. I (oddly) don't seem to have a picture of the entire tree yet,although I will try to take some tomorrow. In the meantime, I've attached a photo of the topper and one of the ornaments.

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25 replies

Latest reply was from Mander

marianna

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Oh Echo, that is gorgeous!

We don't celebrate Christmas, but this year we bought a tiny fake tree just to feel festive. This is our holiday tree/Hanukkah bush.

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Astrid

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I have an Advent calendar in the kitchen and my small Danish santa figurine on the window sill and that's it. I don't do much decorating in Berlin, because I'm going home for Christmas in any case.

I've attached some old pictures of our tree at home, it always looks more or less the same. It's a mix of classic elements with stuff we children made at one time and the odd single item in between. The wood figurines and handmade straw stars were a present from my Oma when I was little. There are glass spheres and some plastic ones - adorning the three was always our task and the plastic ones were for the smaller children. Our parents just helped a little bit with the topper and the lights.

We also have a nativity set my mum made herself. In addition to the figures in #3 we also have sheep and shepherds, an angel and the three Magi, so we change the figures up over the holidays to tell the story. And because the figures have no painted on faces and are flexible they can express all kinds of emotions.

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ManidipaM

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Echo, the peacock tree looks stunning!

Marianna, thanks for sharing. I didn't realise trees were associated with Hanukkah too.

Astrid, lucky girl. Those are so precious and you have delights to look forward to.

I got into the tree-trimming habit from Christian friends and
Church-run school. Then continued celebrating the solstice in a neo-pagan twist on Hindu tradition (makar sankranti, the goat/Capricorn day) as well. This may be my first tree-free year, so not sure how we will mark it. Typically we hang seasonal things on walls and bedposts, and lately the tree has just been a small metal or wood sculpture.

A lot of cooking happens. Traditional and exotic both. Didn't manage last year (was too pregnant and exhausted). This year again much is off the table since I don't want to make treats we would not share with baby. Maybe rice crepes... but I do want to make a modified advent calendar for next year.

Classically Casual

Veteran

Oh, what a fun thread. Thank you, Echo. I love learning how people all over the world celebrate winter time. And that peacock topper is absolutely amazing!

Nothing much happening yet at our house. I just put away the Thanksgiving
centerpiece yesterday, so I'm a little behind.

We don't do a live tree anymore. We have a garland that we drape over the fireplace and load it down with lights and all the Christmas tree ornaments that we've accumulated. And then we also have a solstice tree that we decorate with various sun ornaments.

The only new item I've acquired so far this season are some LED lights from
Restoration Hardware. I was wandering through the other day, and there was such a commotion, I went over to investigate. These lights in a silver strand had already sold out, so I snapped up the gold version:http://www.restorationhardware.....&cate

No holiday baking, alas. Between going gluten free, and attempting to consistently eat a healthy, lowish fat diet to stay healthy, we'll just remember gingerbread men of yore, LOL!

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I like seeing others' decorations. I have not done a single thing yet. Still recovering and catching up on day-to-day stuff after driving home from Texas and a month away from home. Honestly, I'm not sure I can muster the energy for a real tree this year, since hubs won't be home for another week. I still have my mom's small artificial, pre-lit tree, and I'm seriously thinking of setting that up on a table and putting only my favorite ornaments on it. Keeping it really simple. It's so much work putting everything up, but worse, taking it all down in January is kinda depressing. I think it's going to be a low-key holiday here, which is fine with me.

marianna

Veteran

Manidipa, trees are not asssociated with Hanukkah... it's more of a joke than anything, and a way to be festive.

Janet

(website)

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Years ago I dated a Jewish guy who came to my apartment a lot at Christmas time because, as he admitted, he always loved Christmas trees and envied that part of the celebration. I am still friends with him on Facebook -- maybe I should ask him if he gets a Hanukkah tree now!

MsMary

Veteran

I posted mine already, but here it is again, complete with marching Marines from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! And a close-up of some of my fun ornaments! Strangely enough, I'm feeling more Christmasy than I have in years, even though I only celebrate in the most secular way. Maybe because there's nobody on-site being all Grinchy!

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Deborah

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Beautiful decorations everyone. We put our tree up last weekend and here is a daytime shot of it. Over the next two weeks we put up minimal decorations in the house and DH amd DS put lights along our roof line.

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Janet

(website)

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Looks like I'm getting snowed in today -- not complaining! -- maybe I'll take it as a sign I should get all festive and put up Mom's tree.

ETA: Here are some photos from a past Christmas, when our dog Rocky was still with us. This is my typical holiday decorating -- it will be a bit scaled back this year with the smaller artificial tree rather than the big real one.

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Debora

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Oh, what fun! Here are a few snapshots from my house.

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rachylou

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I am dying to decorate, but I do my best to hold back in Advent. Tree goes up on x-mas eve (ok, maybe a week before x-mas), and comes down at Three Kings. When I had a life, I did the Advent candles.

Susie

Veteran

Oh I love seeing everyone's decorations! We put ours up early this year and I've really been enjoying them. For the garland around our front door, we added new lights and ribbon plus some new ornaments. I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

Here are pictures of the tree and the mantle, before any presents were wrapped.

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Jeanie

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So many beautiful decorations! I made these ice lanterns this week for the porch and lit them tonight. I thought it would be a fun way to take advantage of our arctic temps. They should stay plenty frozen with our current forecast!

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milehighstyle (Linda)

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Beautiful decorations, everybody! Love love love the peacocks! We added two puppies to our home this year, so I'm not doing any decorating except to put a few things on the walls (up high). Haven't taken photos yet. In the meantime, here are the pups for your viewing pleasure. Henry is 11 months old and Savannah is 4 months.

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Jeanie

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Linda, looks like you are in for a fun Holiday with new pups. They are adorable!

Anonymous

Linda, looks like the pups are already best friends!

Echo

Veteran

Oh, so many beautiful decorations, it is hard to comment on them all. Astrid, the nativity set your mum made is such a special keepsake. What a wonderful gift. Susie, I adore the topper on your tree; I am always looking for something unusual and interesting. MaryK, I just love the look of a tree packed with ornaments like yours. I collect more every year, and yet I can never seem to reach that saturation point no matter how hard I try. I decorate the trees and then think, "Hmm, I thought I had more ornaments than that." Jeanie, the ice lanterns are gorgeous. How do you make them? Janet, both your tree and the room the tree is in are just gorgeous. And your dogs are beautiful, too. Deborah, the blue lights on your tree are striking, and Debora your mantle is amazing.

So I tried to take some more pictures of my peacock tree, and I think it always looks better in my head than IRL. It needs to be packed with ornaments like they show in department stores, and I just don't have that many yet, but here it is for now. The other picture is the table decoration to coordinate with the tree.

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Jeanie

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Echo, the Peacock tree is so pretty. I love blue and white decorations.

I made the ice lanterns by filling 3 small blueberry picking buckets with water. I put a smaller plastic drinking cup in the center (to make a place for a candle). The small cup wants to float so I taped it down with duct tape. Then I set them outside to freeze. It was 18 degrees here so after a day they were frozen. I ran them under hot water to release the ice from the buckets and set them outside with votive candles inside. Super easy!

deb

Veteran

This is so much fun. Everyone's decorations are so pretty. I stopped putting up a real tree when the kids left home. Now I do stockings and a small Smith & Hawkin tree I got years ago. I started purchasing Hallmark ornaments for my home and for each child every year beginning in 1981. The kids took their collection when they moved out but they and each grandchild continue to get one each year. one also. The ornaments on my tree are my Hallmark collection and ornament gifts.

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milehighstyle (Linda)

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Oh, Deb I love your tree! I also have a bunch of Hallmark ornaments dating back to the 80's, but they are so much better showcased on your tree - no getting things lost in the needles.

Echo

Veteran

Deb, I adore your tree. What a beautiful way to display the ornaments. I keep looking for alternative kinds of trees, and although I see them in pictures, I never see them available for purchase. I adore a tree without needles, just as I love very, very skinny Alpine trees with long trunks and topiary trees (pre-lit, artificial), but I rarely see them available for purchase.

Jeanie, thanks for the instructions. I think I might give that a go this weekend!

Mander

(website)

Veteran

Most years I put up a vintage 50s aluminum tree that belonged to my grandparents, but for whatever reason I just didn't feel like it this year. But there have been some nice ornaments in the stores this year so I bought myself three mercury glass trees for the mantle. This afternoon I decided I wanted to put some greenery on the mantle as well, so I went out in the woods and collected a plastic bag full of ivy and such and made a weird little arrangement. It might look better with some larger seasonal artwork above the fireplace -- maybe big paper stars?

I hung up a few ornaments in the window as well, but I bought myself a few others in Germany that I haven't put up yet. The tiny tree is something that my mom sent to me the first year I was overseas and I put it out every year. The stockings are also a family tradition. I'm not sure when it started but my aunt makes a new one for every new family member, so everyone has a more-or-less matching stocking.

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missvee

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Here's our mantle with greens from the backyard. The candles have a remote control - and I love them!

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Mander

(website)

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A remote control would be cool! The candles I have are LEDs that my mom sent me, and they do have a timer, but you still have to pick them up and switch them on. It's kind of nice to have fake candles, though -- it means I can nestle them into the greenery without any fear of fire. I might buy a box of the tea light size if I see them cheaply somewhere.