Christmas Decorating in Progress!

This year I decided to make some changes with some of my Christmas decorations! The old outdoor strings of lights needed to be replaced. One string no longer worked last year and I figured the others might not might not make it through another season. I have always enjoyed the multicolor lights but I know my husband loves blue lights so I decided to go with blue. They are very pretty but, to me, not as “Christmasy” as the multicolored lights. I could go to the store to get multicolored lights to replace them but it is just too much work at this point! We will remain decorated in blue for this Christmas anyway! LOL!!

But the highlight of my Christmas decorating this year is my new, pre-lit, artificial Christmas Tree! I had been using a pre-lit, artificial Christmas tree that I have had for at least ten years, possibly closer to 15 years! But it was only seven feet tall and looked really tiny in my post and beam living room with super high ceilings!

My new tree is twelve feet tall! And it looks gorgeous in my living room! I have been wanting to buy a tree this tall since our first Christmas in our new home in 2015! Our seven-foot tree looked so tiny in our living room! It looked ridiculous to me that very first year! But I kept procrastinating year after year! It was just easier to put up the old tree that I already had than to shop for a new one and wait for it to be delivered. But the new tree arrived within a couple of days of ordering it!

I still have not finished it off with tree skirt and lighted decorations below it. But the rest is done! The star was my in-laws and is about 60 years old! I bought the ornaments a few years ago, and when I did, I purchased two sets to allow for replacing broken ornaments. None of the ornaments have broken and I needed both sets for this huge tree! I am so glad I bought two sets! I had plenty of ornaments! I also hung a few of my favorite ornaments, such as “Our First Christmas” and “Baby’s First Christmas,” and other sentimental, and vintage, ornaments like these.

I started to hang white garland on the tree but half way through, my husband saw it and absolutely hated it! I was not happy with him as I just purchased 100 feet of white garland for the new tree! But I took it all down, and I think I might agree with him after getting the tree all decorated. Not 100% sure yet if I agree. I will have my son and daughter-in-law provide an opinion in this when they come here for Christmas! I have had garland on my Christmas trees my entire life, so not having it is a huge adjustment for me! LOL!! It took me years to do away with the old, vintage tinsel! As a child I thought tinsel was so beautiful! The more the better! But it is such a hassle to clean it up and to get all of the tinsel off the tree before putting the tree away! What ultimately broke my tinsel addiction was when we had a new puppy in 1999. I was afraid he might eat the tinsel, which can be life threatening for a dog! So I stopped using it. I still continued to use tinsel garland but this is not as dangerous as the long strands of tinsel all over the tree! But after having had garland and tinsel on Christmas trees for most of my life, in addition to multiple ornaments and lights, having only lights and ornaments is a huge adjustment for me! My husband said, “Less is best.” Well, we’ll see about that when my son and daughter-in-law come for Christmas! LOL!

I also bought a new Christmas carousel. I had thought about getting one in years past but I just never saw one that I liked, and the ones that I did like cost far more than I wanted to spend. I guess I have expensive taste! When I bought my new carousel I was actually looking for more solar outdoor Christmas decorations at a store when I saw this carousel. It caught my eye and the price was right, so I bought it!

I still have quite a bit of decorating to do but the most difficult tasks are done: Putting up the lights on the outside of the house and putting up my new twelve-foot Christmas tree and decorating it! I am so glad we bought a taller step ladder last year! I never could have reached the top section of the tree without it! Our standard step ladders would not have worked for this! The taller step ladder is almost as tall as the new tree! It was the perfect height! I will only need to use one of our standard step ladders for two, maybe three, more decorating tasks. I will be on my feet for most of the rest of it!

Progress so far!

My hanging Santa! I showed these photos to my three year old grandson and he loved them! He thought it was so cool that Santa was “hanging out” at GiGi and Pappy’s house!

And my new carousel!

UPDATE!

I finished decorating indoors! I also hung one of my outdoor wreaths! I just have one more outdoor wreath to hang, along with its matching Garland. And I need to put out my outdoor solar-lighted Christmas decorations!

Indoor photos!

My mistletoe! Excuse the large box! It is my new dishwasher that is pending installation! My old one is still working but it starting to make some new noises that don’t sound all too good! It came with our home when we purchased it over eight years ago. I have no idea how old it was at that time. So it is being replaced before it ceases to function! It still cleans the dishes well but not sure how much longer it will! I can’t wait to use the new one! It has some really nice features that my old one does not have! We also recently replaced our old G.E. hot water heater before it stopped working. The old water heater was manufactured in 2008. Fifteen years is pretty good for a water heater!

My living room!

I just love my Scentsy barn! So pretty and smells so nice!

Excuse the folded up step ladder! I didn’t want to bring it back down into the basement as I will need it tomorrow to hang up my wreath and garland!

Two of my Christmas snow globes!

Another Christmas snow globe!

My aunt Martha gave me this cute little guy that plays the saxophone! My grandchildren love this!

My nativity set that I made as a teen! I am guessing it’s about 40 years old!

I love these cute polar bears with miniature snow globe!

My motorcycle Santas! I love the little lighted house and my aunt Tickie made this little lighted Bethlehem scene in ceramics. It is so pretty!

My 16 year old cat enjoys sleeping under the tree! She is an indoor-outdoor cat and when she is taking naps outdoors during the summer months she will sleep under various bushes. She especially likes the spreading yews where she is pretty much hidden, except on occasion when her tail is sticking out, LOL! She sure is a little sweetie!

And my motorcycle Santas in action!

My remotes for turning the outside and inside lights on and off! So handy!

This year I decided to decorate one of the beams in my post and beam living room!

ANOTHER UPDATE!

I hung the wreath and garland outside before work this morning! Since I hung it where I usually do, it took under 10 minutes to complete! I left the solar lights out in the sun all day so my lighted Christmas decorations could reach a full charge and so I could test them before installing them. They all are working great! After work I installed them within a half hour! The location they were placed is a rough spot for inserting stakes into the ground! There are lots of roots, rocks and gravel there! Despite this, it still worked out well! I am very pleased with the outcome! Last night I also hung my other outdoor wreath by the door on the farmers porch too.

Photos!

Out front by the driveway: Solar lighted candy canes, sign and flag! I wish the photos could better capture what it truly looks like in person at night!

I attempted a video but unfortunately it’s still no better than the photos.

The wreath by the door on the farmer’s porch.

My other wreath with garland.

A night time photo of my hanging Santa.

I also ordered more Christmas decorations.

This one requires power and inflates; is about eight feet tall! This will go in front of my farmer’s porch on the lawn near our outdoor electrical outlet.