Celebrate December! The month of something for everyone!

[vanillafluffy]

I got my first card of the holiday season (pwcorgigirl wishing me a Cool Yule) today, huzzah! Thursday, J is taking me to a party for the local dog training club...I wonder if I'll run into anyone I know, as I was active in the local kennel club for a few years after S got Macs and made noises about showing him. We're celebrating solstice and having a gift exchange at church on the 20th. CapeGypsy is inviting fellow UUs to her place on Christmas Eve for food and frolic. Nothing else carved in stone, but the month is fairly young.

Both of the homes J and I visited last weekend were decorated, the new people next door have lights up---the old ones never did---and I've been unpacking a few tchotchkes.

One thing I've noticed over the years is, a lot of folks have a particular symbol they favor for the decor scheme of the season. For instance, missybrat is into teddy bears. VermontChick likes moose, ThunderBunny is into snow people, a former coworker had a thing for penguins before penguins were as "in" as they are now. Other friends are into angels, stars, snowflakes, Santa Claus/Father Christmas. *points at icon* Nutcrackers are my shiny, dating back to my seventh Christmas, when my dearly departed brother took me to see the ballet.

(That was followed by the album the following year, along with "The Messiah"---Peter was a huge classical music/opera buff. I'm not an afficianado to the extent he was, but I can listen to it at full shriek and not turn a hair.)

Apparently, there are trends in ornaments; a few years ago, nutcrackers were everywhere. This year, they're few and far between. Still, I have enough for a grouping on my computer tower, I have a ceramic tree for the dining room table and a wreath with white lights and wooden candy canes (deployment undecided). Or I might do a bowl with glass ornaments on the table...it remains to be seem.

So---do you have a favorite decoration or decorating theme? What are you doing this year to celebrate the holiday of your choice?

Comments

[pwcorgigirl.livejournal.com]

I have some Enesco Christmas mice figurines that go on the mantle every year. This are from the 1970s and '80s and have a bisque finish and softer colors that I really like. Otherwise it's a hodge-podge of things. I try slightly harder for a coordinated effect in the dining room, with a red tablecloth, red and gold embroidered runner and red candles.

We're going to have my brother over for Christmas Eve dinner here, then get up a reasonable time Christmas morning and drive down south to see our sister-in-law. Sometime Christmas Eve afternoon we'll go to see Mom and give her gifts. If everything gets wrapped up before 7 p.m., I try to go to the Christmas Eve service at our church.

[vanillafluffy.livejournal.com]

Your Christmaus ornaments sound adorable! (Sorry, couldn't resist!)

I went shopping this evening and got multiples of basics---mac and cheese mix, grated asiago, margerine, crackers, as well as a frozen lasagna---someone told me it was good, it might've been you, might've been ang5fam---a bag of turkey meatballs (same price as a pound of ground turkey, might as well try 'em) and, because I could NOT resist, a log of marzipan stollen.

I also did some planning ahead; I got a hostess gift to take to CapeGypsy's Christmas Eve event. And at WalMart I snagged enough bathroom tissue to last me until February, in addition to enough caffeine to last me til Friday at least. I went a little out of pocket, but I'm due $$$ this weekend, and that way I don't have to worry about it. Bless you!

[pwcorgigirl.livejournal.com]

It must have been ang5fam who told you about the lasagna. I'm the only one who likes lasagna, so I never buy a large one.

That's a fabulous shopping haul, sweetie. Glad to help out. *hugs*

The two starch-and-meat eaters I share a house with are going to be unhappy with Chef Mom come the new year. I have to get my cholesterol under control, and that's going to mean dinners that are largely veggie-based. (I'm the veggie lover in the family, so this is no hardship on me.) They're about to be introduced to the wonders of kale, sweet potatoes and slow-cooked pinto beans. I expect a lot of whining. :D

[vanillafluffy.livejournal.com]

It's been a struggle for me to adjust to living on 2/3rds of what I was barely getting by on before. (I'm still trying to get the hang of it.) One of my NYRs is to make better use of what I have, things like spending a day a week fixing bulk meals and freezing them. Menu planning has always seemed silly to me, since it's just me...but rummaging around for something at the last minute when everything is frozen and then opting for peanut butter and crackers has gotten old. Plus, I need to start taking better care of myself and trying to peel off a few more pounds....

[adventurat.livejournal.com]

My favourite thing about Christmas decor is lights. Preferably multicoloured. I will never understand people who choose to put up strings of lights in a single colour. All blue? Not Christmassy. All red, all green? Why? Nobody ever does all-yellow or all-purple, so why all red or all green? Or worse yet, alternating between the two - any two?

All-white/clear can work, but only in massive profusion. But multicoloured is joyful and exuberant. It celebrates the dark hours by making them the velvet behind the jewels. Even if I put up nothing inside, the outside lights go up every year.

We're going to the island to my parents' place for Christmas. Leave here on the 24th, and leave there on the 27th. I'm off work until January 4th, so there will be some sleeping in going on, and one of my oldest friends and I are planning to get together when she's out this way over the holidays, too.

[vanillafluffy.livejournal.com]

One of the loveliest lighting effects I remember seeing combined ropes of the old-fashioned lights the size of your thumb with a net of the modern fairy lights...they'd done it over a long hedge at one side of the property, and the contrasting size of the lights made it really special, like a chest full of different size jewels.

[adventurat.livejournal.com]

I've seen similar, and thought they were great. I've also seen (recently) a front yard that used all-red on one tree, all-green on another, etc., for about six trees, and then the house was all icicle lights. Which don't work on every house, but they did on this one.

[vanillafluffy.livejournal.com]

That sounds enough like an Italian restaurant that now I'm hungry for pasta!

[ang5fam.livejournal.com]

Feast of the 7 Fishes on Christmas Eve- some baked lasagna along with it. Family tradition.

[vanillafluffy.livejournal.com]

I just picked up some Aldi's lasagna tis evening---either you or pwcorgigirl told me it was good---but I have a feeling it's not going to last til Christmas Eve. Although, holy smoke, that's only two weeks away!

[socialhermit.livejournal.com]

For many years, I've put mini Santa hats or red bows on my gargoyles. I also adore snowmen, and I have quite a few crocheted snowflakes that I scatter around.

I don't really have a good place for my 7-foot Xmas tree this year, so it remains in storage and I bought a 3-1/2 foot fiber optic tree that's currently on an end table in the living room.

[vanillafluffy.livejournal.com]

Oh what fun! Just picturing those gargoyles makes me snicker.

I like to think about what would be The Perfect Gift for people (if I had the kind of money to be able to do that)---for you, a replica of the gargoyle door knocker from "A Christmas Carol", the version of your choice.

[socialhermit.livejournal.com]

Oh what fun! Just picturing those gargoyles makes me snicker.

Hee! Most of my gargoyles are in storage, yet, but I did decorate the one I'd hung on the door for Halloween...



I like to think about what would be The Perfect Gift for people (if I had the kind of money to be able to do that)---for you, a replica of the gargoyle door knocker from "A Christmas Carol", the version of your choice.

Oooh, thankee! You know me too well - I would LOVE something like that! And I would find a vintage Panther Lamp for you... :-)

[vanillafluffy.livejournal.com]

Lottery...must win lottery....