Show Us Your Holiday Decor

I just love the holiday season! It's so colorful, and so many folks are so creative when it comes to decorating for the holidays.

So, share your ideas for holiday decorating and showcase your efforts here in this thread ...

The above picture is a great example for me to give my holiday warning concerning pictures on the net.

And I quote myself, " Be aware of total subjective content in the background" "Show no valuables" "Be aware of anyone in sugestive clothing". I know this takes a bit of fun out of it but showing on the net are not the guys or girls at your favorite local place of business.

If there's something that falls into those categories in Candyce's photo, I missed it!

Thanks for starting the thread, Candyce!

You are very welcome, Victor.
Whew! For a moment there, I thought I had posted an EXAMPLE of what not to post. I'm glad that I passed muster on this photo. Thanks, docgipe!!!

I can't wait to get my dec's up this weekend! I usually start the day after Thanksgiving, but it seems like we have an extra week this year. Plus my SIL passed away and the funeral was Monday, so this week is out anyways.

My dh picked up a used piano about a year ago - none of us play, or have any intention of playing - and that's sitting in the living room, right in the area that we always put out tree. So that's going to be a bone of contention, I'm sure.

Sorry to hear about your SIL, Sue. My condolences. I'm decorating later this year too - involved with other stuff.

My SIL had a seizure in her driveway, in front of her kids, no less (6 and 8). She was around 50. She had just come off of major back surgery, too - had two discs removed, and some of the spine fused together. She also had a history of heart problems. But they found cocaine and pot in her blood, so that's probably what caused the seizure. Bizarre!

So sorry to hear that, Sue. The holidays seem like prime time for very sad losses like that of your SIL. I feel so sad for her kids especially.

I'm confused. Is the dog wearing suggestive clothing in the photo?

So sorry Sue. You must all be so devastated.

Dog? Now I'm confused! LOL

That's not a dog on the sofa, jyl

Sorry, couldn't get the photo to enlarge. I'm not nuts, just blind. Honest, squint, it LOOKS like a dog. In a Santa hat. Ok, maybe I'm a little nuts.....

I think I need to go put up my Christmas lights.

Nice Dog Candyce! hehe.

I just love seeing how people decorate for the holidays. Down here in Fla. we decorate the same as up where you are...In fact, I think sometimes even more...trying to compensate for the lack of wintery weather associated with Christmas.

I've gone just a little bit NUTS this year...I just finished and am totally "Treed-out". I've got a couple parties this December so figured I better get it done early. Everything is covered with glitter, including my face, my man and the dogs, but the decorations are looking pretty good...

First of all - please tell me that you all make this much of a mess when you decorate!

Started decorating the front porch with some poinsettias I planted with Norfolk Island pines - need some white flowers in there though...

Wasn't going to put this tree up this year but it really is a pretty tree - Put this big Peacock I had on top. Going to live with it for a few days and see if I like it. I had garland on both sides of the stairs, took it off, put it back on and took it off again...it was just too much with such a large tree...

A better view of the tree

and yes...that's a real dog! (Walking around naked and only wearing a scarf!)


Edited because I'm all decored-out and can't spell!

This message was edited Nov 30, 2007 3:14 AM

Another 2 trees I put up in my living room...

(crazy!)

2 small trees on pedestal tables in the dining room...

My big brute of a Santa in my front entrance - Found him at Sams Club and just thought he was so cute. The "Chuckie" looking Elf came with him! hehe. And...of course, what would Santa be without another TREEEEEE!

I think I'm done...

Sad thing is, I'm already thinking about January and having to take all this stuff down! LOL

I love decorating hanging lights cause they're so easy...just wrap garland and add a few balls, etc. on hooks.

PrimroseSue...

Sorry to read about your SIL...that's very sad.

Sue - my sympathies to you and your family. The poor kids - what an ordeal fro them to go through. Eleanor

Sue, sorry about your SIL, that is very sad.

Kat, I thought I had a lot of trees with 4. I've only got 2 up so far, maybe next weekend I'll finish. Yours look very elegant.

Beautiful Kat. Love the stairs!

Sue, what a sad start to the holidays. My thoughts are with you.

Kat, your holiday guests are going to think they are in a fairyland. Beautiful!

Finially, a real dog! I usually go nuts decorating inside and out, but this year I've been sick all week and there is 6 inches of snow with up to a foot coming this winter. I managed to get down all the fall and thanksgiving stuff and lights and now it's really DARK out there. I'm the only one in the neighborhood that decorates, so everyone will be dissapointed. Especially the electric company.

Maybe I could move to Florida snd never have to worry about cold and snow keeping me from doing it up right.

By the way, does anyone go down to Newport RI to see the christmas decorations? I miss them so much. I always miss NYC at Christmas. I think the most magical Christmas we ever spent was when we lived there. The whole city just changes for the hollidays. We lived on the East coast for 15 years and I have never really adjusted to being back in Michigan. I miss the Yankee attitude, the smells and feeling of Boston and New York and most of all standing on Clif walk in RI and watching the sun come up over the ocean.

You guys will have to excuse me if I hang out here and relive Christmas memories. It's just not the same in Michigan. (I think we're too busy trying to keep from freezing to death here)

jyl, don't just hang out here - move in!

Thanks, everyone, for the condolences. No one in my husband's family really cared for her, which makes it easier. But we do love my BIL and the two girls.

Kat - I absolutely love the window on the stairs! Did you design that, or was it already in the house? Does it go to another room, or outside?

PrimroseSue, It's a good thing that your nieces have a special auntie right now.

Kat - what a lovely result from all of your hard work! Very nice!! You must need a whole room just to store all of your Christmas decoration stuff!! LOL

jyl - Once a NE'r always a NE'r!! And that applies to everyone who never lived in the NE! It even applies to those of us who jump ship for a few months! LOL In other words......you're at home here - just like the rest of us!

Thanks for the compliments everybody...I'm not usually a fanatic Christmas person, but for some reason this year I've gone overboard. Everybody is really feeling the bad economic pinch down here and I'm having a big party next week and I hope it's just one evening where people can actually forget what's going on and really enjoy themselves. Hope you all have an opportunity to relax and enjoy the upcoming Holidays and have some fun!

Kat

Ahhhhhhhh JYL...You've just got to decorate! From the sounds of things, you're a natural and YES, people expect it! You decorated for Thanksgiving and you're not going to decorate for Christmas???? Come on Woman!

Please don't take me seriously, I'm really just yanking your chain...but you do sound like you really truly enjoy decorating for the holidays.

YES, Florida is really good for outside decorating! You can string lights all day long without frozen fingers and can wear shorts at the same time! Makes it a lot easier going up and down that ladder!

Kat

KatG - those decorations are beautiful! Do you have room for 6 more for the holidays (7 if I have to bring my MIL)????? I only have a few simple decorations and it doesn't really look very festive. I'll post pics of them after I take the photos - maybe I can edit them on the computer make them look better than they really are!!!!!!! Eleanor

Kat:

Looking at your photos was inspirational for me. Your decor is just so beautiful.

JYL: Please, hang out!! This is THE home, and the place we all love to be!

I started putting out some of my indoor dec's today. Too windy and cold (18) to put up the outside lights.

Grammy...Just bring them all down...that's usually how my Christmas table turns out...You just never know who's going to show up! :)

Thank-you Candyce...glad you were inspired, but more importantly, thanks for starting this thread.

Kat

I don't do a lot of outdoor decorating but did some this afternoon on my back Lanai...Garland and lights up the spiral staircase and balcony rail...How did we ever do without "Zip-strips" hehe. Tied the garland on the balcony rail with that wiry ribbon - it will be so easy to take down. I say that I'm not doing any more, but I probably will!

This message was edited Dec 2, 2007 2:25 AM

I've lived in my home for about a year and a half and being a General contractor, I built it myself. I'm really finding that I've moved to the most amazing neighborhood.

These 2 men that live across the street from me put on this party every year for "toys for tots" and it was tonight. They have a little house but use the empty lot behind them. They erect 2 huge tents, rent about 60 tables, have lights that you cannot believe, cook hamburgs and hotdogs and ask that everybody attending bring a dish (I made about 100 cabbage rolls - I was rolling them devils in my sleep!) One of them plays Santa and they give every child attending, a little wrapped present.

They work so hard to make this event amazing, and they achieve that! It's mind boggling and hard to describe to people that aren't there. I think they problably had 350 people there today.

There really are some wonderful caring people in this world.

KatG - you have such a lovely home!! This is embarrassing, but this is my tipsy Christmas tree! My living room is so small I have to put the tree on a table and it is also away from a pair of little hands. Eleanor