Oh Christmas TREEEEES

Growing up, Christmas decorating was one of the most fun parts of 

The holiday season...And, I can honestly say that nothing has changed, for me that is.

I vividly recall my mom bringing in the decor bins, and my little brother and I getting giddy

with garland and twinkly lights.

Very much as I did when I was a little girl,

I still get giddy when my hubby hauls the decor bins

from the garage and into the house.  

Holiday decorating typically begins the Saturday following Thanksgiving.

 However, now that I am an interior stylist and have to keep my social media

decor accounts up to date with the trends, I start setting up holiday vignettes 

even a few days before Thanksgiving.  

I don't typically follow the red and green trend in holiday decor.  I normally

lean towards the muted golds and silvers, and of course a lot of winter white.

Something about the Christmas lights bouncing off gold and silver accents 

that creates a magical glow throughout my home that I just simply adore.

A couple of years ago however, my daughter asked if we could bring a little color to the 

tree...and as much as I hesitated, I realized that she wanted a more whimsical tree than 

what my fancy silver and gold ornaments were emitting.  So, I happily obliged and we filled 

the tree with a combination of my muted metallics and her red and green whimsy goodies... And to 

my surprise, I actually love the tree even more this way.  And the best part is, I still managed to keep my metallic decor intact throughout other areas of the house.  

A new tradition has emerged however....

ONE tree, TWO trees, Three Trees...FOUR????

It all started with my "Scrawny Christmas Tree"...That's what I named a 25.00 faux tree

I picked up a few years ago.  I had the idea of a second tree that year, and I knew exactly where it would go. And from the store, into the car, and into our foyer it went.

 I instantly brainstormed the perfect theme...and French it was.  I quickly went to work to create handmade paper ornaments that would resemble old vintage french decor.  I aged paper and fan folded paper until I came up with unique French style ornaments for what became known as my French Style Tree.  I even used mason jar lids wrapped in toile fabric to create circular hanging ornaments.  My favorites are the little musical note paper ornaments I created using old sheet music.  I am happy to report that "Scrawny Christmas" has become a staple tree in our foyer ever since.

BUT...it doesn't end there.  As if two trees were not enough, the following year, I came up with a brilliant idea!  What about a thematic dining room Christmas tree?? And after a most amazing summer vacation in New England, hence, my thematic New England dining room tree was born.   

And what a tree it was.  From lobster traps designed using craft store mini crates, to fisherman nets, I had the most visually pleasing New England tree there ever was!

For pictures and to read about the design of New England themed Tree,
 read post dated 11/20/14

And the year after, my New York City themed tree was born.  From Broadway playbills to a replica of the Waterford crystal ball at Times Square on New Year's Eve as the tree topper, this tree had NYC written all over it!  However, I can't take credit for that replica Waterford ball...as that was the brilliant idea of my sweet hubby.  He actually nailed the tree topper idea, and it was the talk of many gatherings that holiday season.

For pictures and to read about the design of my New York City themed Tree,
 read post dated 12/24/14

The following year, that New England, turned NYC tree, became my thematic
"Christmas in the Woods" dining room tree.  Wooden skis, fluffy snowballs, and woodland critters made their debut on that sweet little tree bringing the woods to the burbs within seconds of stringing the last string of lights.

For pictures and to read about the design of my Christmas in the Woods themed Tree,

 read post dated 12/15/15

So I guess it's fair to say that I am still in love with the idea of Christmas decor, as I did back when I was a little girl...only now, I might have just one, or two, or three, or more trees to decorate!

Happy Holidays!

XX,

Betty