Christmas is coming!! And Hanaks (Sp), and other religious celebrations!

[Sym2]

Wow...I just realized how many nationalities I could have offended by stating "Christmas", so if I did, Please forgive. Add your celebration and tell us about it please. This is very non-religious BTW.

A few months ago I picked out my 1st new sofa in 8 years.
Hooray!
It is bright red!
AH!
So...I painted the walls yellow!
I am going to finally put all the collected masks of our travels on the walls (now that I actually like the living room), and we have this big open space behind the sofa.
So I thought...decorate for Christmas early, and introduce some blues and golds and more reds and more yellows and make the living room look like a candy shop for Christmas!

So...In thinking about the tree, dh asks for a new tree this year too, and he even wants to shop for it together!
Together shopping is good! WOW! From a man??
Anyway...SURE!

Dh has always hated the tree I picked out a few years ago. It is about 5' high, and only about 1' wide at the base. It is cute, non intrusive, and requires little ornaments so you can buy the cool ones that usually cost more (Bugger) because you need like one tenth of them to cover the tree!

Well this year, dh has been getting like 8 dollars a day every day from Canadian Tire back when he fills up his trucks, so we have nearly a thousand dollars of Canadian Tire Dollars to buy this tree and the trimmings (No tinsle though for pet owners-LOL)

I am sure we will have leftovers too so we can even get a jump on some gifts while there.

Has anyone else started decorating yet for their holidays?
Anyone go all out and light up the yard too?
I so would like to, but I just picture myself fighting the cords in a big knot...hydro and snow?? I think not!
But it would be so cool to have candycanes and reindeer light up the walkway!

Hopefully everyone will share their Holiday Decorating and party stories this year so we can all help get and keep eachother in the spirit of the season.

Oh...speaking of snow!
It started snowing here today!
I'm getting inspired!

I think this year I will even let the kids trim the tree with us, or maybe even alone. Naw...not alone
Typically I trim the tree b/c dh doesn't like to, and the kids are just brutal at it. I once let them do it, and the tree just looked horrifick!!!
I called my mother over to look at it! I said...we trimmed our trees as kids and they looked fine, so what is wrong with dhs kids eyeballs?
Their tree was gross and gaudy...like Za Za Gabours makeup for crying out loud!
She nearly fell over ROFLOL at me and explained that we too decorated a mean (amd I mean mean&nasty) tree as did dhs kids, but she went around behind us at night and decorated the tree again so it looked nice, and we never knew the difference.
Hmn!
We didn't!
She thought this was just hillarious!
Anyway...call me a Scrooge, but I never saw the point in cleaning up the kids decorated trees (like I re-clean everything else after them in life), so I just always did it myself after that year. It looks better, but this year, I will give them the big tree to decorate and I will decorate my little Martha Stewart-like tree myself. The livingroom is all colorfull now anyway, so I figure...candy shop colors.
I think it will be fun.

Anyway...share with us all please, your decorating plans, party plans, holiday traditions etc.
We can get and keep eachother inspired this season.
And..if you have decorated already and have pictures, we would be happy to see them.

Sym

[Hollie_Joyous]

I am really simple and boring when it comes to Christmas. Dh lovingly calls me Scrooge... I am not sure what our plans are for this year, as we are still trying to figure out Thanksgiving Day plans for next week. I am sure we will open gifts with his family in the morning and open gifts with my family later on in the day. As for dinner, I don't know where we are having it or with whom. I would prefer to go out to the Chinese restaurant. LOL. I don't know why, but I just don't get into Christmas all that much. I am anxious to hear everyone else's plans, traditions, etc, though... I am sure they are much more fun and entertaining than mine.

HJ

[davesgirl]

Stacey, your posts always make me lol!! I *want* a picture of your RED couch and your YELLOW walls!!! Sounds... fun! Your candy shop idea sounds so yummy! What a great idea!!

We're going to start decorating after Thanksgiving (next Friday the 25th); dh is going to build a chimney and put some lights outside. We don't have to worry about snow (it's still in the 70s here!), so no one will get hurt! We're going to buy a fake christmas tree this year so it survives being up over a month. I like fake christmas trees because you don't have to worry about the mess--will miss the smell though!

I really want to decorate this year... I'll post a pic when we get it done!

Stacy

[Sym2]

Holly - I never took you for a scrooge-LOL
Chineese on Christmas??
OMG!-LOL
At least the restaurant will decorate.
Your going to have to get into some bigger Xmas Spirit soon enough when the baby wants to know why his/her house is the ONLY house on the block w/o tinsle and balls

DG- Duh...I forgot you don't get snow
Bummer...beach day on Xmas??
Maybe that isn't so bad
Guess youd avoid the beach in winter although us Canadians flock to it and think it warm . Maybe that is where Americans get the idea we're all Crazy Canadians??

Well...I did buy the reindeer for the front walk. You can see their lights from 3 blocks away!
One has a broken ear though so I have to exchange it today.

I bought a few gifts too so the tree is not empty underneath too. I am getting into a better Christmas spirit.

Gotta run.
Hope to see more ppl posting

Sym