Making Progress...

I made some progress today on the decorating... got the front windows cleaned.... this only happens once a year.... right before I put the tree up.... and OMG they were sooo dirty.... the outsides could use a good cleaning as well. I took them apart and cleaned the insides.... and both sides of the storm windows. Vacuumed down cobwebs that I had deliberately left up for Halloween.... lol... great natural decor.... and vacuumed the dust off the curtains. I took down the blinds that are broken and replace the ripped lace sheer..... and put up the icicle lights and single candle in each of the three front windows.... well that is minus one string of lights in one window... I can't find that third string... I know it's here somewhere.

So I started upacking some boxes looking for the missing string of lights.... I had no intention of actually taking the stuff out and putting it up but I did anyways... how else was I supposed to see if those lights were in the bottom of the boxes???.... and while I had it out I figured I may as well put it where I normally do right??? So "the stockings are hung by the chimney with care"... and the mantle is decorated and lit with garland... as well as the entertainment center... the Yule log is on the hearth..... and various other trinkets are sitting about..... and I still haven't found that string of lights! I have several more boxes to go.... but come to think of it... I probably put those lights in the box with the tree.... because I have to put those up in the windows before I put the tree up.... otherwise I can't get to the windows to do it.

So the house is beginning to look festive... Steffie is excited... she decorated her lil pink Barbie tree... and watched Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.... and she can't wait to get the tree up.

Oh and that tree up there at the top.... that's our tree from last year.... this years will look the same... providing the lights work and I don't get frustrated and pitch it to the trash after dealing with them for hours and trying to get the broken branches to at least look attached.... I really need a new tree.... but this one will hopefully make it through one more year... I've been saying that for 3 years now!

Now I'm off to check out what Black Friday may have to offer... that is providing I have some money to shop with when it rolls around.... and a babysitter.

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

When Do You Deck The Halls?

Have you started decorating for Christmas yet? When do you usually start?

I used to have my own lil tradition of decorating... on Thanksgiving night I would always put up my tree and the rest of the decorating would follow. I decorated every room in the house.... including the bathroom and the outside as well. Then I would spend New Years Day taking it all down and packing it up.... leaving the house looking naked.

Then for some reason as the years passed I started getting in a festive mood really early.... as soon as my Halloween decorations came down the first week of November I started decorating for Christmas..... maybe because I had 3 lil ones and I wanted to stretch out the festivities for them as long as possible.... maybe because I just loved the way the house looked with all of the lights and red and green and jolly hohoho.

I don't know exactly when it changed... but in the last several years it's been hard for me to get in the mood. Our house burned in January of 2000 and I lost all of my decorations that I had amassed over many years.... it's still kinda sad to me... those decorations held a lot of Holiday memories.... but that's not why it's hard either. I have built up quite a new collection... nothing like what I had before.... but enough to decorate nicely. The bathroom doesn't get decorated anymore.... but maybe someday... and I don't have any outside decorations anymore either... but the living room and kitchen... where we spend most of out time have plenty. This year feels really hard... it just doesn't seem like it should be time yet for the Holidays to be upon us.... I'm not sure why. But I'm forcing myself to do this... I finally got all of the Halloween boxes put away... and we pulled out the Christmas boxes.... we've started getting the furniture moved around so the tree can go in the window. I'm hoping that when I get the house decorated it will start to feel more like Christmas is near. Steffie is excited.... and wanted to put the tree up today... but I'm trying to put it off a few more days.... I'm just not quite ready yet... but I'm pushing myself to do it. It will probably be up in the next few days.

Now let's just hope the lights on the tree work!

Have you started yet? Do you have any decorating traditions? Does it feel like the Holiday season to you?

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~