Christmas Decor

doozer1345 · November 2015

So ever since we've had DD DH has let me decorate everything for Christmas (before DD he was a big ol Grinch!). Every year I've gotten more and more elaborate with my decorating. I do the inside out. Usually I wait until the day after Thanksgiving but I'm about to bust! This is the first year DD will have a better understanding of what is going on and I'm SO excited. My issue every year has been getting decorations like garland to stick on my siding (outlining my front door and outlining my windows)! Anyone have any hacks for decorating??

I have some DIY decorations that I love doing with DD. I do mistle-toes every year with DD. I make her footprint in homemade mold, paint her little feet green, and then hang them on our door frame. I also do plate ornaments with her hands every year. The dogs have also got their paws on our tree.

Anyone have traditions for decorating or have some they're going to start once LO gets here? DH and I give each other an ornament every year (since the year we were married) that represents that year together. It's a little silly but I get so excited to see what DH picks out.

mrstmoose · November 2015

We are going to start getting new PJ's on Christmas Eve and watching a Christmas movie and drinking hot chocolate. For your front door, have you thought about putting a small nail around the edges that could help it stay in place? That way it's not super noticeable the rest of the year but it will stay in place. I would not recommend the command hooks, my mom put one up above her fireplace and now it won't come off.

I'm trying to be patient and not decorate until the day after Thanksgiving. It's hard!

helleebellee · November 2015

I used to go all out. With every kid added, the desire lessened. Now, everything Christmas fits into one box. I only keep ornaments that the kids make, ones we're given, and ones we buy while traveling. I do hang stockings above the fireplace, and we display all Christmas crafts. Maybe once they're older and not so destructive, I'll do more. Oh, and on my front door I have some bells.

saladflambe · November 2015

Every Christmas Eve, DH and I give one another an ornament that represents something that happened that year. Kidlet will be involved in this tradition. The idea is that decorating the tree will bring up lots of memories

kbrands7 · November 2015

I'm so excited to begin decorating! We always set up Christmas decorations the weekend after Thanksgiving-- sometimes on Black Friday. We each get to pick a Christmas movie to put on through the process-- usually I choose White Christmas and DH chooses Die Hard. Since DS is old enough to choose one now too, I suspect we'll be watching Mickey Mouse's A Christmas Carol. : )

Last year, DH made an awesome, low platform to go around the tree for a train (and I still have room to lay my tree skirt). We hang stockings, lights, garland, and each room gets something small (and either unbreakable...or out of reach) that's special. I change over some of our pillow covers and blankets to more wintery things too. We got a new (fake) tree for last year's Christmas that is finally taller than DH (Christmas pictures were pretty funny before...). Most of the ornaments on our tree DH and I have slowly collected over our time together so far. Everyone gets an ornament in their stocking each year, and sometimes we do milestone ornaments too-- some are bought, and others are made-- like the one we made from the cork of the champagne bottle we shared after he proposed.

ETA: We do a small gift opening on Christmas Eve before we go to the Italian Seven Fish celebration that's always at my grandparent's house. Everyone gets new pajamas and DS gets a Christmas book.

AdorkablePixie · November 2015

I can't wait to have a child to share Christmas, and other holidays, with. I don't have any traditions, but DH and I need to start thinking of some. I don't decorate or do much for holidays now, because I don't really have anyone to do it for. I put up a tree and decorate that and put nativity decals on the windows, but that's usually it.

BlueJuice · November 2015

We definitely put up a tree and hang stockings, plus I have a few Yule decorations that come out at this time of year as well. Unfortunately I only really decorate the interior - I'd love to have exterior lights up as well (and my DD would love that!) but I'm not motivated enough to want to hang them myself, and DH doesn't really care, haha. Because my DH and DD's birthday is very early on in December, we actually hold off on decorating until it's past, but I'm pretty excited this year. All our stockings are handmade and sequiny, and my mother already picked up a kit for a new stocking for next year for the incoming wee one. I'm stoked.

Our family has some German background so we also usually celebrate St. Nicholas' Day on Dec. 6 by leaving out shoes the night before, which get some kind of little treat or gift stuffed into them. I always did this as a child and it's so much fun to pass these traditions on with kids. Our family Christmas celebrations both prefer Christmas Eve gift exchanges (always have, for whatever reason), so what we've worked out together is that we alternate every year which extended family we go to visit with on Christmas Eve (the other half of the family gets us at Thanksgiving that year), and then we get together with the other half on Boxing Day or some other day that is convenient. On Christmas Day itself we stay home as an immediate family, open stockings and our own gifts to each other, watch holiday movies, drink hot chocolate, stay in pajamas late, and relax. I usually make some fancy things to eat as well. We invite our families to join us if they want every year, but they usually don't, which is okay. I love visiting everybody but I also love that we have Christmas Day as a pretty peaceful, relaxing day at home together.

cortney626 · November 2015

I love putting up the tree with my daughter. We have so much fun. My husband lifts her up so she can put the star on the top. She's already been talking about it. She gets to pick out an ornament every year. DH and I buy and ornament each year also. This year we honeymooned in Vancouver, BC so we bought an ornament from there. My daughter uses the advent calendar that I've had since I was 7. We do Elf on the Shelf. My dad had an elf from when he was a kid that is now in our Christmas stuff. My daughter loves having Grandpa's elf. She also wanted to buy a stocking for her baby sister, so we already have that too. We're going away for Thanksgiving weekend. Maybe we'll put up our tree the day before Thanksgiving!

dsmith211 · November 2015

We put up a tree, stockings, a wreath, and decorations we've picked up over time around the house. DH gets the honor of doing the outdoor lights. For the tree decorations we are trying to implement more homemade/sentimental ornaments. We get a new one every year that symbolizes something big from that year. We definitely don't overdo it, but we have fun with it.

My dad however is one of those crazy light people who spends weeks and weeks planning and setting up. He has this massive electrical box he has set up for just the lights and they're to music. All of that is run by a computer program he has to set the light show up in. He offered to do it for me one year. I told him that I don't think my neighbors would appreciate it too much. I'll need to take a video once he gets it done. It's pretty crazy.

emsned · November 2015

I have been going crazy with Christmas decorations lately and have even been listening to Christmas music! Ever since I found out I'm preggers, I've woken up being disappointed that it wasn't even December yet!

Here are a few decorations I've made myself the past few weeks. The snowmen are made out of tube socks, and then I used a picture frame for the replacement wreath to hang on our door (:

AdorkablePixie · November 2015

@emsnedds I love the little snowmen! They are adorable.

doozer1345 · November 2015

These are my mistle-toes, homemade (and cheap) presents for the grannies, Pepper the elf, and our front door... I'm ridiculous

2.red.heads · November 2015

It is wonderful seeing Christmas through a child's eyes

We moved 6 months ago and now we have a fireplace! I'm excited to hang stockings from the mantel and not the wine rack this year. Lol

laurenmdrn16 · November 2015

We unfortunately lost a few glass ornaments to the cat (grrrr!) and some of my favorite ones from my mom's house to the fire she had a few years ago, so we are a little more streamlined this year. I know we will get a bunch of homemade ornaments and decorations from my son's daycare and the Advent Workshop at church. We will be doing a holiday train set up since both my son and MH are train guys. I am super excited to help set up the little village, with all the shops and the skating pond etc. It will be super cute! MH used to be the biggest Grinch of all, but since we have a house and a kid, he is really coming around. He puts out the outside lights the day after Thanksgiving and we change out our Autumn wreath for a Christmas wreath. This year, we are planning on cutting down our own tree, probably the second week of December. We have a mantel, but instead of a fireplace/gas stove, we have our TV/entertainment center set up there so we can still have stockings hung by the...TV...with care. We actually got that burning Yule Log DVD so it looks like our TV is a fireplace and we revel in the cheesy glory!

My mom has this GIANT life-sized Santa puppet which used to always creep me out when I stumbled upon it in the attic, but my Grampie would use the puppet to read Twas the Night Before Christmas every Christmas Eve, so I love that creepy thing. Now that my Grampie has passed, I am the puppeteer and make the puppet read to my son...and my sisters because they secretly still love it so much! I know this could sound like a super weird tradition, but when I hold that thing, I still can sense my Grampie and it makes me feel like he is still with us.

Since MH works every Christmas Eve, my son and I got to my mom's house to have Christmas Eve supper with my sisters and grandma. Then, we go to 5 o'clock church service and after drive around looking at Christmas lights in a few choice neighborhoods. After that, we open the gifts from our cousins on the West Coast so we can call them right before they sit down for their supper. We read Twas the Night Before Christmas in our special Christmas jammies while eating garlic oyster crackers (don't ask...weird tradition) and cookies. We then each put a special ornament on the tree and sprinkle "reindeer feed" on the lawn/snow so the reindeer know where to land (it is oats with glitter). During the night, reindeer tracks "magically" appear (I am helping this year)! I never appreciated how much work my mom and grandparents put into making Christmas magic until now! My son and I go home and get him into bed. When MH gets home, I zip out to sing for the midnight church service. In the morning, MH, my son and I open our stockings and gift from Santa. We have a delicious French toast breakfast while watching our "Yule log" burn. Then, we bring the DVD to my mom's house and exchange gifts with my sisters, mom, and grandma by the "fire". We have 2nd breakfast which is my sister's famous breakfast casserole which is basically a savory bread pudding with bacon and...wait for it...Velveeta! Sooo good! Then we pig out on stocking treats (mostly chocolate and jelly beans...those not KU will have hard eggnog, while I will have virgin) while watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Little Drummer Boy, Santa Claus is Coming to Town...all those awesome Rankin-Bass classics! We have to take a traditional "stair" picture where we all line up on the stairs. So far, there are 27 pictures (we started after I was born). Then, my grandma heads out to see some of her family (she is my mom's stepmom) and my sisters, mom and I open some special gifts (this year, that will include our sex reveal gift!). Once my grandma gets back, we have Christmas supper and all take a huge nap. The next day, MH and our family go down to see the in-laws. I don't know if we will go this year though...family drama and such. It will be a very Merry Christmas either way!

countrygrl5533 · November 2015

2.red.heads said:

It is wonderful seeing Christmas through a child's eyes We moved 6 months ago and now we have a fireplace! I'm excited to hang stockings from the mantel and not the wine rack this year. Lol

lol...At our last place (a rented duplex) we hung them on command hooks on the stairway wall (garage and storage downstairs, living areas upstairs). This place we hang them on the side of the entertainment center. Classy.

doozer1345 · November 2015

Sorry to bring this one back up but I wanted to show off my handmade decor!

mhc13 · November 2015

Awesome job @doozer1345!

I just replaced all of glass ornaments for shatterproof last night and bought a 100ft of garland for my banisters. I can't wait to start decorating this weekend!

sarawifenow · November 2015

@doozer1345 mind sharing how you made the ornament wreath??

doozer1345 · November 2015

sarawifenow said:

@doozer1345 mind sharing how you made the ornament wreath??

I already had a pine wreath (fake). I literally just hot glued the ornaments on it. I've had the ornaments since i was a kid but they just don't fit in my tree anymore but I didn't want to throw them out. I may (for good measure) spray the wreath with aerosol adhesive.

It just hit me... Did you mean the ball ornaments or the others??
The ball ornament one I bent a coat hanger to be round in size (without unhooking the hooked part). Then I unhooked it and thread the ornaments through (hot glue the tops on the ornaments or the tops will come off). Keep going until it is full then hook it back together. I hot glued some onto the wire that I felt were more flimsy than the others.

wsgjmw1 · November 2015

doozer1345 said:

Sorry to bring this one back up but I wanted to show off my handmade decor!

Love your handmade decor. I am going to a wreathmaking class next weekend. I cannot wait!

kmcchs · November 2015

Love to see all of this! I actually took a break from Christmas decorating to Bump! Haha! Happy holidays everyone

camillaandcarson · November 2015

My little one is just now able to kind of grasp Christmas and get excited. Unfortunately every year we try to put up a tree the animals eat it and destroy objects on it.
Our cat in particular has visited the vet ER for ingestion of poisonous plants (we now have zero house plants because all of them get eaten) and will eat anything and everything...

How do you "train" an active curious housecat to avoid the large climbing post that is decorated with perceived cat toys in the middle of the house?
We tried using a product called a SSScat but figured that would just scare our toddler and be more trouble than it is worth.

We also tried x-pens and baby gates but those plans failed as the cat flung themselves over with ease. This did work for the huge dogs though!

Given our cat situation I am considering just getting a small tree and putting it up high where the cat can't reach it but our toddler can still admire it.

doozer1345 · November 2015

@camillaandcarson have you thought about something like this:

I have a tree and still dream about doing the stick one!

kbrands7 · November 2015

@doozer1345 Your wreaths are awesome! I'm so glad to see that the coat hanger ornament wreath worked too because that project is on my list this year. : )

I'm also going to make a felt board Christmas tree in our dining room for DS to play with, sort of like this:

doozer1345 · November 2015

kbrands7 said:

@doozer1345 Your wreaths are awesome! I'm so glad to see that the coat hanger ornament wreath worked too because that project is on my list this year. : )

I'm also going to make a felt board Christmas tree in our dining room for DS to play with, sort of like this:

Pinterest

I've wanted to try that as well! The hanger wreath does get tricky at the end when you have to reattach the end to the hook on the hanger. Have some hot glue ready to put ornaments that decide to jump ship back in place. I only had at the max 4 pop off.

yogahh · November 2015

doozer1345 said:

Sorry to bring this one back up but I wanted to show off my handmade decor!

You are making me so very jealous. I don't have a crafty bone in my body. If I try any of this, it would be a "pinterest fail"

doozer1345 · November 2015

@yogahh I'm serious. The hanger wreath is stupid easy. I'm not even kidding. It's really fool proof and it's so pretty.

kbrands7 · November 2015

$5 toddler felt tree is finished! (Well, I'll make some gifts for it when/if I find time.) DS was super excited!

Bltbear82 · November 2015

@kbrands7 that tree is adorable! DS would lose his mind over it, I just wish we had a free wall for it. Super cute!

kbrands7 · November 2015

Bltbear82 said:
@kbrands7 that tree is adorable! DS would lose his mind over it, I just wish we had a free wall for it. Super cute!

Thanks! It kept DS busy all evening while we set up the basics of the real tree (platform, train, tree, lights.)

camillaandcarson · November 2015

The felt tree is so adorable! I am not crafty but want to do this! How did you get it to only be $5.00?

kbrands7 · November 2015

camillaandcarson said:
The felt tree is so adorable! I am not crafty but want to do this! How did you get it to only be $5.00?

Felt is on sale this time of year usually. I got a yard of green felt for $3 and small random colors for 20-30 cents per sheet. Felt sticks to felt already, and I had some sticky back industrial velcro at home already to attach the tree to the wall.

camillaandcarson · November 2015

Thank you! I am going to try this for my toddler.

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