I have never gone without a real Christmas tree. In my family, it just isn’t done. You suck it up, go out to the produce stand, strap the tree to the roof of your car, and pray it doesn’t fall off and kill you or someone else on the precarious drive home. You curse as you drag it into the house, knocking over furniture, all the while getting needles and sap everywhere. Then you watch it slowly die, week by week as you forget to water it. By Christmas, it’s crispy, by New Years, you can’t wait to get the darn thing out of the house. It’s a fire hazard.
But we do it. And I’m darn excited to do it again this year. Only this year will be a little bit different. This year, I’m going to have a grown-up Christmas tree. I’m retiring my hap-hazard collection of cheap-o Wal-Mart and Target ornaments, as well as the mish-mash of garland that doesn’t really go together. I will toss out the strings of lights that have sections of dead lights. I’ll keep the heirloom ornaments that didn’t break in the Christmas Tree Disaster of 2006. But this year, I’m going to Home Goods, and I’m getting new ornaments for the tree. They will “match.” Not in the belt, shoes and matching purse kinda way. Nope. In a way inspired by the pictures below.
Wish me luck. And here’s a little inspiration for you too. Whether you are in the artificial tree “camp”, or we’ll be battling it out at Hillbilly Produce for that perfect tree, here are a few pictures I’ve found to inspire my Christmas tree renovation this year. And a few tips for the kiddie ornaments that will inevitably (and gladly) work their way into your collection.
I really like the white, silver, and gold theme going on…. just not sure where the Graham-made paper and syran candy cane ornaments go on this one.
I thought this tree might help me save a few more ornaments, by adding a dash of red… plus the kiddie ornaments may better blend in with this tree!
Same with the one below:
And finally, if you want to relegate the kid-ornaments to a tasteful tree all on their own (so they can really shine), how about this one:
I love the second picture… the gold, silver and red one. I am dying to know where the stockings are from, would you be able to tell me where you found this picture??
thank you, Jo
I love the gold, silver and white! That’s what I’m going with. I got kitchy little trees for each of kids’ rooms and that’s where their ornaments went!;)