I got up today just like any other day. Cleaned a litter box for the cat-room fixed a cup of coffee and sat down to check emails and other such things I do first thing every morning. I had been working on some Christmas decorations, taking old stuff and reworking it to make it look new or better this year. I have collected Christmas memorabilia over thirty years so I have plenty to work with. I started donating a lot of it a few years ago. So now I have hodge podge of different items to work with.
We are not putting up a tree this year since our kids are grown and will not be home for Christmas. We invited our neighbors for Thanksgiving after they offered to give us a turkey and said their kids and grandkids cannot be there for the holidays. We cooked the turkey and side dishes and they brought a desert. They enjoyed it so much they asked us to join them for Christmas. They said they will cook the meal and we can bring desert this time. Much better than being alone for both us and them.
Without having a tree this year, I decided I still wanted to at least have an advent wreath and started with that. The base is still like new, but the trimmings were all shot. We had fresh greenery on it last time and that of course had to be thrown away. I had to order new candles and they are not here yet, but I found a decorative gold plate that I had picked up a few years a go at a thrift shop and had not used yet. It was made to hold candles, not for food, so I set the candle base on it. I also found a mini nativity and used in the center along with a couple angels from the tree ornaments. I did not want to add any greenery until I added the advent candles, so I cleaned the space I planned to set it up.
Once I got a small bookcase cleaned off, I had a perfect place for it. I added a cloth placemat in Christmas colors with poinsettias on it and placed the advent wreath on it. Then I found a Santa kneeling over Baby Jesus praying and added it on one side, next I found a Christmas candle and small plate holder for the other side. It looked good enough to me that I decided the Advent wreath did not need any more décor.
Now for the rest of our living room. First, I have a wreath made from a harp, that I picked up in a thrift shop and had used the past few years. The ribbon, greenery and bow were fading quite a bit, so I took them off and looked for things to redo the harp. A large bow that still looks new added to the top in the same colors as the harp. Then some bells and French horn ornaments hung from the center of the bow, so it had a musical theme. I am happy with that, so I hung it on the front door.
Another child’s wreath I found again at a thrift shop but had not used yet, I worked on adding ornaments to replace what was missing when I got it. I have worked on it and it looks okay, so I hung it on the kid’s old bedroom door. I am not sure what else I might want to do with it, so I decided to sleep on it and work on it more today. So back to when I got up today.
After I sat down with my coffee and checked emails etc. I decided to check on a crafter’s group I recently joined to see if I could get some ideas of what else I might try on the kid wreath. It is basically a train track with a small train on the track. There were a few tiny, scattered decorations like a snowman and some gift packages. I added some bells at the top and a couple ornaments with my kid’s pictures from when they were little.
Looking for other wreaths that might be child oriented, I came across one that was white and had bright red cardinals on it. It was very pretty, and I immediately thought about how cardinals at Christmas time had always brought back images of my Grandfather. He loved cardinals and always had bird feeders for them in winter. Such a pleasant memory for this time of year. I might look for some odds and ends to do one similar next year.
After looking at other wreaths for inspiration I dug through more of the old stuff and rearrange it on the wreath until I was happy with it and went to find my glue gun. My son had borrowed it and he said it quit working the last time he used it. I decided to work on some other decorations and before I knew it my son came in with a new glue gun, bigger and better than the one I had before. It was time to finish that last wreath and get it hung up. I love it and sent a picture to my oldest son who will not be home for Christmas. He really liked.
I will probably keep this wreath the way it is and maybe he will end up with it someday when he has kids. Any way the Christmas decorating is done for this year other than adding the candles to my Advent wreath. Unfortunately, the Advent candles I ordered did not come on time due to the pandemic. The post office is so short handed with workers being sick or quarantined. Christmas will come on time regardless of this year’s pandemic. It will be a little different this year, but we will make the most of it Just like Mary and Joseph made the most of it that first Christmas so long ago. I hope you are able to do the same.
Merry Christmas to all…
From our house to yours.