Christmas Memories Monday ~ 12/1/08

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES MONDAY:

Decorating

Ivy over at A Walk In My Shoes is hosting this meme every Monday during the month of December.

1. When do you start decorating for Christmas?

I usually start the day after Thanksgiving, but this year I haven't even gotten the boxes out yet. I'm still trying to catch up from being out of town for a few days.

2. Do you have a color scheme to your decorations?

We really don't do a whole lot of decorating, I like to keep it simple. I do more seasonal (wintery) decorations than Christmas in particular. I use cream and a cranberry-like color in my table decorations and any lights we put up are white.
3. Do you have a particular collection or certain Christmas "symbol" that you favor?

My favorite is my nativity sets. I have a couple of "kid-friendly" ones that the kids love to play with and act out the birth of Jesus, and I have one they can't play with that stays up higher. We know, of course, that Jesus was not really born on December 25th. We celebrate his birth, life, and death on the cross for our sins every day of the year. So, my nativities are not a "Christmas" decoration, as they stay out all year long. Should we pack them up and only remember the birth of our Savior during one season of the year?

My parents made and collected Santas. They did a lot of wood and clay carvings. Since we have a lot of those temporarily stored at our house, we have been putting them out for the last couple of years. None of them are your traditional-looking Santa Claus with red suit and white beard...most are adaptations and there are many from other countries. Very interesting, I must say!

4. What is a decorating tradition of yours that perhaps your mom did and now you do too?

When I was growing up, we had hundreds of ornaments on the tree, all of them had a story and were sentimental in some way. I remember friends commenting on how many there were. They literally shared branches! We don't have that many on ours, but we are getting more by the year. They are all sentimental in some way...a reflection of our family.

5. Where do you place your Christmas Tree?

Our tree goes in front of one set of French doors at the front of our house. I like to see it all lit up when I pull into the driveway at night. It's cozy.

I despise the commercialism of Christmas, so my decorating does not reflect that in any way. You won't find stick-on elves and reindeer on our windows or gaudy lawn decorations. If you like that stuff, please don't take offense...it's just not my style. We like to create a warm, cozy and inviting home for the holidays. In fact, that's my desire all year long, so I hope my decorating during the Christmas season reflects that.

Blessings!

Brandi