Every year, I find Christmas comes and goes too quickly. But that doesn’t mean my decorating prowess doesn’t manifest as the North Pole in my little living room.
As a self- proclaimed Christma-holic, I’m usually hit by the holiday bug in early October. Hiding my eagerness to move toward the most wonderful time of the year until Halloween, I decorate early in November for two major reasons:
- Savouring the most amount of Christmastime possible
- Decorating is a major undertaking so the time investment needs to be worth it.
*Then again, I’ll decorate like this for a one day event only to tear it down 24 hours later, so this point is subjective.
Everything from the handsoap in the bathroom to the throw in the couch takes on a holiday theme. My current favourite tree-scented soap is from Method, which I only discovered this season. Last holiday I was left soapless after Bath and Body Works discontinued their balsam foaming hand wash. * Insert crying emoji.*
Over the years I’ve collected many ornaments, which I keep meticulously organized. The tree is stuffed with baubles, birds, drops, sparkles and colour, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have to give myself a full-fledged pep-talk to get started. It’s like getting on the treadmill after an entire year. Who wouldn’t need an epic self pep-talk?!
But all the heavy decor lifting is all made worth it when the view is as magical as this skinny condo sized tree. Somehow I skew toward pink ornaments, but I also love orange, red, blue, green and white.
These burlap bags are probably the most useful Christmas decoration in my collection. They are giant Santa sacks I picked up from Homesense years ago to use exactly how Santa sacks are intended to be used: lugging around gifts. Our families are spread across southern Ontario, so we’re traveling lots during the holidays. And having each location’s gifts and other items all sectioned together makes quick visits home to feed our cats way more efficient. It’s pretty sweet.
Speaking of sweet, these tiny chocolate truffles are by far my favourite item on the tree. Some people adore their angel, or a special bauble they’ve had for 25 years. But I fall in love with these cute chocolats every. single. year. There is a box of about 20, white and dark chocolate, in different shapes. Looking good enough to eat, they are the finishing touch on my tree.
The living room bookcase, my blank canvas for every season. Cards, wine charm holding reindeer, stockings and of course my Marty Moose mug (from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation). It’s like an extension of the tree to continue the magic of Christmas across the room.
Last but not least is the most special traditions of the holidays, my advent calendar. In recent years, it seems advent calendars have really spiked in popularity. The boyfriend started this handmade, handfilled advent years ago so it’s an extremely personal touch that lasts throughout December. In these little boxes of joy, I’ll find anything from a Pandora charm for my Christmas charm bracelet to tasty Purdy’s chocolates. Either way, each little surprise makes me smile and fall a little more in love.
Are you a big holiday decorator, or do you err on the simpler side of things? The great thing is that decor can always be scaled back if the holidays get really crazy. Flexibility is key!
Happy Holidays to you and yours.
