Spell It Out

Now while the weather is still good enough to open windows or work outdoors, do some preparation for some new Christmas decorations. One idea I ran across uses large wooden letters that can be purchased in a craft store to spell out Joy or Peace or Love or all three if you have enough space on your mantel to set them up.

Decide on what you want to spell out, purchase the letters and some spray paint in the color scheme you've chosen for your decorating. Use a dab of wood glue to attach the letters to each other in a pleasing way. Don't just set them out in a straight line. When the glue is dry, give the wooden letters a couple of light coats of paint. If you spray too much at one time, you'll end up with runs. I would paint them front and back.

When it's time to decorate, set your word(s) up on the mantel and tuck some greens and or ribbons around the base of them.

Becoming a 2 Tree Family - By Trish Berg

I tend to be a perfectionist when it comes to decorating our Christmas tree. When my kiddos were little, I used to let them put the ornament son, and then I woudl stay up well past midnight re-decorating the tree. I just could not live with the ornaments placed on in clumps and groups. I wanted it to look perfect.

I am not justifying my perfectionism, I may have scarre dmy kids for life. But now that they are tweens and teens, they do decorate the tree themselves and I no longer stay up well past my bedtime to re-decorate it.

I think they have just adapted to my way of decorating the tree.

But kids also need freedom, and so we began a new tradition about ten years ago.

We put an artificial tree in our family room, and that is the one we decorate well. Little white lights, even garland and perfectly placed ornaments. The one that satisfies the perfectionist in me.

Then we get a 2nd tree, a live tree, and put that one in our kitchen. We cal it our "kitchen tree." That tree has colored lights on it, strung popcorn, and only homemade ornaments hung wherever the kdis want to hang them. It is a "keep your hands off mom" tree, and it is just beautiful.

All December long, the kids add strung popcorn, beads, cut out paper ornaments. Whatever they make they hang on our kitchen tree.

So relax, mom. Let go of your standards, and let your kids have some fun. Get a 2nd tree, and make it theirs.

Decorating Your Life by Trish Berg

Well, all the decorations are tucked away, and life is getting back to normal around the Berg house. We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Very traditional. Lots of baking, presents, and family.

But sometimes, after Christmas we can all feel a bit blue.

Just last night my teenager informed me that her new MP4 player she got from grandma is broken. Yep, only 2-3 weeks old and broken. She is not sure why. I am not either.

We all wish for great gifts, presents, things to have and hold. But things are fleeting. They break.

And you are left feeling empty again.

But Christmas isn't about the things you get. As great as presents are, they are merely things. Things that will wear out and break.

I bet in 5 years you won't be able to list the gifts you received this year for Christmas.

But faith- that is something you can hold onto forever.

Did you find the Baby Jesus under your tree this Christmas? Did you find faith?

The Gift of faith came wrapped in clothes lying in the manger.

Did you find Him?

If not, there is still time. Christmas is not over unless you want it to be over.

The decorations may all be tucked away in the attic, but is your life still decorated with the faith of Jesus?

What will you do today to show the world you BELIEVE?

How will your life be decorated with God's love?

Christmas Stockings Add Pizzazz To Any Room

Here is a photo of my sons and I with a few stockings in view. Yes, the Christmas stockings are handmade by me, from felt, sequins and glitter. My husband, Will, took the photo, so he is not in it and I promise to soon find a photo including Will, and share that on this blog.

I have a few extra Christmas stockings, in addition to the five that we hang on the fireplace mantle. By the way, why five stockings for four folks? One for each of our sons, one for my husband, Will, one for me, and the fifth one is for our cats to share. They don't mind sharing! Each Christmas morn they hope for a can of tuna (sold for human consumption, not cat food grade) and a bit of organic catnip, grown by my sister Sky in Wisconsin. Our cats are not disappointed, since they are VERY good kitties.

My easy decorating tip involves colorful Christmas stockings. One year at a dollar store I found a pretty red stocking that says “I Believe”. I bought several as gifts for friends, and an extra one for my family, and now each year I take a push pin and hang this Christmas stocking in the bathroom. Every year, at the end of the season, stores put Christmas stockings on sale, so that is a great time to buy more for your next year's decor, and keep a look out at craft fairs for stockings that appeal to you.

In the same bathroom I hang a handmade colorful stocking that I bought at a fund raiser. The person who stitched it created a very cute stocking, including a sleigh loaded with gifts and real ribbons. Hanging a few holiday stockings is such a quick way to add a Christmas glow to any room, even the sometimes overlooked bathroom.

Wrapping Your Holiday In Lights

I LOVE Cathy's tip about decorating your kitchen in little white lights. In fact, I am, what you might call, a little white light addict of sorts. I hang those bright strands all over our century old farmhouse - on the banister; on top of my kitchen cabinets; on the barn beams in the high ceiling kitchen. Everywhere. AT night time from Thanksgiving to New Year's we are like Motel 6 - We'll leave the light on for you...literally. It is never dark here at night.



GLASS BLOCK CHRISTMAS GIFT DECORATION
I shared in my comment on Cathy's post another neat idea, about making a lighted Christmas gift out of a glass block (like a single glass block from a basement window), a strand of lights, and a bow. I purchased one at a craft show, but they are so simple and inexpensive to make.



I wanted to share a picture of this awesome Christmas decoration. And also give you the link with the instructions: www.thriftyfun.com/tf37245405.tip.html







CHRISTMAS TREE THAT GLOWS

And my ultimate favorite, simple Christmas decoration tip is this: If you decorate with an artificial Christmas tree, as you assemble the pole, wrap little white lights tightly around the pole, all the way up, as many as you can fit.

Then put the branches on as normal, and string the lights as normal on the branches. Your tree will have a 3 dimensional look,and will glow with lights. There will be no empty or bare spots, because the pole lights are top to bottom. It almost plays a trick on your eye, and make the tree look more beautiful than you can imagine.

And yes, I know, I need to seek help for my little white light addiction. My husband grew up with those huge colored lights on his childhood tree. So bless his heart, he lets me drape the tree in white lights anyway.

Which leads me to a question. Do you decorate your Christmas tree the same way your mom and dad did? Colored or white lights? Live tree or artificial? We tend to stay in our comfort zone, so I bet most of us do.

And what happens when you like white lights and your sweet hubby likes colored ones? Or he like artificial trees and you like live ones? Who wins???

We have solved that problem in the Berg house by using an artificial tree that we can put up the day after Thanksgiving and I can drape it with white lights. Then we purchase a very small live evergreen a couple of weeks before Christmas and put colored lights on that one. The kids then get to decorate it with homemade decorations, like paper ornaments, popcorn strings, paper chains, etc...

Both are unique, and both are beautiful.

And however we decorate our homes, what is even more important is how we decorate our hearts. Are we kind and loving? Forgiving? That beauty is beyond compare.

Boy, it's only July and I am so ready for Christmas already!!!! I wonder if there are any little white lights I can grab from the attic and......

Oh, no, here I go.....

Enjoy the journey-Trish
www.TrishBerg.com