Christmas decorations

It's amazing how quickly love dies. ;-) Lol.

LMAO!!!!

Tuna melt!!! Grab the cheese!!

As you know I have all kinds of Christmas stuff...but I'm taking to decorating lightly this year, as I'd kind of like to sneak away an day or two this season. I have the kid's rooms all done now and am half way through my room also. Some tips I've learned is that when you put up lights in an window or outside make sure they can be seen in either way, indoor or outside, and keep them simple.  Sometimes one small lighted candle in an window says it all. As for what colored lights, I don't think it matters as long as they are well organized and not haveing that "thrown up"  look to them. I have discovered that lights on the edge of one's property makes the whole house appear bigger also if they are combined with simple matching lights on the roof top. I have always wanted to make one big wooden Christmas yard Card with an spot light on it one time and never have as of yet. Each year for me has been an bit different. Last year black trees with white lights and red ornaments was an hot item for the decorators...as was sheer copper ribbons with greenery and pine cones. My original house tree was all angels at one time, about 15 feet tall (I have what is called an cathederal ceiling) ..either hand crocheted or those little hanky type hand-made angels...any other I can find suitable .I have an string of lights with plastic Globes that fit over the ligths of old traditional Chrismas scenes...about 40 years old now.  The tree was gold, turquoise and white angels for the most part. It has as the kids are growing up went to red, white and green..to muticolored lights also. Downstairs has always had an Santa Claus theme to it. I use to have on my big picture window some plastic "Stain glass" decal on it..it made it look like an huge stained glass window for the middle panel..and it reflected the colors of purple, blue, truquiose and slight shaded green leaf border.They dont' sell them now.  I have since lost it replacing the window..but I use to use it for the background for deer out in the front yard around an pond setting and looked it"peaceful" out there to see the front yard. We used white lights on the house so you saw the window at night lit up from outside also into the liviingroom.As stained glass goes, it was not the clear colored stuff, but the marbled type of stained glass look. You could see the outline of our white lighted tree inside, from the outside upstairs..but it also gave us privacy an bit as well. As people turn the corner street, they get an view into my house. Right now I have an middle window wooden white shade there. I'm still looking around, I see "Ikea" has Dutch floral type ornaments out this year in red and white. To me its not how much you have, its how well presented it looks. For the most part I'm not feeling in health to have an lot of doings this year. I'd rather take an year off and go to someplace that has all the decorations up. I have yet to find someplace that is people friendly though and has an homey look to things over an strickly "business" look to it. Maybe I can go check out what Macy's is doing downtown this year.This tree I've been sharing with "Dove" back east..she now has red ribbon "birds", paper tube snowflakes, babyfood jar candle holders or candy holders, clothespins people if she made them (angels), this year she got some acorns with little squirrels on them, tiny wreathes made with berries,  and she has some bells, and wooden bead strands ..she had done herself also dried apple ring garlands(she sent me some of them  in exchange)...and other various things herself. This is our third year of all homeade ornaments for it...she says its going to have to be taller this year.

For the tube snowflakes...cut off bands one inch wide,..bigger the tube, bigger the band. I use the tubes off used Christmas wrap myself....then your going to hot glue the rest of the cut bands into five directions off the middle round tube band..then .in kind of an slightly squeezed oval...between the five starting directions fill in until the entire thing is filled in to resemble an snowflake. Then you can ligthy spray paint them, or I used spray addesvive glue and put "snow" on them..or you can top them with glitter lightly also.  The bigger the begining tube, the bigger the snowflake.Or if you don't want to do that, they sold like snowflakes last year per each big one about $16 to $29 at World Market in plain colors...they punched the tubes so you could insert and light to make them light up also.  Mostly in red and gold. Remember to "branch" out the directions with the tubes slightly in an oval pattern...one coming on top of another... Start from center and work outward. It goes fast once you get the idea of doing it.