Holiday Decorations?

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

'Tis the season, trees are being trimmed, lights are strung, and nativity scenes are everywhere (well, not EVERYwhere, but they should be!)

Do YOU decorate for the holidays? Tell us about your decorating schemes, your holiday themes, and your Christmas traditions!

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Our family goes out together to a tree farm and we always cut a fresh tree. Everyone decorates, and the kids have even started decorating their rooms. We have a nativity scene for every decorated room. We use a star on top of our tree commemorating that beautiful heavenly body that guided the shepherds and wise men. Unfortunately, my husband doesn't get regular paychecks during the month of December, so we don't do decorations outside to keep our power bill low enough to pay, :(

Christmas Eve we read the book "The First Christmas According To Luke" before the kids go to bed (even though they are 13 & 15, we will continue this until they leave our house. We will present them with their OWN book when they leave home!) Christmas morning is the ONLY day my children are allowed to eat cake for breakfast. We make a birthday cake for Jesus, we set an extra place at the table. The children only receive three gifts (as in the example of the baby Jesus), and are only allowed to open them AFTER the birthday celebration is over. We keep our tree up until the day after New Year's to symbolize keeping the spirit of Christmas alive throughout the coming new year.

[Faithful_Servant]

Outside is centered around a 5' tall cross outlined in clear C-9 bulbs every 4". It's bright enough that plants start growing in front of it if we leave it on for more than 3-4 days. The house is trimmed in a double layer of moving icicle lights with multi-colored C-9s to set them off. Our entryway is outlined in red rope lights. The walkway in 3' candy canes with clear mini-lights strung between them. The yard is outlined with clear C-9s on stakes. The shrubs are usually covered with multicolored mini-lights. Up to this year, we decorated the Blue Spruce with C-9s, but it's just too stinking tall now (unless we can get our neighbor's daughter's boyfriend to come over with his cherry picker). We also have a 3'-4' illuminated Nativity scene. One of these years we're going to find someone who can make us a giant Christmas card for the front yard. The one we want has Santa Clause kneeling at the cradle of Jesus with the words "...every knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

Awesome Faithful!

You'll have to take some pics and post them if you can! I know it must be a beautiful sight. I have seen that scene with Santa kneeling before the manger before, it's definitely a good one! I wish we could decorate outside ... maybe after the kiddos are grown and out, we can start decorating for them to come and bring their own kiddos to see.

[TheRealLobo]

Years ago, I started decorating my Christmas trees in a single color. It took me awhile to convince Mrs Lobo to try it, but if you've never had all white, all blue, or all red decorations (garland, lights, and bulbs), it makes for an incredibly beautiful tree.

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

Lobo,

I bet it is awesomely beautiful! I have seen an all purple tree and all blue, those are presonally my favorite colors too!

One day I would like to do a Victorian tree -- have seen some of the ornaments, and they are exquisite!

[CaliGirl]

Since CaliBoy and I live in a small place, we don't have many decorations up. We have a small 2' already decorated tree sitting on an end table. I have a wreath on the front door and our square eating table has a white table cloth with red place mats. Going to ask 88 year old mother-in-law if I can borrow a center piece for the table since she doesn't decorate her home much in the last few years.

No traditions like in the past when our daughters were young and at home. Since moving back to Orange County CA, we have been going out to Palm Springs, CA to CaliBoy's sister and brother-in-laws home.

CaliBoy's sister loves purple and different shades of the color throughout her home. Her Christmas tree in the formal living room has all purple ornaments, none of them being the 'round' ball kind. Let me tell you how hard it is to find purple none ball ornaments! She also has a patriot small tree which is absolutely beautiful.

[ronin9]

when i was a kid,we used to put lights everywhere outside.now it's reduced to a wreath around the front door,and a tree.

[Beowulf]

Normally, I cut a tree fresh at my Dad's tree farm but since I just wanted to get home after my Turkey Day fiasco, I didn't stop this year. We may set up our old artificial tree in the window where we set up every year.

The wife wraps the front door with a bright paper and a bow while I decorate the porch in colored lights, white snowflake lights and gold and green garlands.