Homestead Christmas Decorations

[BonnyLake]

My next door neighbor is from Germany and her decorations are so old fashioned and European that it made we wonder how you all are decorating in the "Homestead Way"! I'm gonna get out the camera and see if I can capture the feel - can some of you do the same for the rest of us?

I love miles and piles of cedar swags and red bows and gingham red & green pillows! And holly branches...etc... :) strung across fences and barn doors..!

461

[JoAnna]

I enjoy traditional decorations too. I always have two big trees, and several smaller 'tabletop' trees. We do use artificial trees because of the expense of buying the fresh cut ones, and the few times we cut cedars to use, I couldn't stand the smell. To me, they smelled like cat pee when they were inside the house.

The one big tree in the main room has white lights, and ornaments made of glass or crystal-- different sizes of icicles and snow flakes, glass birds, crystals shaped like diamonds, clear or frosted white glass balls and 'torpedos' of different sizes. That tree's color scheme is mostly white/silver with a touch of gold and red.

The other big tree, in the family room, has colored lights, and the ornaments are a pretty punched copper star and strings of copper wire balls; tin candle clips with white candles, small silver and gold bells, glass acorns and pinecones, red wooden beads for garland, and sometimes I also put on small apples, candy canes, or gingerbread men.

Both trees vary a little from year to year. I have other ornaments and sometimes I use those, and sometimes I don't, so every year they are a little different.

The several small table top trees have lights of either color.

LOTS of silk poinsettias everywhere. I fill up every basket I own with them. I counted over 50 large bunches of them. A few wreaths of artificial holly, or just berry wreaths.

No pictures, I have a camera but don't know how to post pictures here. I am on dial up, so it's hard to load pictures to something like photobucket because they take so long to upload it usually never finishes. If it was possible to load pictures from my computer directly to here, it would be much easier I think.

[cartershan]

We have one large artificial tree with white lights on the screened porch facing the river. On that tree we only have red and silver ornaments. Not sure why, thats just what we have.
In the living room we have (or will have) a cut tree with colored lights and all the ornaments handed down from generation to generation, hand made by the kids and such. Thats the fun, fun tree. We usually make popcorn strands, candy canes on it as well. Planning on putting it up tomorrow. This is my favorite tree. I have ornaments that were my great grandmothers. Ornaments that I made as a child with my Grandmother. I just love to get all of those ornaments out. I'll just sit and stare at them forever. My husband gets tickled at me! Those memories are precious. Not sad, but uplifting. Shannon

[BonnyLake]

Loading a picture into a post from your own computer >>>

Open a posting/reply box

a couple of inches below the message box - is a box that says
>manage attachments <click on the box >>

there is an option to upload from your computer >> click on "browse"
find the file on your computer (usually in "my pictures")> double click the pic you want to import

then over on the right side -click "upload" >>

click on "close window" and you will come back to your open post box

look back down to "manage attachments"
Attachment #___ it will be there on a list with your name of the pic file >

Set the cursor where you want the pic to be in your post

USE the "paperclip" symbol (attachments) next to the white smiley face above this message box and click on the file to place it in the post.

...
It is fairly easy to do this way, only takes about one minute per picture (if you know where you store them) and you can load lots of pictures to share with us!! You can check the pics by "previewing" your post like usual.

I have no clue how to resize the pics though - maybe that's why so many photos in the posts are HUGE. LOL

This picture will then be on your profile at the bottom of the list under "attachments" and it will show a list of your pics. You can only have so many!!!

Have fun posting those pics now!!

Bonny 462

[offgridbob]

My neighbor had a great looking tree last year but he went on the wagon and doesn't have any holliday beer cans to save this year. It looked pretty neat though, he had one of those lights with a revolving colored disk in front and the tree revolved and all those shining beer cans. I can't remember if it was his third wife or fourth that made him stop drinking.

[BonnyLake]

My neighbor had a great looking tree last year but he went on the wagon and doesn't have any holliday beer cans to save this year. It looked pretty neat though, he had one of those lights with a revolving colored disk in front and the tree revolved and all those shining beer cans. I can't remember if it was his third wife or fourth that made him stop drinking.

Oh my goodness! I can actually picture that in my mind :) People do what people do - funny story bob - was it a family tradition tree? LOL thanks!

[reb]

I tend to do simple stuff-have usually had a coffee can with holes punched in the shape of a star with a votive candle in it each night from the 15th til the night after Christmas. This year, had a wood ring that I cut out of plywood. Took some electric fence wire, some juniper limbs, and made a wreath of it. Since I had no red bow, I put a bow of surveyor's tape on. Looks fine to me. Hung it on the gate.

[cartershan]

Hey Reb, thats great!! Merry Christmas to ya and all of yours! Shannon