by juni 36 Replies latest jw friends
Other decorating ideas if you're on a tight budget:
Take down pictures from the wall, wrap like a gift w/ribbon and bow and hang back up.
Use fiber fill batting as a tree skirt. You can place different size boxes underneath the fiber fill to give the effect of hills. Sprinkle w/fake snow glitter. Have kids make different buildings/houses from decorated smaller boxes. Everyone can use their creative skills for other things to add to the scene. Nice family project.
I live with my brother and his wife. I'm sure they will decorate but I'll probably just stick to getting some gifts.
Juni?
WTF!!!!!?????
Is this your once-in-a-decade visit?
Signed: Judge Dread/Warlock (only for you, sweetheart)
I can't copy and post in Mozilla. My pride is my Christmas tree. I first set up a small tree at college. People laughed b/c I did not know you had to hook the ornaments. I just stuck them on the tree. I've invested thousands in my tree and ornaments. It is very eclectic and reflects my personality. There are some cheap, glizy balls, some European imported ones, and many sculptures from a store I stumbled upon in Manhattan. I have a Benjamin Franklin mouse ornaments, The Twelve Days of Christmas, Freud, etc. This year I hope to add George Washington on a horse. I embroidered many ornaments.
It is my statement that I am NOT a Witness. Friends bring friends to see my tree. I should edit the ornaments b/c I am in an apt so my tree can't be large. I've developed attachment to them over the years. Recalliing my joy in finding them. Many friends give me ornaments as gifts. I have many Christopher Radkos. It is Park Avenue meets Wal-Mart. I feel that ornaments need to come to life on the tree every year. It may not be as elegant or sophisticated as an edited tree but they all deserve Christmas joy.
My next big item is a tree skirt. Now I use tissue paper.
I like to give gifts and take great care. Recently, I've decreased the price of the gifts and give money to Heifer International. It is a Christian group that is extremely audited. They provide pairs of livestock to 3rd world countries. I can no longer afford to give a cow or pig. So rather than give a hive of bees, I purchase 1/4 of a good sheep or lamb.
Another tradition is the Nutcracker at New York City Ballet, the Ballachine version. I always had a ballet subscription and hated the drag Nutcracker brought to the season. All those tourists. I even wrote a protest letter. My mom and I went one year out of boredom. Nutcracker is not my favorite but it is a wonderful mother daughter combination event. I also see a professional performance of Messiah.
Finally, I always see the windows at Macy's,Saks. I've been doing it since birth and want to die doing it. It is so magical -- if it not way below freezing. The ultimate is seeing the Rockefeller Center Chrismas tree. Sixty years and it takes my breath away. Now all the accumulated years make it special. It is much more than a Christmas tree. When I was young, it was the highlight of the year. As an adult, I go out of my way to see the Neapolitan creche at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
My active JW relatives took me when I was merely a toddler to Macy's to see the toy department at its fullest. The special time was more important than the toys. We always received a small toy that was NOT a Christmas gift. Now I see the toys at Barney's, Bergdorfs, and Saks Fifth Avenue. Window shopping is wondrous.
It is very hard to find a volunteer job at Xmas. The competition is keen.
Sorry, I'm just getting back to this thread tonight.
It has got to be fantastic to live in NYC at this time of year, Band on the Run! I remember as a kid going to downtown Milwaukee and enjoying the retail window decorations along Wisconsin Avenue.
Hi Warlock/Judge Dread. Yeah, I've been off the site for a long time. I come here every so often now. So many "oldsters" are not here anymore. If I'm not working my part time job or volunteering, I'm reading, talking w/friends and taking care of day to day stuff.
yup, my house is all purdy and lit!!
Bend and snap, mamalove!
