"I learned from the best: Nana taught me."
"Wow...I hope you can teach me how, too!"
My mom always had strict decorating instructions for us as kids, and everyone--and I mean everyone--who ever came over to our house at Christmas time would comment on how beautiful (and big! and bright!) our tree was.
Apparently all that sunk in pretty deep because, while I don't think any of the trees I decorate today resemble anything close to magazine show pieces (I've never been good with the finishing touches), we definitely still adhere to the Nelson tree guidelines around here.
Do you adhere to any of these also?
1. A large, artificial tree.
2. Lots of lights, wrapped florist-style, up and down the branches.
2. No twinkling, blinking, or flashing.
3. Bulb ornaments go on first, toward the back of the branches, so they can better reflect (and multiply) the tree lights. Then the other ornaments added, in order: glass, wood, softies, etc.
4. Lots of old family ornaments, in duplicate for each member of the family, and often signifying a major family event. Growing up that meant eight of the same Texas-shaped salt dough ornaments from the year we moved to Texas, and now it means six of the same wooden ornaments from our trip to Palmyra, New York last year.
5. Johnny Mathis' Christmas album playing in the background.
An annual tradition: A living room campout under the lights the night before we take the tree down in January.
3 comments:
We also decorate the tree like Nana taught us.
I love the sleeping in front of the tree tradition!
great post! we all definitely learned the ways of the jedi when it comes to tree decorating.
I guess I follow the McKay way of decorating the tree: Throw the lights on and let the kids have at it decorating the way they want it. Still pretty though :-)
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