Christmas: O Christmas Tree

I have said for years that one year, I would forego all of my treasured ornaments from my travels in favour of an all-white Christmas tree. Each year, though, I can’t resist decorating my tree with my colourful ornaments. A cowboy boot from Dallas mixed in with a mini Vespa from Rimini with a side of clover-leaf angels from Ireland…how could I keep these sweet ornaments packed away?

That said, there are plenty of other opportunities to decorate with white each year. Wouldn’t a collection of white Christmas trees look festive on a sideboard or a fireplace mantel? Or even spread throughout a house? These 12 Christmas trees are delightful!

Christmas tree cookie jar, $98CAD, Pottery Barn; glass tree, $84CAD, Pottery Barn; tree serving bowl, $70CAD, Pottery Barn
white glitter tree ornament, $3.95CAD, Crate & Barrel; tree place card holders (set of 4), $42CAD, Pottery Barn; decorative ornament tree, $54.60; West Elm
tree candle, $14.95CAD, Crate & Barrel; bisque Christmas tree ornament, $5.95CAD, Crate & Barrel; glass tree, $19.95CAD, CB2
large bottle brush tree, $31.95CAD, Art of Home; 16″ fluffy tree, $35.96CAD, CB2; cone tree, $26.95CAD, Art of Home

Personal: November Update of My 2021 Goals

Oh my goodness…one month to complete all my goals. One month to finish crocheting a blanket. I’m not quite sure I’ll get there! Here’s an update of my 2021 goals.

  1. Eat more vegetables. Yes. I have been eating more salads each week, and a few veggie soups, too.
  2. Travel. Does Langdon Hall in Cambridge count? I think so!
  3. Save money. Yes. My new spreadsheet is working well and savings continue (even though it’s challenging with Christmas expenses)!
  4. Pass on magazines/books/clothes/puzzles. Yes. This goal has been an easy one to maintain in 2021.
  5. Crochet a blanket. Nope.
  6. Reduce social media consumption. Yes. I think I have. I feel like I’ve reduced my mindless scrolling.
  7. Play games. Saturday crosswords continued this month, but I haven’t yet learned how to play Backgammon.
  8. Edit my magazine subscriptions. I accomplished this goal a while ago. I’m crossing it off the list!
  9. Read more. Yes. Yes. This month I’ve been reading Amor Towles’ The Lincoln Highway and Joshua Eyler’s How Humans Learn.
  10. Blog. Yes…I’ve been blogging three days a week! Can I cross this off the list now?
  11. Bike ride regularly. I’m deleting this from my goal list because it’s too cold for my liking to ride now.
  12. Have fun! November was quite fun. We had a mini getaway at Langdon Hall, we spent an overnight at my beau’s family cottage, and we decorated for Christmas!

Previous updates: January, February, March, April, May & June, September, October.

Christmas: Decorating with Garlands

Do you decorate with garlands? If so, are your garlands fresh or faux? I don’t seem to have much consistency with garland decoration. Each year brings something different depending on my mood, available time, and greenery selection. This year, we’ve opted for real garland (a mix of cedar and pine) around our front entrance and faux inside. We’ve outfitted both garlands with loads of white lights. Overall, I definitely prefer real greenery for both inside and out.

The garlands in these homes are a mix of real and faux, over-the-top and simple.

Jillian Harris via Style at Home

Marketplace: White Christmas Stockings

Have you started to decorate for Christmas? I usually wait until December 1st, but we took advantage of some warmer weather a few weeks ago to decorate the outside of our home. We may get our Christmas tree this weekend, which would be lovely. A month of decorations suits me well.

Today’s round-up of Christmas stockings are all available at Canadian retailers.

I really quite like the Fa La La stocking! Do you have an instant favourite of this bunch?