My oldest sister and her husband have a great deal of money. They both have had great jobs. In addition to having a good income her husband is a carpenter, so they built and sold houses for a profit. They have built sixteen houses in the forty years that they have been married. They have three daughters that are also working in high paying careers. One of their daughters works for an airline company, so my sister and her husband can fly for free all over the world.
They have traveled extensively and she always brings back some type of souvenir for each of us sisters. My favorite thing that she has given me is a German Christmas ornament. We are from German heritage and so Christmas has always been celebrated in a big way in my family. My mother made many German dishes during the holidays and she had a German Christmas ornament on each branch of the Christmas tree. These ornaments are hand blown and painted to look frosted. The German Christmas ornament that my sister gave me is a snowman that has on a black hat and black buttons. He has a round red nose and a painted mouth. All the details are hand painted. The ornaments are very light weight because of being hand blown glass.
My mother has carefully wrapped each of her ornaments each year. As each of us got married we were given a German Christmas ornament as a shower gift. She has done this for each of her children as well as each of her grandchildren. My mother is now eighty seven years old, but she is continuing this tradition by giving each of the great-grand children a German Christmas ornament at their baptism. She has laughed that the grandchildren need to stop having kids because she only has a few of the original decorations left. She had received a box of sixty ornaments from her father as a wedding gift. He had been to Germany to visit relatives shortly before her wedding and he had brought them back for her. Each year I wrap the ornament from my mother in tissue and place it in a special box by itself so that it does not get broken. The ornament is over sixty five years old. The factory where the original ornaments were crafted is still in operation. I hope that some day I will get a chance to visit it. My sister bought a book when she was there that lists all the ornaments that were ever made. My mom’s collection contained most of them.
Decorating for Christmas is usually a fun family activity. When it comes to pulling out the artificial tree, it can make a fun activity into a large headache. That is why Christmas tree storage is so important. There are several types of units available. Many of them are quite affordable. There are basically three different types of Christmas tree storage products, the bag, the plastic box and the Christmas tree storage containers that store your tree fully decorated.
The Christmas tree storage bag comes in several styles. Some are plastic bags, some are canvas, polyester and some are nylon. Some styles even come equipped with wheels. These usually are under twenty dollars. They tend to be bulky and awkward to move and carry around. They do, however keep the dust and bugs out while in storage. They are usually a good buy for the price.
The container Christmas tree storage method is very popular. They are sometime decorated in Christmas colors and stack easily on the other storage bins. These can vary in price form seven dollars to thirty dollars.
The fully decorated Christmas tree storage bag is very appealing when you think about setting up and tearing down your holiday tree. This form of Christmas tree storage may lose its luster when it comes time to store the device. They take a lot of room and are extremely difficult to carry around, especially down steps. They are usually priced between twenty and fifty dollars.
Christmas tree storage can be made easy by the use of some of these products. Good organization and a little attention to detail also plays a very important role in holiday decorating that is fun. Some simple tips for holiday storage is to use twine, rope or a wide ribbon to hold the branches that are color coded the same together. Make sure you do not tie the tree too tight as it may damage the item.
Try to store all of the artificial tree accessories in the same storage unit. Make sure the container is lightweight and easy to carry. Make sure to smooth down the branches so they lay flat in the container, this allows more room. Store the tree stand in the same container and tape any hardware that the stand needs to the tree stand itself.
A few extra precautions and a well thought out Christmas tree storage container or bag can make the difference between family fun and a severe headache during the holidays.
There is no holiday decoration more traditional and elegant than a balsam Christmas wreath. This classic of holiday décor is available through retailers who will deliver this icon of the Christmas season right to your home. The balsam Christmas wreath makes a wonderful present as well.
Almost anyone who has a birthday at the end of November or beginning of December would love to receive a balsam Christmas wreath as a gift. My sister’s birthday is on December 2nd and I send her one every year. The holiday tradition is well-received and she looks forward to the present every year.
The beauty of the balsam Christmas wreath is in the pine needles. The luscious balsam fir tree is full and fragrant. I just couldn’t imagine the holidays without this traditional decoration for our home. We place it proudly on our front door every year.
This may seem tedious but it really is not. I make sure to send a different style to my sister every year and I like to make my own decoration for my individual balsam Christmas wreath. The decorating options are endless and you can come up with unique ideas for the welcoming icon of the holiday season if you put your mind to it.
When I order my sister’s pre-decorated balsam Christmas wreath I make sure to purchase a plain one for myself. I go to the nearest crafts store for great holiday decorating ideas and put together a theme for the wreath. The theme is different every year. Here are some ideas that I have used in the past.
The “let it snow” theme uses blue and silver tones. I use a lot of sparkle and glitter on this design for the balsam Christmas wreath. There are large snowflake ornaments on the arrangement and I place a little artificial snow on some of the lush fir branches. This is one of my favorite designs.
The Santa Clause design is centered on the well-known character. I use different images related to Santa like a corncob pipe, cookies and milk and a Santa Claus ornament as well. The kids adore this arrangement.
My very favorite is the sleigh bell theme. I love to ring in the holiday season with lots of golden bells and red ribbons. I think that I favor this balsam Christmas wreath because it appeals to the senses. The sound of the sleigh bells and the red, green and gold colors are strongly tied to the season. The scent of the balsam Christmas wreath is a memory booster as well.
No matter what you decide to do with your project, you can be sure that it will be well received if you choose the right foundation. Nothing welcomes the holiday season like a balsam Christmas wreath.