Christmas Decorations

It may be just one row of lights on the front gate or a tiny little tree from the back yard with some cotton on it but there is something about seeing Christmas decorations that melts the heart and make one feels warm all over.

Most of the Christmas home decorations we see in the Christmas stores have evolved from many different cultures. The evolution of Christmas as we know it today is no doubt better than the old holidays. At the mere mention of holly, ivy or mistletoe the visions of Christmas with all its wonderful memories wanders into our minds.

We see visions of ornaments on trees, snow covered hills, carolers singing, ringing bells and outdoor lights, lighting up the night. In the winter when most native plants lose their leaves, flowers and fruits, the evergreens, holly, ivy and mistletoe are winter wonders to admire. It is no wonder that these winter delights were used to brighten up the cold dark days of winter.

Christmas is my very much loved time of the year. I love everything about it. I love putting out Christmas decorations and having friends and family members over for drinks and snacks. It is a magical time of the year for me that I love sharing with those I care about.

Since I love the holidays so much I have collected many Christmas decorations through the years. When we travel I go to the selection of Christmas decorations in gift and souvenir shops. Now we have so many ornaments for the tree that we need to have two trees in the house so that I can display all the Christmas decorations I have accumulated.

This is also enjoyable because we put one tree in the living room in front of the bay window so that you can see it from the outside as well as inside. The second tree we put in our bedroom. I love falling asleep with the lights on the tree and the decorations sparkling in the lights.

By having two trees I place the formal ornaments on the living room tree and place the homemade and whimsical ornaments on the upstairs tree. Having two trees is extra work, but it is worth the effort. I also place a small artificial tree with miniature ornaments in the guest bathroom.

Ornaments are not the only Christmas decorations I have accumulated. I also have a snowman village as well as a winter scene village. I put out the village displays the day after Thanksgiving and leave them out until the end of January.

I have also started collecting hand crafted old world Santa’s. They are created by a local artisan using recycled furs and wool fabrics. Each one is a work of art and has its own character. I leave them out for an extended period of time also.

The additional element of Christmas that I enjoy is baking and candy making. It is the time of year that people do not seem to be concerned about what they eat. It is so much fun to entertain this time of year because the Christmas decorations on cookies and candies add a festive look to the platters.

From the day after Thanksgiving until New Years I make sure that I have Christmas goodies available to share with anyone that drops by. I make special snack mixes that are both sweet and salty to take along to other’s homes. I also make special treats to place on co-workers desks.

I take pleasure in life throughout the year but nothing can replace the magical feelings I get when I hang the first Christmas decorations each year. Seeing the special things that I have collected over the years is like greeting old friends.

Mistletoe for Christmas decorating has a special meaning for the holidays today. The hanging of the mistletoe in the doorways creates many plots and diversions to receive a kiss under it. The mistletoe kissing tradition comes from the Norse myths.

Frigga, one of the gods, gave her son Balder a charm of mistletoe to protect him from the elements. But because mistletoe grows neither from the water or the earth nor from fire or air, it grows on trees, it held the power to harm him.

One of the other god's arrows made of mistletoe struck Balder down, and his mother cried tears of white berries. She brought her son back to life and vowed to kiss anyone who rested beneath the plant.

So the mistletoe kissing tradition began. In the early days mistletoe was called the all-healer in Celtic speech and in various European countries mistletoe is believed to possess marvelous powers of healing sickness or even averting misfortune.