Getting ready for Christmas
After traveling the past two weekends, it was so nice to wake up in our own bed this Sat. But it doesn't mean we had a relaxing weekend.
My office holiday party was Friday night. It was great this year. The place, the food, everything was really good. Last year we started making it a casual event, and everyone seems to have so much more fun that way. This year before we all swapped Secret Santa gifts, we all played Christmas pictionary, which was hilarious. Esp. when people really can't draw. Someone had to draw a 'fruitcake" and ended up drawing something that looked like a dead brown chicken with its feet in the air. The feet turned out to be 'candles'. After the party we had a few drinks at Wilson Lodge with a few people who stayed - we had a good time.
Saturday and Sunday though we took a beating. We spent Saturday shopping for stuff for the house - outdoor decorations mainly. We also got the tree Saturday. We went someplace different this year. I was tired of paying way too much(for trees I didn't even like) from the place we'd been going - Fisely's - even if it was a family tradition. So this year we went to another, smaller, locally owned tree farm and ended up with a 10' Frasier fir. This tree is perfect. Not only is it the largest tree we've ever had, it's the prettiest. It's gigantic. We had to buy more lights. We have cathedral ceilings, and had to put it on the high end this year. Usually we only get about a 6' tree. So far we've only got it in the stand and in the house. Both going much easier than in past years.
Tonight we're going to put the lights on it and decorate it. That just leaves a few decorations around the house and we're done. Oh, I didn't mention the outside work we did.
After we bought everything Saturday, we spent Sunday putting up lights. Usually we don't do much - this year it looks great! Very Christmassy (is that a word?) We like to call the house a Christmas Mullet = party in the back, classy in the front. In the front we made a huge, gorgeous wreath that is on the side of the garage as you drive up to the house. It has a spotlight on it. Then we have two small 3' trees in the pots on either side of the garage door, with lights framing the garage. Then on the front porch we have another small lit tree and a wreath. I may add lights around the door if I have time. Everything out front is white lights and elegant. In the back we ran the old-fashioned big, mulit-colored outdoor lights from the 70's around the deck. I love it because you can see the lights on the deck from just about anyroom in the house through the windows. Its all getting very festive.
After we got all that done, we vacuumed, scrubbed and polished the great room. We still have the kitchen floor to do. And I need to clean the bedrooms and bathrooms - but I'll get those done this week. Dan's going away a few nights, so i'll keep busy doing the drudgery.
It's next weekend that will be awful. We've had to wait til the last weekend before Christmas to do our shopping. ugh. We're going to Robinson in Pittsburgh, and I want to get there early, so we can get as much done as we can before we're tire and grumpy, then hit a bar for a few drinks before we go back out and finish up. I just know the traffic will be horrible.
My office holiday party was Friday night. It was great this year. The place, the food, everything was really good. Last year we started making it a casual event, and everyone seems to have so much more fun that way. This year before we all swapped Secret Santa gifts, we all played Christmas pictionary, which was hilarious. Esp. when people really can't draw. Someone had to draw a 'fruitcake" and ended up drawing something that looked like a dead brown chicken with its feet in the air. The feet turned out to be 'candles'. After the party we had a few drinks at Wilson Lodge with a few people who stayed - we had a good time.
Saturday and Sunday though we took a beating. We spent Saturday shopping for stuff for the house - outdoor decorations mainly. We also got the tree Saturday. We went someplace different this year. I was tired of paying way too much(for trees I didn't even like) from the place we'd been going - Fisely's - even if it was a family tradition. So this year we went to another, smaller, locally owned tree farm and ended up with a 10' Frasier fir. This tree is perfect. Not only is it the largest tree we've ever had, it's the prettiest. It's gigantic. We had to buy more lights. We have cathedral ceilings, and had to put it on the high end this year. Usually we only get about a 6' tree. So far we've only got it in the stand and in the house. Both going much easier than in past years.
Tonight we're going to put the lights on it and decorate it. That just leaves a few decorations around the house and we're done. Oh, I didn't mention the outside work we did.
After we bought everything Saturday, we spent Sunday putting up lights. Usually we don't do much - this year it looks great! Very Christmassy (is that a word?) We like to call the house a Christmas Mullet = party in the back, classy in the front. In the front we made a huge, gorgeous wreath that is on the side of the garage as you drive up to the house. It has a spotlight on it. Then we have two small 3' trees in the pots on either side of the garage door, with lights framing the garage. Then on the front porch we have another small lit tree and a wreath. I may add lights around the door if I have time. Everything out front is white lights and elegant. In the back we ran the old-fashioned big, mulit-colored outdoor lights from the 70's around the deck. I love it because you can see the lights on the deck from just about anyroom in the house through the windows. Its all getting very festive.
After we got all that done, we vacuumed, scrubbed and polished the great room. We still have the kitchen floor to do. And I need to clean the bedrooms and bathrooms - but I'll get those done this week. Dan's going away a few nights, so i'll keep busy doing the drudgery.
It's next weekend that will be awful. We've had to wait til the last weekend before Christmas to do our shopping. ugh. We're going to Robinson in Pittsburgh, and I want to get there early, so we can get as much done as we can before we're tire and grumpy, then hit a bar for a few drinks before we go back out and finish up. I just know the traffic will be horrible.
posted by Ren at 9:36 AM
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