I love Christmas Trees! The worst part of Christmas is taking down the tree. It’s great to sit and watch the tree lights twinkling at night all through December. There’s just something about Christmas lights in the evening that is so soothing! I love it so much that I turn my Christmas tree lights on in the morning and leave them all day. About 9 years ago, I came up with the idea to keep a small three foot tree up all year. Then I would make or collect ornaments for it and change it each month depending on the holiday or season. Of course about 2 years after I came up with it, someone else did too and now you can find mini ornaments in every store.
Here are a couple of pictures of my tree at different times.
This one is for fall. I think I spent about $7.00 on all of it. The tree was $2 at an after Christmas clearance sale and then I collected the decorations at after Halloween sales and at yard sales.
For September, it has leaves and mini pumpkins on it for ornaments.
In October, I put little ghosts, Jack O’ Lanterns and bats. Then I put some garland or black and orange ribbon around it.
After Christmas one year I bought all snowman stuff for my January tree. I spent about $3 on everything. I used leftover fake snow to put around the base too.
The first year for my Valentine’s tree I made all red and white hearts out of construction paper. Then one year I found heart ornaments on clearance at Hobby Lobby.
I keep a tree up each month: Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, and of course for spring I bring out my favorite collection of gnomes! For each tree I’ve spent less than $5 and it’s always so nice to have something festive all year.
Tawra
Just wanted to give everyone an idea along this same line. My 14 year old granddaughter has wanted a pink Christmas tree every year for the past 5 years to put up in her room at Christmas. After Christmas last year her parents bought a pink tree, pink ornaments, pink garland and other pink things for the tree. They gave it to her for her birthday in June. She set it up that day and it looks so cute. She has Zebra print everything with pink walls and the pink tree looks adorable.
Jill
So lovely:) I agree with you about the Christmas lights- One of my favorite things about the Christmas season. Love the tree and also love the curtains behind the tree!lol
I really like your year-round tree idea, Tawra! And you’re right….it IS wonderful having the tiny tree lights on in the evening.
We often move our lights from the Christmas tree to the top of our bookshelves and entertainment center, and leave ’em at least until Val’s Day!
Thank you again for all the helpful info from your site and blog!!
Cute!!! I Love it!!
What a great idea!!!!!! I absolutely love it… Do you leave it up all year?
What year did you “come up” with this idea? I wonder if it was a general thought that year or something because I started doing the same thing about 5 yrs ago with my big tree. I never got through the whole year though, about March I got tired of redecorating it and took it down. Now I just decorate the house for the seasons. I have different colored plastic dish ware/glasses, towels, table cloths, blankets/throws, etc. Still takes about 2 days to switch everything around just right so it looks nice.
I actually came up with the idea in 1998 or so. I didn’t actually implement it until 2003 when I thought I had “settled” in for my last move. Another move and one more one the way later I was wrong about the “last” move. LOL
I usually take off June, July and Aug. Only because I’m a big gardener and am using my time for that.
very fun, Tawra-celebrate life!!
cute idea. I love decorating for every holiday and I have a little mini artificial tree that would be perfect for that. Thanks for sharing.:)
i saw a tutorial on how to make a christmas tree out of hangers (wire) .. it was really neat ..
we cant afford a tree and we havent had one up in our home in so long (over 15 yrs!) .. this yr i wanted one but with my schedule it was very hard .. after seeing that video this yr i will have one up .. it will be small and cute but i would like to have one up ..
hubby said we should get one of those gingerbread houses adn make that and put that next to the little tree and dress up a table for the holiday’s next yr …
he has never requested anything like this b4 and with his disability its nice to have him thinking of next holiday season (even if we just got over this last one) .. like he’s planning on enjoying being with us for the rest of the yr (and if GOD wills it, he will!) ..
yes thanks for sharing this with us .. :D
HI Tawra.I just joined last night.I thought I was alone-I still have my tree up from Christmas!! I love the lights & it keeps me a bit cheerier during these cold windy dreary & snowy winter months. It is my living room winter night light-only until I go to bed, then I unplug it. I was thinking of decorating it with ribbons & hearts, & Xs & Os. Remember when the Christmas Tree Shop came out with little white trees & packages of ornaments-eggs, bunnies ,etc. for Easter- in the early 90s? I bought those there-but I’ve moved several times since then & lost things,or had to leave things behind. I had no room to store things like that-decorations & such. I’m settled in to a nice Apt. now & I can have little things like that again. I’ve always loved decorating & crafts. I cut out hearts from felt, 2 the same size for each color,& embroidered flowers,hearts, sayings,& Xs & Os on them. I just have to close the edges most of the way, stuff them -close the rest and add string or ribbon & hang. If you like crafts-go to Fave crafts .com. Also try Dollarstretcher.com. I also love to garden.I got many tips & recipes here.Thank you for sharing :)
How sweet!! I love the way it changes so much with each hoilday or season! I bet children love this idea too!
I just happen to be surfing your website and seen this idea. I am going to do this. I love this idea! changing decorations to fit the time of year. My husband said its a “redneckish” thing to do. I told him whether he offers his opinion or not I’m doing what I want where this is concerned:) Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I usually tell the gals when the husband makes a comment like “You got to be kidding your are doing what to the room.” Or “There is no way that color will look good on the bedroom walls.” Just to smile nicely, ignore them and decorate anyway. Most guys are a little challenged when it comes to decorating but we love them anyway and what’s even funnier they are usually the first ones to say “This looks so cool” at least they will say that if they are well trained. : ) :). Just teasing.
Just wanted to give everyone an idea along this same line. My 14 year old granddaughter has wanted a pink Christmas tree every year for the past 5 years to put up in her room at Christmas. After Christmas last year her parents bought a pink tree, pink ornaments, pink garland and other pink things for the tree. They gave it to her for her birthday in June. She set it up that day and it looks so cute. She has Zebra print everything with pink walls and the pink tree looks adorable.
Michelle, that’s funny. I like rednecks myself. They are real and down to earth.
Jill,
This post makes me think of Christmas and you and your Gingerbread Men. When will you start making the dough? How many cookies do you make each season? It makes me happy just thinking about the holidays!;)
I was doing the same thing Barb just the other day. It maybe is the hot weather making us dream of Christmas. I will make up the dough around the end of September. I then make some gingerbread ghosts in Oct. for the grandkids to take to school for their parties but start baking in earnest the second week of November. I usually have a bunch people want them for their Thanksgiving dinner.
Depending on how I am feeling I bake about 300 -500 dozen. I always laugh and say I have to put in about 5,000 eyeballs in the little fellers each year besides decorating them. That is a lot of eyeballs. Even though they are a lot of work I still love doing them so much.
Jill-
That’s so great that your little men are wanted for Thanksgiving! I’d like to order at least 2 dozen, please, for Thanksgiving!!
How are your grocery prices doing? I’ve been hearing that with this drought people should begin stocking up because we will have shortages and higher prices in several months. What food items should I buy now if I wanted to stock up?? Are you planning in doing some stocking up yourself? Thanks!!
Be honest I use to try to stock up when I heard things were going up but a couple of things happened they either didn’t go up or if they did other things went down so I don’t stock pile any more for that reason. I keep a reasonable amount of emergency food but that is about it. So far none of our food has gone up any more then normal. It may hit in a few months though more. Plus it is really hard to say what exactly will go up. A couple of years back they said strawberries were going up because of a freeze in Florida but I ended paying less for strawberries then and now then what I have ever paid before. I get them for $.99 a quart. 15 years ago I was paying almost $3-4 a quart.
I kind of hate it when people get too carried away (it is ok to do some) stockpiling because it usually causes way more problems then what the original shortage was going to cause.
It seems that always come up with some excuse to raise prices. Food in regular groceries stores are expensive. Peanut butter at $7.00 a jar is ridiculous and coffee was $13.00 a can for awhile, and Tide was $20.00 a bottle. Thank God I never buy at those prices in those stores. They ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Jill-
Thats sounds like wise advice to me. I don’t like it when people hoard stuff either. Bea-I agree. Those prices were just awful back then. I DO buy coffee and other staples when they have a super sale. Frankly, my budget is so tight, I can’t afford to stock up much!!
I do the same thing Barb. If I see a good deal on coffee or anything I will stock up too.
we do this at work. The ladies in my office loved our Christmas tree so we decided to leave it up and decorate it year round. We had some really beautiful trees for St Patricks day, Valentines day, Easter, mothers day, summer, fall….. Everyone knew to come into our office to check out the new decorations