Christmas Tree Day

Note: This is the first post in a series that will lead to the unveiling of our first ever Christmas Non-Tree.
For part two, go here.

Can you believe that today is the first day of December? I feel like September was just a few days ago!  Growing up, I always loved the month of December. The sparkling lights around the city, glowing Christmas trees glimpsed through windows, Christmas music playing in the stores. Such a hopeful, optimistic month filled with love and goodwill.

My family has created many many Christmas traditions and I hold each one of them dear. However, once I got married I knew I needed to create new traditions with my new little family. John and I were unable to fly home to New Mexico for our first two Christmas' which was sad and lonely, but I think it was also a way to drive home the point we are each other's family and we created amazing holiday traditions that we look forward to now.

One of the first things we did together for our first Christmas was chop down our own tree and decorate it together. That tradition, however, is going on the back burner this year. We are visiting New Mexico for Christmas and that has forced us to make some sacrifices both financially and with our traditions. We decided to use the money we'd typically spend on a tree towards our airline tickets.

Don't worry, though! That doesn't mean we aren't going to have a Christmas tree! We are simply creating a non-tree Christmas tree!  What is a non-tree Christmas tree, you ask? Well, it's a tree that is constructed from upcycled things you have at home. It's a way to enjoy the lights and ornaments and other decorations without having a tree (real or fake).

For the past week I've been cutting hundreds of snowflakes in preparation for the first ever Holt Christmas Non-Tree.  Our house is covered in little paper flakes and my fingers are bruised and sore. Our computer paper has been diminished and all I can see are tiny triangles and circles and folded paper.

By the end of the day, though, the Holt Christmas Non-Tree will be displayed for all to see. So, stay tuned for periodic updates on the snowflakes, the Christmas lights, the non-tree, and the holiday spirit!

Part two - Snowflake Blizzards

Thanksgiving Place Cards

John and I are getting excited about traveling up to Maryland for his family's wonderful Thanksgiving blow out. When I say blow out you may think I'm exaggerating but, really, I'm not. I think the last number I heard of family members expected was around 60. We'll have every bed filled, every couch claimed and every dark corner filled with an air mattress. John's as giddy as a little kid on Christmas Eve.

Every year our little cousins are in charge of making the place cards and with our numbers that's quite a responsibility. The cards they whip up every year are always creative and fun (although we do switch around the seating arrangements right up until the meal starts...shhh).  I've been thinking about what they'll do this year and started brainstorming some beautiful but simple ideas for Thanksgiving tables that will be crowded with family members on Thursday.

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 With a simple swipe of the hacksaw these pinecones are ready to hold seating cards. What a great way to entertain the kids - send them out to gather pinecones while everyone else is busy in the kitchen. Of course, an adult would have to use the hacksaw, but what a simple and rustic addition to the dining room table.

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 This just makes me smile every time I see the picture. There are no words for this playful name card.

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 Another way to keep the kids occupied is sending them out to collect twigs. As with all things nature, I love bringing in the rustic simplicity of this easy place card.

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 These may be my favorite yet. The elegance and simplicity.

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 You know me and my love for upcycling. What a beautiful way to recycle cardboard while creating a simple but fun pumpkin place card. I love it...although to be perfectly honest, my fingers hurt just thinking of all the cardboard that would have to be cut for our 60 family members. Perhaps for my side of the family, though, where about 12 will gather to enjoy family and food it would be more reasonable.

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I think the kids would love to paint the rocks and they bring some color and whimsy to the Thanksgiving table.

What are your family table decorations? Do you have any traditions when it comes to decorating or cooking? When I was a kid, I'd spend the night at my grandparent's house and help decorate the table for Thanksgiving. Of course, I didn't have 60 place cards to make, just a simple centerpiece and table settings to set for 12-15 of us.

It's Not Thanksgiving Yet

I'm still a relatively new blogger and this is my first time blogging through the holiday season. I'm looking forward to sharing inspiration, excitement, and holiday cheer with one another and being the nosy person I am, I can't wait to see how others decorate their houses for the holidays. I've already seen some amazingly scary, fun, and classy Halloween homes and boy was that great.

I worked for a major retail store one year and was shocked with how early the store began planning for Christmas, decorating for Christmas, and overall pretending it was Christmas.  It seems as though every year the retail world decides to ignore more and more days between the end of summer and Christmas. I went into Joanns a couple weeks before Halloween and found more Christmas decor than fall and Halloween decor!

I don't know about you, but I feel jibed when people fast forward.  I personally like to experience the present rather than wish it was the future. When people around me are fast fowarding, skipping and ignoring an entire month, a month with a fabulous Thanksgiving holiday and tradition galore, I become saddened.

And so, when I woke up on Tuesday, November 1, and noticed that many in the blogosphere had taken down their Halloween fall decor and are now sharing and planning their Christmas and winter decor, I looked wildly at the calendar and realized we still have an entire wonderful month to enjoy the pinecones, the rustic wreaths, the corn and pumpkin decorations and the tradition of being thankful.

So, I just wanted to let you know that I will not be publishing Christmas and winter-themed posts on Turning a House into a Home until the day after Thanksgiving.  With Christmas music blasting on the radio and the turkey in my belly, I will only then say goodbye to the fall, the wonderful holiday of Thankgiving, and embrace December and all that it brings.

On that note, these are my latest love for the month of November:

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Happy November!!!