Monday, November 29, 2010

O Tannenbaum

First Snowfall

Just a dusting of snow, nothing significant, but just enough to blow around and coat the surfaces in white, and make the fetching home the Christmas trees ever so picturesque! I will confess that in my childhood and well into my twenties, our family NEVER put the Christmas tree up until Christmas Eve. Santa decorated it and the first viewing was upon waking on Christmas morning. Then one year my brother and I went out on Christmas Eve to look for a tree and there were none left! All the vendors were done selling them! We finally found one out behind a convenience store, waiting for the re-cyclers to cart it away. We took it home and ever since then I have put my tree up well in advance of Christmas Eve! And I will confess that in those long ago years we used to point in shock at those who put up their trees right after Thanksgiving. It was way too soon! But I have been converted. At some point I realized that I was only torturing myself by NOT putting my tree up at the earliest possible moment! Because I ADORE Christmas trees! I think it is the lights. I just HAVE to have those beautiful lights at this darkest time of year. So now I rush out and get my trees at the weekend following Thanksgiving.
Trees, PLURAL, you ask? Here again I will confess that I got spoiled in my old house where I had room for more than one Christmas tree, and I was growing them in my back meadow, so OF COURSE I had more than one tree! And since I moved to my small house, I have NOT been able to give up the second tree! One has white lights, and the other has colored ones! It takes me ages to actually decorate them, but the LIGHTS go on right away! Here you can see the white tree in my little upstairs studio.
And here is the tree with colored lights in my downstairs dining room turned studio.
(Yes, these are the 1:1 scale trees!)
Obviously, since this is a blog about my dollhouses, you are waiting to see the dollhouse trees? Well, first I must confess that I had bought a mini tree MANY MANY years ago and hid it in the Someday Cupboard House. I even decorated it with pieces of jewelry and beads and tiny birds and cut out paper card ornaments. It is Charlotte's tree, technically, but her house is currently not habitable, so she and the children have gone south for the winter. It seems a shame to not use the tree anyway, so I pulled it out and tried it in the Lovely Old Dollhouse, but it is too TALL! Ken is looking it over. It has no working lights, but Ken is not too concerned.


He likes the rustic decorations. Perhaps it would be perfect in the Castle? We know that in Medieval times there would NOT have been a tree.... other than the Yule Log they burned in the Great Hearth!


But Ken is thinking of holding a Holiday Party there...... the Halloween Party was such fun!



And the tree would make great decoration.... no matter what era we are in!





Meanwhile, SOMEBODY went shopping at Home Depot and spotted these little LIGHTED trees with battery packs... and couldn't resist! They are PERFECT for the Folly.... and they even have a dusting of snow on them! Arthur thinks The Folly is too small to have a tree inside the livingroom, so this is perfect for him.





No fuss, no mess. Just throw the switch and instant seasonal decor!








I think they are so cute, I might have to get another set for the other side of the porch!
And then, of course, there was a larger version of LIGHTED tree at the Home Depot that just HAD to come home with the two smaller trees! This one has no snow and is decorated for indoors. The package said nine inches tall. The Lovely Old Dollhouse has nine inch tall ceilings..... so it should JUST fit ...... except it is an Old House, the ceilings have sagged a bit.... so the only space high enough is the hallway by the stairs.



But Pollyanna thinks it looks just lovely there!




If you don't mind the star touching the ceiling!




And it IS such a big old house, there is plenty of room for more than ONE tree!



So Pollyanna pulled out the little tree that was used last year, but without lights on it.
THIS year she has a string of tiny lights to decorate it with!
It took a couple of tries to make all the plugs work, but when those tiny colored lights actually went on it changed everything!





It's just SO magical!

She had to show Annabelle and Sally May and Chip.









I don't care how imperfect the tree is, when the lights go on, it is just PERFECT!









And whether there is snow flying or not, I like to put my trees up as early as possible!
The snow can come when it will....but at this darkest time of the year, the lights, oh the lights are so essential!

The decorating can wait.... for now the lights are enough!







First Snowfall

18 comments:

  1. A festival of light! A faint scent of pine somehow, and I'd be drifting away with happy Christmas memories!
    We can't put up a tree so early here in New Zealand - the summer heat makes them wilt and drop their pesky needles over the carpet. And we have to wait sooooo long each night to turn the lights on, as the days are so long.

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  2. i can almost smell the trees.. and i love the mini's... i have bought some from ebay, but they haven't arrived, yet... i can't wait. :)

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  3. You REALLY love your Christmas trees!! That's a whole LOAD of them :). I think in my entire life, I have put up a tree ONCE. Will you believe I only decorate my house for parties and that's like once in a blue moon. :) Thank goodness for dollhouses, I do them now regularly. But Xmas trees, sorry I still won't have them in my mini houses :):) Now when I want lights, I turn them on in my dollhouses. :) This year you will have a beautiful light show with all your trees and the houses that you have built. It will be amazing!

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  4. It's lovely, your trees are so pretty :)
    Julia

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  5. I LOVE it! Your enthusiasm was jumping off of your blog at me! The trees are so lovely and the dollhouse trees are wonderful!!! I have found that if I put my tree up earlier than later I have my shopping done sooner! The pressure is on to finish it!

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  6. I love Christmas trees as well, I collect glass bulbs for them, just one of each kind and I love to look at the shine from the lights reflected in them. But in Norway the tradition is to bring them in and decorate them the day before Christmas and then keep them until the 13th of January (this is the maximum) I love how you have decorated your doll's house tree and I love the battery lighted ones!

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  7. Pretty Christmas trees!
    Have you got my email by the way?:)

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  8. your christmas tree is amazing!! the lights!!

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  9. Hi Glenda! I have always wondered how people "Down Under" celebrate Christmas in the "Summer" with long days! Do you have a holiday for the dark season? (I hope so!) I would send you the pine scent if I could!

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  10. Hi Christine! I might just HAVE to get a couple more little trees... I seem to be compensating for all my years of NOT playing with the dollhouse! LOL I hope your trees arrive soon!

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  11. Hi Sans! I think I would be more surprised if you DID put up a Christmas tree every year!
    But for me it is such a part of my culture.... the earliest memory I have is of sitting in front of a beautifully lit Christmas tree! It is the lights in the dark time of year.... just so beautiful! That and the excuse to play with tiny beautiful things....... goes really well with the dollhouse obsession!
    So, yeah, I really do love my Christmas trees!

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  12. Thanks, Julia! Beauty is a goal of mine!

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  13. Hi Patty! Thanks for commenting! I'm so glad to pass on some of my enthusiasm! I am a believer when it comes to getting the most out of the season! Enjoy!

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  14. Hi Helene! Sounds like your tradition is like my family's tradition... but alas, I have broken with tradition.... I only feel the smallest amount of sadness... :( I just need the lights! :) But I do know that there is a special reverence that happens when you DO wait and uphold the tradition! I also have a large collection of ornaments.... which is partly why I have two trees! I can't not use half the ornaments!
    In my old home, I always used real candles on my tree and lit them on Christmas Eve. We sang carols and watched the candle lighted tree.... there is nothing quite like it!

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  15. Hi Ewa! Thanks for asking! I am a bad e-mailer so I don't check it often enough! You are so kind to think of me!

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  16. Thanks, Minnie Kitchen! The lights are very important to me.... it is such fun seeing them in mini this year!

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  17. I *LOVE* the lights. They are the foundation for everything... you are havig fun, no? Smiles~

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  18. Ooooh, so pretty! I love the lights too. It's so true what you said-no matter how imperfect the tree itself might be, it will look beautiful once decorated and the lights on (like Charlie Brown's little tree):)

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