Thursday, December 1, 2011

Christmas Countdown

Ahh December 1st. Something about Christmas rejuvenates me. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. I love the lights, the Christmas ornaments, holiday cookies, family gatherings, and - most importantly - celebrating the birth of my Savior.


25 more days. 


Over the next month you can expect to read about a lot of oozy Christmas cheer from us Rothenbergers. We've got a lot in store for our first Christmas together as husband and wife.


But, first things first, the tree. Oh the joyous Christmas tree. We picked ours out on Sunday - it's a Frasier. As we walked up and down the rows of trees trying to find the most beautiful one, I couldn't decide. Call me cheesy but they were all gorgeous. So I let Justin choose. 


On Monday night we cranked up the Christmas music and got our decorating jeans on. Justin hung the lights. We used 200 lights to wrap around the inside of the tree and 300 lights for the outside. Putting the lights on the inside and the outside really helps the tree glow from all over.


Then we decorated. We didn't have any set plan - just scattered our red and white balls and then hung my ornament collection. (My dad has given me an ornament every Christmas since I was a babe).


Okay - enough talk. Let me show you the beauty.

The tree skirt is actually that $1.75 fabric scrap that I shared a month or so ago as one of my reuse shopping spoils. Here's another picture of our tree with all our lights on.
My mom gave us our tree-topping star. I love how it sparkles and casts a glow all over the ceiling. 

Okay okay, last picture. I'm definitely going to be one of the crazy mothers who can't stop talking about her kids and showing pictures of them breathing and eating and doing completely normal things. This picture is with all the lights off. See how she glows? It's those 500 lights we have wrapped all around her.
Have you decorated your Christmas tree yet? Do you get a real tree or a fake tree? If you get a real tree, how do you deal with all the dropping needles - or do you just ignore them and pretend they're not there until January?

17 comments:

  1. So pretty!! We got a Frasier too! It's up and decorated and I love it! The first thing I do when I come home is run inside to plug it in!

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  2. @ Ashley - Don't you just love coming home to the smell of a Christmas tree? I can't wait to see yours!! :)

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  3. Beautiful tree! We have always had a fake tree. I know they don't smell as nice but they're so much less maintenance. Last year I decorated a few real trees for my front porch - and the fallen needles just blew away. Perfect. I'm starting my Christmas decorating this weekend. Oh wait, I have an entire house to unpack. Oh well. Christmas comes first!
    -Diana

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  4. We're getting out tree tonight and I am super pumped! I bought a mini fake tree last night too for all of the ornaments that don't make the big tree (Kevin has been given at least 5 ornaments a year for his whole life, so it adds up to a lot).

    I love your tree. It's so sparkly and pretty! I also love your star!

    I clean the needs about twice a week with a broom vacuum. Clearly I don't do a good job because I'm still finding needles from last year.

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  5. @ Diana - Christmas definitely comes first!! :) Happy decorating!!

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  6. @ Brandi - Thanks!! 5 ornaments a year - that's a ton! I've only gotten 1 a year and they all still didn't make the cut this year. Can't wait to see your tree all decorated :)

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  7. It's gorgeous! I love real trees and Frazier firs are by far the prettiest.

    We're still working on getting our tree finished. We went with artificial this year in hopes it would deter our furry kiddos from climbing/eating/mauling it. So far... it hasn't worked.

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  8. Beautiful! I love your topper =)
    We get a real tree every year, but my Mother-in-law got us an artificial one for our wedding shower so I think we are going to have two. I don't know if we have enough to decorate two, but we are going to try! Hopefully we can put the fake one up this weekend.

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  9. Eek! Must remember to water ours so we don't have too many dropped needles! We sweep our front room if we notice a lot of needles like when we brought it in. Yours looks beautiful!

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  11. I LOVE ALL THE LIGHTS YOU USED!!! I wish we had put more lights on our tree. :-) Don't you just LOVE Christmastime?!

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  12. Your tree is so lovely! We are in the middle of a build and while we're in the rental, all our stuff - including Christmas decorations - are in storage. :( I'll have to live vicariously through yours instead!

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  13. @ Katie - Justin is soo into the Christmas lights. I just stepped back and let him do his thing :) and yes - I love Christmas sooooo much!!!! We honestly should keep gorgeous decorated trees up all year :)

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  14. @ Amy - live away! I'm living vicariously through your dream home building :)

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