Monday, November 30, 2009

Let the Season Begin!


With Thanksgiving being over with I can finally get into the Christmas spirit. I'm not one to listen to Christmas music or to decorate my house for Christmas before Thanksgiving. Since I think it's important to savor and appreciate the moment, the golden rule in my house is no Christmas stuff before we've had our turkey feast.

To start things off, I've set out my amaryllis bulbs in pretty red metal containers.



Usually I force my bulbs by setting them in a glass container filled with water and rocks, but when I found these vibrant red containers for $2.00 at the Christmas Tree Shop I thought I'd use the plastic pots the bulbs came with and just place them inside the decorative holder.


To cover up the planting medium I used some dried Spanish moss I had laying around.


Amaryllis bulbs usually take 6 weeks to bloom so I may not have these opened for Christmas but I will have some lovely foliage in the meantime.

Over the next week I'll be slowly pulling out my other decorations as well as putting the tree up. Andy and I have a very real looking fake tree that we usually put up, but this year we may get a real one. Although I prefer a real tree, I like to keep my tree up until a week after New Year's and by then a real tree starts to look pretty shabby. What do you prefer real or fake and why?

Our calendar is very packed this month with several Christmas parties to attend as well as both Andy's and mine's birthdays. I'm sure all of your calendars are full as well. I'd love to hear what sorts of things you do to fend off the stress of the season. Post a comment and let me know. I'd love to hear your advice.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love your plant containers - they are beautiful! I love to smell a live tree but they are a bit of a mess! We just take our time decorating and savor all the memories. Hope you both have happy birthdays this month. My sister's bdy is 12-20 and she always feels a little cheated because it's a holiday too! Do you two feel that way also?

Lona said...

What beautiful plant containers. Just the right touch for your bubs.

sweetbay said...

We always get a live tree -- hubby always takes it down the day after New Year's, but it would probably last even longer. He always makes a fresh cut on the bottom after bringing it home.

Having been burned by the Christmas flame, I try to keep the festivities as low-key as possible. I do enjoy Christmas baking though.

Gail said...

I love the fragrance of balsam and Douglas Fir, so we have to have at least a live wreath.

Love the containers with the spanish moss...It seems to me that containers are almost more important then the plants!

gail

Anonymous said...

Well we have an artificial one in the man cave (decorated western style of course) but I am thinking about getting a real one for the living room. We'll see. The ones with the lights already on them are awfully easy!

Hugs,
LeAnn:)
P.s. Stop by and enter my contest.

Ellie Mae's Cottage said...

Mildred, My birthday is on Dec 19 so I've always felt the same way your sister does. Hubby's birthday is Dec 2 so it's not so bad for him.

Gail, I agree about the fragrance. There's nothing better than the scent of real balsam. I use some fresh greens too to decorate so I get the scent. I also burn Yankee Candles in the balsam fir scent - not as good as the real thing, but nice anyway.

Stacey said...

Jackie that is going to be so pretty. I love the container...you are off to a great start!

Anonymous said...

Hi Jackie~~ Your amaryllis looks very promising and I love the container you chose. I would have done exactly as you did, hide the plastic pot inside it. ... Much to the consternation of my brood, we use an artificial tree. One of these years I imagine we'll get tired of it and revert to the real deal but for now I prefer to keep the hassles to a minimum. My youngest daughter,17 has done all the Christmas decorating for the past four years. She does a fabulous job and because I'm not much of a decorator, I welcome her talent and enthusiasm. There is very little Christmas stress in our household because we've scaled back on both the social and the gift giving. If anything we should probably beef it up a little. :) Happy Birthday to you and hubby!

Dirt Princess said...

I am a fake tree lover! I love real trees, but a lot of my ornaments are very heavy and the branches of real trees will not support them. So I just pull out old faithful and plug her in! LOL! I can't wait to see all of your decorations! So fun seeing what everyone does! I just posted part 1 of my decor

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

I love your amaryllis pot - just perfect!

I'm not sure which way we are going to go on a tree, as either way it will be a magnet for our toddler :)

Enjoy this wonderful time!

Kathleen said...

Oh Jackie, those containers are gorgeous. I'd love to stumble across some like it. I can't wait to see your amaryllis in bloom. I am crazy for them! Have fun decorating for the holidays too.

Cathy S. said...

Very nice Jackie, I love those containers.. it's amazing how fast christmas is nearly here!

Happy decorating!

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

I love how you've planted your amaryllis. I'm going to keep an eye out for something pretty like the one you have.
We always have a real tree although some years I've wished it was an artificial one. I usually take ours down right after Christmas because the needles are dropping by then.
I bet your house looks beautiful for Christmas, please show pictures when your done :)

Tootsie said...

your containers are pretty...I forgot to do my bulbs inside this year!

Carol said...

Lovely container for your Amaryllis Jackie... I love the greens brought in this time of year, though I am very old fashioned in how I deck the halls these days. Enjoy ! Carol