Hawaii Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
When do you start decorating?
A Christmas-related poll!
1. When will you start decorating?
2. When you decorate for Christmas, do you go all out? Explain.
3. Do you have a theme? Traditions?
Re: When do you start decorating?
fun fun fun!!!
1. When will you start decorating?
the weekend after TG... which means now!
although it's taking me a little longer this year 'cause i'm having to take breaks between big tasks...
2. When you decorate for Christmas, do you go all out? Explain.
yup yup! i LOVE the holidays!
outside we have the icicle lights hanging from our balcony with large outdoor ornaments. and we have a bush that we share with our neighbor so i put those netting lights. we also have a parol (filipino xmas lantern). inside, we have our tree, the fireplace, the stair bannister, dining table, the hallway, guest bath, and kitchen decked out in holiday style 
it's not like we're living in the north pole hahah just holiday touches here and there. 
3. Do you have a theme? Traditions? i do a theme every year. this year our theme is mardi gras/celebration. i'm thinking next year when baby comes, it'll be santa's toy shop or something kid oriented like that...
traditions we usually watch all the xmas specials on tv. play music, build a couple fires here and there... i just love the holiday season
hawaii 10.2008 plan ;P married bio ???
1. When will you start decorating?
Saturday after Thanksgiving (so today)! Lights and decorations are up on the outside and now we're working on the inside and tree.
2. When you decorate for Christmas, do you go all out? Explain.
I guess it's "all out" for us...lights, decorations, holiday scents, etc. Someday, when we have our own home, I hope to be able to really do it up...with seasonal linens, dishes, the works!
3. Do you have a theme? Traditions?
I used to have themes, but now I just use what I like...and rotate that from year to year.
TTC/PG Blog | Mommy Blog
1. When will you start decorating? We do a real tree at my parents house - usually the week before Christmas it gets decorated. They wait for me to arrive before we do it! The rest of their house gets decorated the week before. We do nothing in our apartment.
2. When you decorate for Christmas, do you go all out? Explain. Uhm... our tree has ornaments from all over the world (my parents started collecting Christmas ornaments from their travels back in the '70s and we've continued ever since) and basically has no free branches by the time we've finished loading the baby up!
3. Do you have a theme? Traditions? Theme? No. But, I like looking at the ornaments and remembering where I was when I got them. As for traditions, holy moly, do we ever! We watch the Muppet Christmas Carol while decorating the tree, have torti?re (a Qu?becois meat pie) on Christmas Eve, go to the midnight service where my friends and I have been monopolizing the carol sing since we were children!
We do stockings Christmas morning, spend the early afternoon opening presents in a circle one at a time and then Santa drops off a garbage bag with one last present in it late Christmas night (Phil proposed to me by taking advantage of that tradition).
There's turkey, an awesome stuffing (same as always), lots of cookies and bars, gingerbread cookies that my brother and I decorate to look like monsters. Boxing Day is spent in pjs reading new books, playing new games and enjoying leftovers.
It's weird, I can't even imagine having Christmas at my place! Although, I have friends coming over tomorrow to make orange-clove pomanders and fruitcake!
Alyson & Phil | Planning Bio | Married Bio!
Dates & Quinces Blog
Oh! And and advent calendar. I HAVE to have an advent calendar.
Clearly I'm just one gigantic kid at Christmas.
Alyson & Phil | Planning Bio | Married Bio!
Dates & Quinces Blog
what does the advent calendar signify and what are you supposed to put into those little compartments on advent boxes (? thingamajingys? don't know what they're called; but have seen them at Hallmark and Target). I'm not Catholic, I'm Presbyterian; I went to Catholic school till 6th grade though, but I can't remember the significance of Advent.
my answer to the poll btw:
1. When will you start decorating? As soon as we get back from Hawaii; I don't want our tree to dry out. So around Dec. 10 or so.
2. When you decorate for Christmas, do you go all out? Explain. I want to go all out this year, because James and I have in the past gone to family for Christmas (across the coast, and left our place undecorated), or gone to Vegas (also stayed undecorated). But how much we can decorate will be determined by our budget. I want at least a tree and a wreath on the front door. Would be nice to have stockings. This year will be the first year we decorate our home.
3. Do you have a theme? Traditions? We don't have a theme or traditions, but I want to carry on my family tradition of a very traditional tree, with a variety of colors and ornaments. I never had a one or two-tone tree before. I think they look beautiful in department stores, but for our homey home, I want red and green, blue, gold, silver, etc., on our tree.
1. When will you start decorating? Most likely shortly before or when we get our tree... which we are planning on getting it next weekend. DH wants to wait a little longer but I'll be gone again for work for some of December so I want to be able to enjoy all the decorations and the tree.
2. When you decorate for Christmas, do you go all out? Explain. I wouldn't say we go all out but we are slowly building up our Christmas decorations. We have a tree, hang some lights around the house but I want more (A LOT more). So we picked up some little stuff and plan on buying a lot more at the German Christmas markets this year. Eventually we probably will go all out since it's our favorite holiday.
3. Do you have a theme? Traditions? No theme... we don't have a theme tree either. DH and I have exchanged ornaments each Christmas we've been together so our tree is full of those ornaments, ornaments we find in different places we travel to and older ones from our childhood.
For traditions, we watch the mandatory (per DH) movies - Home Alone 1 and 2, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation - and open one present on Christmas eve. And of course the ornament swap tradition. I love traditions!
Kinibruin - I love your theme ideas and would love to see pictures!
Kaesha - How could I forget about my advent calendar?? I grew up with one and the first thing I did when I moved out of my house is get one.
Wow, I'm so jealous of you during Christmas =P You definitely go way all out and I hope to reach that caliber one day!
1. When will you start decorating?
Usually after Thanksgiving. This year, we've been delayed...so I haven't done anything yet...usually, I do the decorations (has been that way since I was a kid).
2. When you decorate for Christmas, do you go all out? Explain.
I attempt to! But certain things get in the way, like we're renting, so it's hard to do much. But we'll have lights up and tree up and decorated.
3. Do you have a theme? Traditions?
Not really. I generally do a silver and blue thing but with multi-colored lights. MH's family has Christmas presents in the morning and dinner so we partake in that, although we may start alternating Christmas at our parents'. MH and I usually celebrate Christmas Eve together with hot cocoa and our presents then. I also have stockings for us personalized with our names.
1. When will you start decorating? I'll pull the decorations out this week. We'll probably go get our tree next weekend and spend a night decorating probably on Saturday.
2. When you decorate for Christmas, do you go all out? Explain. Kind of all out (inside anyway). We always get a real tree, and get extra boughs to put on top the entertainment center and mantle. We also get a wreath for the door, mistletoe, and advent calendar We don't, however, do lights outside. I'd love to, but it's too much work!
3. Do you have a theme? Traditions? I don't believe in themes! Our tree is a hodge-podge or ornaments collected throughout the years, and personally, I think that's how it should be.
My mom and sister and I have exchanged ornaments every year since I was a kid, and they are all marked with my name and the year (since 1980). And I have collected ornaments every time I've traveled out of the country. And some are just ones I liked and bought for whatever reason. I get a lot of pleasure from placing each ornament on the tree, remembering when I got it.
1. When will you start decorating? started last weekend. will get a tree this weekend - eeps, DH moved our Christmas party up a week so I need to be fully ready by next week when we will have ~30 friends over for a week night "open house" style party.
2. When you decorate for Christmas, do you go all out? Explain. meh, in between. I put up a couple of strands of white lights and snowflake lights outside. Our house's footprint is quite small so it doesn't need much but the craftsman cottage architecture just CALLS for some bling
On the inside we do a tree, stockings, and some candles, etc. But I don't do special linens or home decor like special pillows or anything.
3. Do you have a theme? Traditions? Traditions - I love midnight mass. As a child we got to open one gift before going (usually some christmas PJs) and then afterwards we would go to my aunt's house (across the street) for cookies and milk. I have later learned that the adults would then all help each other assemble toys/gifts as needed but I would just go home and go to bed. I'm always the first one up in the morning. In my family Santa brings all the presents. I found it interesting to learn that Santa only brought ONE present to DH, the rest were from his parents. In my house is was the other way around - 1-2 from my parents and the rest from Santa.
I like anything vintage. Tree is done in 1940's-1960's multi colored glass balls, metallic icicles (major score when I find a package of those at a thrift store), DH's grandparents passed on some amazing shaped glass ornaments from that time period which I can't wait to incorporate.
I have a kitschy nativity from the 60's that I love. My mom tried to give me her nicer set but I'm too fond of the vintage Sear's paper mache set that winds up and plays silent night that I have used since childhood (originally belonged to my great grandma). I adore setting up the nativity, My mom bought Jack the Fisher Price Little People's set, I would have loved that as a child.
Finally, I donated my old tree skirt in favor of a plain red piece of felt that I plan to have Jack (and any possible future children) put his hand print on each year. like this:
This was the same for us as well! We had to go ask the Santa at the mall for the one thing we wanted the most. (When my older brother and I found out the truth about Santa, we still had to go and ask the mall Santa to humor my mom/keep the secret for my two younger brothers. Embarrassing when you are at a certain age!!) So on Christmas morning, the first present was from Santa and the rest were from my parents.
Ohh love the idea of Santa's workshop! Too cute!
1. When will you start decorating? We put our tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving.
2. When you decorate for Christmas, do you go all out? Explain. We keep it pretty basic right now; only put up a tree and stockings by the fireplace. We have a tiny condo, so there really isn't much room to decorate. Once we have a "real" house, I'd like to go all out. ;o)