I LOVE your cool nested dead wreath! Don’t take it down! I’d go to the craft store and get some fake berries or other ornaments that go with the brown color and make it pop. Maybe give it a little make-over? Maybe add some pine cones, or put a realistic fake bird in the nest, add some succulents and moss…go crazy with earth tones. Lot of beautiful natural materials could be added to make it unique and beautiful. My other idea is to consider the feelings of your little visitor…maybe move it, as is, to a nearby tree or another close location so your wren can find it again in the spring if she comes back? Maybe somewhere to the side that makes it a little more convenient to share space?
I would dread it if I had to go it alone, but the Salve Kids come home so I’ll do the pre-lit tree, which is a godsend and continue the trimming traditions as always. But even if they weren’t here, this is the only chance I get to stroll down Christmas- memory lane. You see my tree is a kids’ tree meaning it is a collection of their homemade ornaments (the assymmetrical clay stars and lopsided snowmen are adoreable to me still) with children-themed, store bought things like tin carousels and wooden rocking horse and pull-toy giraffes, in between.
I like to stand around the tree each year and gaze at all of our memories, turning over each of the kids’ ornaments and get misty-eyed as I read the year it was made. There’s the felt ginger kids we made that looks like each one of them and all of the apples and Mrs S ornaments from all of the years I taught Religious Ed.
Do I dread hauling it all out yes, but we play our Disney movie soundtracks and drink eggnog (this yr it will have rum as we are all old enough to drink) and sing while we work. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!
I bought a pack of 4 poinsettias today at Costco. Pulled off the green foil, kept them in the pots and half buried them in the ground along my front porch. Weeded first. Colors are just bursting out there between the red poinsettias, the yellow cassia and the orange Mexican flame vine. Almost gave me energy to do more decorating but I stopped while I was ahead!
I’m going to Lowe’s tomorrow to buy my first ever artificial wreath. No more making it myself, no more buying real ones and tracking in needles after the first few days. This one will be pre-lit from a battery pack that has a timer. Maybe that’s all I’ll need outside…
Well,@greenwitch, visualizing the front of your home after your efforts makes me happy, but does not make me want to tackle Christmas. Love, love, love the colors.
I have also decided that the quality/quantity of outdoor decorations is directly related to how the weather is on the day that the decorations get put up. Today was close to 50 and sunny - pretty darn good for Ohio end of November. We live on a corner so we find ourselves doing (why am I saying "ourselves doing - it’s actually ME all by myself!!) both front and back decorations. Front more traditional (white lights) back entrance more fun (colored lights and more whimsical) .
So the outdoor decorations are now up - indoor will get done next weekend. After all, it’s what’s on the outside that counts. 
Changed my avatar to cassia for you, @Waiting2exhale! Enjoy some yellow today.
Now that Thanksgiving is truly done (dishes and linens and decorations stowed away today!), I can think about Christmas. We have simplified a lot over recent years and I am so much happier - the stress relief has been wonderful. We do VERY simple exterior lighting by covering existing down lights with red and green filters. Takes 5 minutes and looks really nice. I now have a prelit artificial tree - bring in some big poinsettias - decorate the mantel and hang the stockings - done! I’ll bake a few cookies and we’ll have family over Christmas Eve, then go visit others on Christmas Day. We exchange fewer gifts too. I miss the excitement and magic of years past, but I don’t miss the exhaustion.
I have a gorgeous fake wreath I love. But the young boys across the street sell plain real wreaths for their scout troop. Nice family, so I hang that til a few days before.
We usually leave the wreath up til Easter. Kind of a why not among several neighbors.
3 years ago, got an artificial prelit tree and I love it. No more needles to find, months later, hiding under rugs or tracked all over. No more lights strung wrong. I set it up last week. It will stay until spring, too. Again, why not?
Pop Christmas music drives me nuts, though.
Years ago, I had a problem with sleep-shopping on Amazon. One night, I thought I’d ordered a little inflatable zebra for my niece on super sale…for $3.99…which I thought was a bargain. (the kid was zebra crazy after seeing them in real life at our zoo)
When the zebra turned up right before Christmas and my husband opened it, it was a LIFE SIZE inflatable zebra that originally cost $200 marked down to $39.99 because it had been patched and refurbished. I have no memory of ordering a life sized inflatable zebra.
So, my husband has no idea this is a mistake, and decides it must be a Christmas lawn ornament.(because I’d been talking about ordering an inflatable penguin) Penguin, Zebra, Penguin, Zebra…interchangeable, right?
He airs it up with the compressor and tethers it’s feet to the ground in the front yard, where it looks pretty…shockingly… like a lifesized zebra,
Came home from picking up the kid and we’re both watching hubby pound the last tent stake into the ground beside the giant zebra. He’s looking at me like he’s baffled, I’m looking at him like I’m baffled…and my daughter snags a bow off the porch and puts it around the zebra’s neck.
I remember laughing so hard. There was snow coming down in big clumpy flakes that stick to everything, and there we all were in the glow of the porch lights…with our zebra…getting snowed on…experiencing the awe and wonder of African Safari Christmas.
And ever since…our traditional Christmas decoration…that no one will sacrifice… has been a life sized inflatable lawn Zebra.
Who knows why these things happen?
Best story, MaryGJ.
Part of what I don’t like about Christmas decorations is that they are so predictable. The life-sized zebra is something I could get on board with; at least it is different!
Thanks for the laugh, @MaryGJ! Does everyone know the zebra story or is it your secret?
@MaryGJ I think your tradition will at least be part of a story I’ll tell at my home for years to come.
@greenwitch: Incredibly nice of you. Thank you.
Well, everyone who has been to my house at Christmas knows the zebra story…lol…it’s hard to avoid.
OMG, I just read the zebra story to my family… everyone is in stitches!!! Thanks for brightening up our day, MaryGJ!
I thought I would share- 2 weekends ago my H and I went over to my S and his fiancé with our chainsaw to cut up the tree from LAST Christmas. The tree ornaments, lights were still on it mid November in the corner of their living room. Granted for safety purposes they no longer turned on the lights. The strange thing was that all the needles were still on the tree. I don’t know what Home Depot sprays on the trees but it was really weird. No needles on the floor. Last year they left the tree up till May. I suggested they buy a artificial tree this year.
A repairman once told me that he goes into a lot of homes where people leave Christmas trees up all year. I think they are artificial trees, though!
I’m warming up to it once i decided to get a table top size tree this year. Lights, just a few of the favorite decorations…that sounds OK
I put our pre-lit tree near the front window. The hardest part is finding the 7 connector wires so all the bulbs are lit. Takes less than an hour to decorate the tree and place a few holiday trims on the fireplace mantel and in the entry. No more outdoor lights! Bah humbug!..