Posts Tagged ‘holiday decor’
Remembering
Yesterday was Veterans’ Day. It set many people to thinking about our country and all the things it means to us. If you are a veteran or married to a veteran or have one in your family, it is very special to you. If you just know a veteran, it also means something to you. If you live in the United States, it probably means something to you, too. It should. The people who served or are serving in the military in our country give something up to serve. It is sometimes a very hard life, and at the end of the service, it is something you will never forget. You may not want to talk about it, but you won’t forget. In our family, there are always some symbols around that mean we live in a great country. We do not usually put out anything special for Veterans’ Day. It is already out. The eagle figurines, flags, etc. just stay out. We live in a great country. We have many in our family who have served it in the military. We never forget.
Our Country
Is our country coming to a crossroads? Will things drastically change? Will all blow over and we will be back to life as usual? What will take place in the years ahead? No one can answer these questions for sure. Most of us have an answer we would like to give to each question. Some of us are very opinionated on this subject, some people are not, and some are just drifting along with the flow. Those of us who are opinionated can get into some very serious discussions. But then we listen to the news and find our ideas were not even considered.
Right now we can enjoy the season - if the weather will let us! Give candy to the Trick-or-Treaters, plan Thanksgiving dinner, mail Christmas cards, plan the gift list. We can pray that things will not change so much that we cannot continue with life as usual. Even difficult times are not so bad when we have some holiday breaks. Keep up with the times. Thank God for your life. Stay contented. We still live in the greatest county on Earth!
Decorate or Not Decorate
This time of year we think a lot about decorations. Halloween in October, Thanksgiving in November, and Christmas in December. Other times of year there are New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, the Fourth of July, and others that are not coming to mind right now. To decorate or not to decorate - that is the question. For most families, some decorations are usually displayed on all of these occasions. For others, no one ever puts up decorations. For some each holiday is an excuse to get out those special items that commemorate the day.
If you are the type of person who likes to decorate, you probably enjoy looking for those decorations all year - even when the season is not here. Who doesn’t enjoy driving around at Christmas and find a house that is so decorated that you can hardly see the house? The owner surely did not find all of those things during one trip to the mall! The seasonal decor changes from season to season or holiday to holiday. One way to enjoy a shopping trip when you did not really want to go, is to look for a seasonal item on sale. One way to enjoy a part of a day is to computer-shop for seasonal items. That is all for now. I just remembered some cute Pilgrim decorations that we put out every year. Now I think those are in the hall closet……..
What Should I do?
What shall I do today? The list is so long that I can’t decide where to start. It is time to do the household chores. Should I do laundry? Maybe I had better clean house. Should I decorate for fall? Maybe I had better do the paper work that has been piling up. Some shopping really needs to be done. The dogs have to have their monthly meds today. Are the treats ready for the Trick-or-Treaters? Tomorrow we have to go to the college to help get some things done. Maybe I had better get ready to go.
What is that in the corner? Our new holiday garden sign
? On yes! That needs to be put out with the current season displayed. Should it be out by the road or up by the house? Maybe just out in the yard somewhere. Now, I have to contemplate a while to really choose the right place. That will take some time. Then I will go out and try it here or there. Maybe I can get that done by noon. It will really look nice out there. Well, I will get busy. I can put that sign up and by then maybe it will be clear to me what else to do today. Decisions, decisions! What a day!
Holiday Preparations
It is that time of year. The discomfort of the cold is offset by the looking forward to the holidays and the joy they bring. When shopping, I see the children excitedly dashing from one costume to another. Then there are the discussions in the candy aisle as to which bag or bags of candy would be best to keep from running out of candy before they run out of trick-or-treaters.
There are more seasonal items in other aisles. There are already aisles in the grocery stores with items to use in making pumpkin, pecan and other pies. The turkeys and corn stalks are waiting, less observed, to be ready when the time for the masks and ghosts to disappear. Yes, believe it or not, Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching. The students are already planning what they are going to do during their vacation.
Soon we will be singing carols and writing Christmas cards. If you do not have your list made out yet, it is probably in the back of your mind. One of my daughters was telling me their gift plans already. I was dreading the cold this time of year and it is already here. It came sooner than usual and it is not so bad after all. Anyway, “Beware,” “Don’t eat too much,” or ”Merry Christmas,” whichever is appropriate when you read this.
Make Family Feel Welcome this Fall
You can tell a lot about a family by the way their home is decorated. It seems that no matter how busy they are, dedicated home owners are always working to make their residence more presentable to visitors. Not only that, but they get a personal sort of joy and gratification from sprucing up the place. Now that fall is undeniably here to stay for the next few months, there’s no better time to put up some seasonal decor.
Autumn is a time of harvest - an end to the life cycle of many edible plants. As such, pumpkins and corn are often the centerpieces of fall decoration. You might also see some scarecrows or a seasonal wreath complete with glorious, colorful leaves. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it’s a time to make family feel welcome from the second they enter your humble home.