Dec 25, 20194 min read

Happy Holidays!: First "official" Christmas in my new place

Yes, I've been in my new place for a year, now, but this is, officially, my first REAL Christmas here...and it's everything I envisioned it would be!

Last year, I had only been in my apartment for a little over 30 days and, although I had a Christmas area, the majority of my place was still a wreck with bags and boxes and items to be organized lingering around me. My patio was also in a barren state, save for one folding chair. It was a peaceful holiday, being in my own space, again, but for a Christmas person like myself, it was incomplete decor-wise.

This year, I sprung for a new tree after my 20+ year old mainstay began to shed its artificial needles like a real tree. It was sustainable, indeed, but had given me its last bit of holiday joy. As a result, I decided to invest in a new artificial tree from wayfair; choosing a flocked style that looked great in the photos, but was a mess to unbox and assemble. The fake snow got everywhere and I had to end up wearing a handkerchief to protect my sinuses and glasses to protect my eyes from the shedding that ensued everytime I so much as touched the thing. But once it was up, it was beautiful, magical and even more magnificent than the wayfair photo. My biggest and most expensive tree, ever!

The old tree was purchased for no more than $30 and lasted over 20 years. That's nearly a dollar and some change, per year. My wayfair investment came in at $169, which was a steal, considering trees of this size (7.5 feet) and flocked WITH lights were averaging $200 and up for sizes much smaller and without lights. I figured if this lasts 20 years, that's an average of between $8 - $9, per year. And since this tree is much bigger, has more tips, snow AND built in lights, it's giving me much more bang for my buck.

I do, however, wonder about the ability of the lights to last 20 years. THAT could be a feature that gives out on me sooner or later, but overall the tree is worth every penny! I have no regrets, except to say, purchasing a flocked tree meant I had to update some accessories, as well. My theme was Winter Wonderland and though the tree hit the mark, other items no longer did.

My solid green wreath and garlands looked completely out of place next to the flocked tree; dull, boring and just blah. I didn't think it mattered, at first, but everytime I lit the tree at night, it's beauty would overshadow everything else in the room. It did matter. So, I ordered flocked garland from wayfair and picked up a flocked wreath from Michaels Craftstore. At last, my Winter Wonderland vibe was in full effect. In the words of the late John Witherspoon, "You gotta coordinate!"

Wreath, $15 from Michaels.

Garland, from wayfair (added my old string of lights)

Plaid "Ho Ho Ho" sign ($8) from Michaels.

Normally, my everyday theme is silver, white, gold, gray and green, with a hint of mauve purple thrown in for spring months. Instead of doing silver and gold for Christmas, I decided to bring in bits of red just to give my place that holiday feel, but without it being overwhelming. The space is small, so bringing in too much red could make things look crowded instead of cozy. So, I opted to bring in reds as part of a plaid on white pattern, in addition to other small bits and bobs.

The plaid pattern I was going for had to have the white backing instead of the classic solid red that was just everywhere. I was starting to get frustrated that my vision was not possible. And then I stumbled onto exactly what I was looking for in Michaels; stockings $9 each (50% off sale), blanket $22.50 (50% off sale), pillows, $12.50 (50% off sale), even little plaid raindeer that I absolutely fell in love with ($15 for tall one on floor, $10 for small one next to tv; all 50% off). It was the one item I didn't know I needed until I saw it. I had to restrain myself from purchasing a herd of the cute little animal figures. Ultimately, the blanket wasn't purchased because the pillows were enough to bring the plaid detail to my bed. Had to be aware of plaid overload. My vision was for it to be a warm and cozy highlight, not an overwhelming theme. I'm happy about how it all turned out.

Other affordable items I found were white poinsettas that were placed at the base of the tree, along with illuminated gift boxes, all from Dd's Discounts for under $5 each item.