Little Islands Of Christmas Decorations

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This year for the very first time, I decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving was over.

Yes. I. Did!

The boxes and trees came down from the attic the week before Thanksgiving and the Christmas decorations slowly crept into place throughout the house.

It looked as if all the ornaments and decorations had somehow sorted themselves into small groups, like little islands of Christmas, reminders of the intangible but very real pillars of life, the biggies, such as hope, joy, peace, faith and love.

Christmas trees, little and large, took up residence upstairs and downstairs, like seasonal sentinels come to light the way in this mystical time when hearts try to open a little wider to the world.

I’m not advocating early decorating. I started early because I wanted to take Christmas pictures for this baby blog of mine.

But in getting a head start, I had time to notice something about all the decorations before the rush of the season started.

It looked as if all the ornaments and decorations had somehow sorted themselves into small groups, like little islands of Christmas, reminders of the intangible but very real pillars of life, the biggies, such as hope, joy, peace, faith and love.

You probably do the same thing too – cluster decorations together into seasonal vignettes or miniature scenes on hallway tables, mantels, coffee tables or just about any available surface, so that they tell the larger story of the season through things that have meaning in your life.

Christmas Decorations

I think we each use decorating themes that have meaning for us and our lives, especially during the holiday season.

So because we love all things nature and wildlife, we tend to gravitate to themes that reflect that, even down to the ribbon on the Christmas tree.

This little squirrel was hiding out in a discount bin at Old Time Pottery, until he found a loving home!

I use a lot of pine cones when decorating for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Some of them I’ve bought and some I’ve collected outside. They’re an inexpensive and simple way to bring the feel of the season indoors.

Here I gathered a bunch of pine cones and put them on a tray with some greens and placed them on a side table. I threw some orphaned berry ornaments on top that were alone at the bottom of a box of decorations.

This little nesting robin sits along the mantelpiece, surrounded by more pine cones and a garland of holly, a reminder of chillier winters than we generally see in Florida.

And speaking of pine cones, our flocked 8-foot Christmas tree came with pine cones attached.

Children’s Decorations

Also taking center stage are ornaments the twins have made, from the ones with their pictures on them, to those they made in kindergarten when their fingers were painted to look like snowmen.

Seeing these decorations each year is a great reminder of how little they were and how much they’ve grown over the past year.

A miniature picture ornament of their first Christmas card also finds its way onto the tree each year.

A Reindeer Motif

Another perennial outdoor theme here includes reindeer, because well … ’tis the season.

The silver reindeer on the hallway table stands above a napping dog underneath it!

It’s a totally unintentional shot but that’s what happens with animals and children, right? On a side note, Bella will be 15 years old this spring, getting up there in dog years.

A deer and deer ribbon on the Christmas tree keep the theme going.

Last year I decorated our painted farmhouse hutch with Christmas plates that have woodland deer on them. I made the blue snowman platter at a pottery painting class a few years ago.

Lighted Homes

Houses that light up at night also seem to capture my imagination. No surprise there! They’re an easy way to bring the spirit of the season alive, representing home, hearth and family.

Cluster them in separate areas for more little islands of Christmas.

I put this galvanized house candle holder on a ceramic tray and placed pine cones and artificial greenery around the outside to give it the feel of a little garden. It’s sitting in the family room on the painted coffee table.