Monday, December 12, 2005
Passing the Torch
This holiday is very much different to our family because this year, WE are the older generation in our family passing on our traditions to the newer generations. It is very cool to inherit a house that has its own Christmas decorations. I'm interweaving my style with Miss Odessa's style, and trying to keep a lot of the traditions in place. The big tradition with Christmas is our holiday decorations. The outdoors part takes a couple of weeks of work to put it in place. We finished that part of the work Thanksgiving weekend. There are huge frames that we place lights on for a major part of the yard. One set spells out NOEL, and there is a huge red cross, and a bell and a tree in the front yard. Lighted candles two foot high line the spacious driveway, and Santa and his reindeer fly high above the field across from our house. At the corner of the yard, I have added my Mickey and Minnie Mouse carolers, with Goofy serenading everyone who drives by. I also brought over my snowmen and reindeer that are spotlighted in the front yard.
The part that actually takes more care and detail is the indoor decorations. To see what my house looked like with Miss Odessa's decorations, take a look at this website address: http://www.ecsis.net/~oscearce. My friends at MEC Designs helped me to organize the photos I took and added Christmas music to the mix. Each room has a sort of a theme and it's own color scheme. This year I have put up five trees, and I am adding two more trees to the mix. My twelve foot tree that worked well with my vaulted ceiling is too tall for my new living room, so it will have a place of honor in the swimming pool area. I am also adding a tree in the laundry room. Those are the two trees left to decorate.
Miss Odessa used to offer guided tours of her home, and in recent years made the tours by appointment only. I have tried to stay true to her original decorating schemes and have added my own touches along the way. My front room has a 6 1/2 foot tree with angel dressed in Santa robes. The tree decorations are ones that friends and relatives have given me over the years. I also have three rotating ornaments, a tree, a harp, and a violin. I use white bubble lights and decorate the boughs with small poinsettias throughout. Other components of my living room include a large Nativity scene and a rural winter wonderland scene spread across the top of the piano and organ. I also have some shelves full of my snowman collection.
The candy room is decorated with a table full of Christmas candy and a tree full of candy canes. I added red, white, and blue lights to the tree and candy cane garland. I also have a red room with a red decorated tree. On my dresser are red candle lights, a Santa and various snowmen. The gold room has a gold decorated tree with Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and an angel beneath it. Santa and Mrs. Claus have their spot on the bed in that room. I also have a tree with white decorations in the patio room. It has white icicle garland and all sorts of white ornaments that deck the tree. In the pool area there is a tree that stays there year-round. It was decorated by Marvin's Aunt Lagreeta who died a year ago. She rigged the lights so that part of them sparkle like stars, very beautiful. My twelve foot tree will take its place near the diving board of the swimming pool. It will have gold bubble lights and gold balls all over it, with a gold angel on top. That is the tree I will be completing tomorrow night.
My decorations are interweaving very nicely with this house. I had no idea that we would be inheriting this house, and I am amazed at how well things are blending together. Miss Odessa was very organized with her Christmas decorations, and I intend to carry on her traditions as we pass them on to the younger generation. I'm sure that she would be very pleased with our progress in making her house our new home.
The part that actually takes more care and detail is the indoor decorations. To see what my house looked like with Miss Odessa's decorations, take a look at this website address: http://www.ecsis.net/~oscearce. My friends at MEC Designs helped me to organize the photos I took and added Christmas music to the mix. Each room has a sort of a theme and it's own color scheme. This year I have put up five trees, and I am adding two more trees to the mix. My twelve foot tree that worked well with my vaulted ceiling is too tall for my new living room, so it will have a place of honor in the swimming pool area. I am also adding a tree in the laundry room. Those are the two trees left to decorate.
Miss Odessa used to offer guided tours of her home, and in recent years made the tours by appointment only. I have tried to stay true to her original decorating schemes and have added my own touches along the way. My front room has a 6 1/2 foot tree with angel dressed in Santa robes. The tree decorations are ones that friends and relatives have given me over the years. I also have three rotating ornaments, a tree, a harp, and a violin. I use white bubble lights and decorate the boughs with small poinsettias throughout. Other components of my living room include a large Nativity scene and a rural winter wonderland scene spread across the top of the piano and organ. I also have some shelves full of my snowman collection.
The candy room is decorated with a table full of Christmas candy and a tree full of candy canes. I added red, white, and blue lights to the tree and candy cane garland. I also have a red room with a red decorated tree. On my dresser are red candle lights, a Santa and various snowmen. The gold room has a gold decorated tree with Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and an angel beneath it. Santa and Mrs. Claus have their spot on the bed in that room. I also have a tree with white decorations in the patio room. It has white icicle garland and all sorts of white ornaments that deck the tree. In the pool area there is a tree that stays there year-round. It was decorated by Marvin's Aunt Lagreeta who died a year ago. She rigged the lights so that part of them sparkle like stars, very beautiful. My twelve foot tree will take its place near the diving board of the swimming pool. It will have gold bubble lights and gold balls all over it, with a gold angel on top. That is the tree I will be completing tomorrow night.
My decorations are interweaving very nicely with this house. I had no idea that we would be inheriting this house, and I am amazed at how well things are blending together. Miss Odessa was very organized with her Christmas decorations, and I intend to carry on her traditions as we pass them on to the younger generation. I'm sure that she would be very pleased with our progress in making her house our new home.
