Fall 2025 is Here!!!!!!!!!!

It has almost been three years since I have made a blog entry here. I have been all over the place doing things but I feel a tugging of my spirit. I get this way often and especially during holiday time which is slowly but surely sneaking up on us. Summer is now a memory and Fall is here. The weather still has not completely caught up with the season and we are experiencing some summer heat. I love the anticipation of holidays and I welcome the seasonal temperature decline.

Around the latter part of September I start getting antsy to decorate for the holiday especially with Countdown to Christmas beginning on the Hallmark Channel in October. When my children, now grown, were little I began Christmas decorating on October 31st because I wanted my house decorated for Christmas on November 1st. When I moved from the family home they grew up in and relocated elsewhere the urge to decorate earlier than the 31st of October became evident. My begin date kept go backwards and now I decorate as early as September (this year being the first year I actually started in August). It is a process for me packing up and relocated everything that is not Christmas to make room for Christmas, lol, if that makes sense.

When I decided in late August to start pulling things out of my garage to begin organizing what I would put out this year I had discovered that some of my bins had fallen over and water had gotten in some of them as well as the tree bags that were being stored. My heart was hurt a little. I pray that the things in a private unit at another facility is still intact when I visit there next month to see what Christmas stuff I will bring back home with me.

I began the process of sorting to see what I could salvage and what would be trashed. The only thing I managed to save so far was one Santa. All my garlands, tree ornaments, my new tree  that I had just purchased last year, and other Christmas odds and ends had to be trashed. I had to buy a new tree and begin the search online to see if I could replace some of the things lost that were my favorites. My 2024 tree and my tree of 2025 are both 7 1/2 foot Queen flocked (king of Christmas) trees. The one last year was a full bodied tree, the one I purchased this year is a slimmer version which suits me fine. The one last year was so wide I have to my furniture my sofa halfway down the wall just to make the tree fit in the corner. This year I have the slimmer version on the opposite side of the room out of traffic flow. I had no major furniture adjustments to make besides relocating the console table that was there before I put the tree in its place which was an easy fix.

I did manage to find a replacement for two items lost in the flood one being my snoopy who plays the trombone.  The lost of my super large Jesus stocking stung a bit and I have yet to find a replacement for it. I only managed to retrieve a smaller version of it. It doesn't quite feel the same but I ordered it just the same. I actually stopped looking further for things because it was quite nerve wrecking in doing so but I will have to resume to see what is useful and continue to discard what is not.

This year I reverted back to the green garland and chose not to reorder the flocked garland that I had last year to match the tree. It was most cost effective to take this route. I learned a hard lesson and I can safely say none of my Christmas stuff will be stored in the garage going forward.

I am still the same country living grandma who explored other decorating styles for the last few years that never completely shook her love for country decor. For four months out of the year I revert back to country decorating for the holidays and the remaining eight months its an eclectic decor style. The only country relic that remains is my Amish step back cabinet that I refuse to let go of, all my other wood furniture is gone and has been replaced with industrial, modern, contemporary pieces. The two styles are like night and day. Don't Ask, Lol I will say my current style does give me a sense of calm and contentment to a degree but as I said my first love continues to linger in my thoughts and remains  my first love of decorating thanks in part to HGTV's 90's show "Country at Home".