Art, Personal

Yuletide Crafts!

Posted by Christine Rose on

It’s always been a great pleasure for me to celebrate all the things! Since I’ve had my share of struggles and live with (sometimes debilitating) C-PTSD, it’s important to celebrate life because these little things brings me so much joy, especially this year! It’s more important that ever to have things to look forward to and enjoy little things to get us through these very difficult and scary times.

With COVID once again on the rise and another 5 weeks until Trump is ejected from the White House, the stress of 2020 continues.

While I usually start Yuletide holiday decorations the day after Thanksgiving, my partner is kinda Bah-Humbug-Grinch-lite and doesn’t like to do much decorating. He doesn’t even get a tree until the second week of December! SCANDAL! Last year we compromised and got a tree on December 1st, but this year we didn’t plan well enough with our friend with the truck who helps us get the tree home, so it was postponed another week!! Finally, we’ll be getting it today.

Anyway, with this disappointing news, I decided to just decorate as I want. After all, it’s my home too! I’ve been living here over two years now, and we’re coming up on our 3rd anniversary in February.

I started with outdoor lights, a beautiful wreath, and a homemade garland. I couldn’t find a nice, full garland for over the door, so one day on a walk, I noticed so many discarded boughs along the road. I started collecting them, and before long, I had enough to made this beautiful garland:

Wreath from New Seasons. Garland by me using discarded clippings found on the street.
Tying boughs together on the kitchen floor. Basils finds the entire process fascinating!
It goes so nice with our new, beautiful house colors!

Normally the stockings are hung on the wall, as my partner doesn’t want to put in any new nails. Since they’re using existing nails—a mixture of former stocking hangers and picture hangers, they’re all clumped up like this:

This year, I wanted to do something festive and creative! I decided to make my own fireplace out of construction paper and cardboard, as those materials worked so well for a Trump wig in my parody video!

I started with a cardboard backing in the rough shape of a fireplace

Then I covered it with construction paper to show the inside and outside of the fireplace
Then it was time to add the bricks. Using Brian’s idea, I tore the edges of the white “mortar” so it suggested the natural uneven texture of bricks and mortar, rather than something that would look more like clip art with harsh straight lines.

Using scrap wood from the construction site, I screwed on a mantlepiece as well as a tripod of three pieces that ran behind the desks to the floor (hidden here), making it sturdy. The table and desk hold it against the wall, so no more nails!
Finally I hung the stocking with care, as St. Nicholas will soon be (t)here!

Perhaps the most time-consuming project was the lighting in the front, as a struggled with something called a telescope ladder! Still, it looks nice. Perhaps more for next year! Brian even got into the spirit by outlining the windows in green and red animated LED lights. They are synchronized to move in patterns together, because he’s a programming genius, so it’s quite the show at night!

My friend pointed out it looks like a Christmas Carousel!

This is how it looks during the day with large ornaments on the front tree, which is lit at night as you can see in the foreground above, and a lovely cedar garland from the store.

Happy Christmas! ….and STAY HEALTHY!

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