Decked

I hadn't planned to decorate the house this year. We can't really have a tree because that would be too dangerous for Lizard, and I decided back in February I wasn't going to bother with lights on the house anymore.

I had put up purple and orange spider lights for Halloween in 2020. I put up blue lights for Christmas. In January 2021, I took down the blue lights and put up red and purple lights for Valentine's Day. I was looking for shamrock lights a week after Valentine's Day when the homeowner's association sent a nastygram informing me it was beyond time to take down my Christmas lights.

I was so angry, I decided not to put up any more lights at all. I told myself I didn't need to be spending money on green lights anyway.

Last weekend, I decided I want another tree like what I did last year. I'd bought a small cut tree and set it up in the backyard hoping I could get a Christmas card photo through my window when wildlife visited, preferably in the snow.

I'd hoped to get a blue jay after I saw one in my backyard for the first time ever. I read up on how to attract blue jays, and then I kept my little Christmas photo studio stocked with unsalted peanuts.

The squirrel gave it his best shot.

Ultimately, the raccoon won the Christmas card contest.

I had so much fun stalking the blue jays this year, I decided I HAVE to have a permanent tree in which birds might nest. I've been hoping for nearly two years now to put in a bunch of evergreens in barrel planters when I finish the terracing I'm doing in the backyard in an attempt to prevent the basement from flooding.

First, I checked out the nursery. I found the perfect little Charlie Brown tree but nearly choked when I looked at the three-digit price tag. My heart sank. I didn't want another cut tree. I wanted a live tree that could serve more than just one month.

I checked the grocery stores. I checked the home improvement store where I've bought most of my landscaping supplies. Everyone had small trees. But all were cut. Finally, on a whim, I checked a home improvement store in the metro area. And I scored a double-digit tree. I love it so much, I might return next weekend and get another for the backyard. Because I wound up putting this one in the house!!!

The tree skirt I designed had arrived in the mail, and I don't think I want to stick it outside where the squirrel can have his way with it. I had to rearrange Christmas cacti and find a place for the amaryllises, which got to come up out of the basement last weekend, but I think I've found the perfect way to have a tree in the house without making things difficult for Lizard!

And oh, how I LOVE this new tree skirt!!!

So now we have a tree in the house for the first time since my rosemary tree back in 2017.

We'll have amaryllis blooms soon, too, I hope.

The hyacinth bulbs I bought earlier in the year are beginning to make an appearance, too.

I dug up about 200 volunteer grape hyacinth bulbs in the backyard during the Thanksgiving break, and I had so many, I put a few in a pot and more in between the hyacinth bulbs. Now we're in a race to see which will bloom first.

All this has left me feeling rather festive. So, last night, I put out the Christmas lights. I decided it's my house. I pay my power bill. And I'm not going to let the HOA steal my holiday joy.

My nativity comes out every year. This year, I'm focusing a bit more on the centerpiece. I love all my Christmas decorations, and I love the way they make me feel. But there is a reason for this season, and I'm not going to let anything stop me from celebrating this year.

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