Despite the corporate take-over on Christmas (I am totally guilty of contributing to the jolly consumerism of the season), it is still, my favorite time of the year for several reasons. One, it is an official excuse to gather my friends and family; two, I get to eat yummy food; three, I enjoy gift hunting for people I love and four, I receive gifts as well, yay! Plus, it's the one time of the year when I genuinely look forward going to Mass.
Unofficially, I also love Christmas because it's a chance to redecorate my home. I feel Americans have really exploited the idea of redecorating their homes for every holiday. Living here, I constantly feel there is something going each month that I'm missing out on. Currently, Christmas is the only holiday that gives me moral ease to spend money on "redecorating". Saying that, I've been thinking lately, as this is my first year with a family of my own; how much I want to spend on the Christmas madness. I thought that instead of going all out and buying everything this year, I want to make decorating a tradition we keep building on. As Victoria grows, I want her to decide what we should do too or what we should add.
Besides, I thought that my daughter isn't going to remember anything thats hanging on the tree this year. Still and all, that didn't mean I was going to ruin Christmas for myself and have no decorations at all. The premise was: keep it simple and neutral, that way, it matches all the stuff we already own. I like my home to look cohesive even on Christmas.
The only thing I thought was worth spending my money on was the Christmas tree itself. I had this whole inner debate on wether we should buy the natural or not and what was more eco-friendly. I finally convinced hubs that if we were to buy a fake tree, we would re-use it as long as we possibly could. In my book, that means for more than 8-10 years. My parents didn't get a new tree until I was 28, and that tree is still "alive" because my aunt uses it! I aim for that goal. In order for that to happen, I felt we needed to invest a little more than the 70 dollar Christmas tree for sale in Target. The previous two Christmases, I built my own tree from recycled amazon boxes, the idea and the look was very romantic, but I really wanted something nicer now. After my insane research, I ran into a tree that looked wonderful, had good reviews and people say they're durable. We purchased the slim version of the unlit King Flock 7.5 ft Tree at King of Christmas. Slim tree fits perfectly in our small apartment and I would definitely recommend for small spaces.
Another executive call, I decided to go with the flocked version. We spent the last two Christmases with snow and I found it loveeeely. Coming from Latin America, that was never an option, clearly. Therefore, my tree needed to bring in that snowy Christmas vibe back to my life. Additionally, I feel that the flocked versions of tree makes the tree seem fuller, hence less decoration is needed.
If was going to spend a little more than expected on the tree itself, I decided to minimize the budget on the decorations. Moreover, I feel guilty my tree is made out of plastic, for that reason, I told myself I was going to minimize or, if possible, use no plastic decorations at all. With around fifty dollars, I'm proud of how my tree looks.
What I did? Well, took my usual stroll around Michaels when Christmas items were already on sale, but not on mega sale (because you can't find exactly what you want).
1. I purchased a whole bunch of those wooden DIY ornaments, with buy two for one, and decided they looked lovely with no DIY intervention.
2. Bought some nice plaid lace and some burlap lace with online coupon.
3. Bought a whole bunch of pine cones for super cheap and a few oversized white flowers 60% off.
4. I already had two sets of lights from last Christmas. So, I purchased an additional set of lights for five dollars. Yes, I feel my tree needs more lights, but, I'm already passed my Christmas spending budget; too bad Christmas tree 2018, you'll have more lights next year.
5. We went to the zoo for the first time with Victoria and got the cutest ornaments made from what looks like little twigs. Two lions, super cute, they were on sale because they were a little crooked? I don't know, they looked fine to me, about four dollars each.
6. Hung Victoria's first rattle, her bunny Jelly Cat rattle.
7. I'm planning on buying a wooden ornament with the shape of the state of Michigan engraved commemorating Victoria's first home and put it in her stocking as her own collection of ornaments. I found that idea from Joanna Gaines blog, and loved it.
That's it for my tree this year. I love my 2018 tree, I really do :)
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