The Elf Blog

Holiday Weekend

For some folks, this is a three day weekend.  (I'm making it a 5-day weeekend with a little voyage to New England.)  Use the time well:

• Decorate for Halloween.
• Make Halloween costumes or crafts.
• Get outside and enjoy the autumn air.
• Go apple or pumpkin picking.
• Hit Columbus Day sales to get a jump on your Christmas shopping.
• Bake an apple crisp or make a hearty stew.

Enjoy this fabulous fall weekend.  I'll see you again on Tuesday!

Christmas Countdown - 2 Weeks

Two weeks from tonight is Christmas Eve.  We're in the home stretch:

• Finish shipping your presents and mailing any cards.
• Finish your shopping. You don't want to be one of the frenzied shoppers on tv on Christmas Eve.
• Decorate your house.
• Update your Christmas card address list as cards come in.
• Start your baking.
• Decide on your menus for Christmas Eve and Christmas.  Pick up the non-perishables next time you're at the grocery store. You'll also want to lay in refreshments for the folks who may stop by to pay a Christmas visit.
• Finalize your New Year's Eve plans.

Christmas Countdown -- 3 Weeks

Now is about the point where panic sets in.  Christmas Eve is only 3 weeks away.  Take a deep breath.  you'll make it.

Here are this week's tasks:

• Any gifts that need to be shipped have to go this week.  If they are going outside the US, you're already pushing it.
• Finish up your cards so you can get them in the mail next week. 
• Continue shopping.  Try to complete all online shopping.
• If you are making gifts, most crafting should be done this week.
• Begin wrapping the presents you've bought.  I enjoy wrapping while watching a Christmas movie with a mug of mulled cider at my side.
• If you are hosting a party, you may need to confirm attendance and shop, cook, and bake.
• Take a few hours to do a good clean of the house.  Try to minimize clutter in the public rooms.  Christmas brings its own clutter, so it's good to start with as little as possible.
• Decide what you will wear for your Christmas party, for Christmas Day, and for New Year's Eve.  Drop off any necessary dry cleaning.  Make necessary purchases.  Even plan your accessories.  It's not a bad idea to put everything in plastic bags and tuck it away.  That way, you can be ready to go quickly.

Great Money-Saving Opportunity

Just a quick note to let you know that Michael's Arts and Crafts Store, a national chain, is having a huge sale on Sunday, August 17th. 

You need to print out a coupon from their website and you get 25% off your entire order, including sale items, between 4:00 and 8:00 p.m. 

It's a great time to stock up on crafting basics and to pick up the supplies you will need for holiday decorations and homemade gifts.

Six Months and Counting

Christmas is six months from today!  Believe me, those six months will go faster than you can imagine. You can get ahead of the curve.

If you plan to make presents or cards for anyone on your list, start work now.  Christmas crafts are a great way to spend a rainy summer day. At the very least, start watching for sales to stock up on basic supplies.

You can also start making your lists.  If you have a list of gifts you want to give, you can start looking for good presents while on vacation or you can hit the summer sales.  You can sort through all those recipes you tucked away last winter to decide which ones you want to try.

It's also good to start making some decisions about where you will spend the holidays so that you can start planning your travel.  You can start saving for the travel expenses and you can make sure that you have the vacation days reserved.

It may also be a good idea to go through the decorations you have stored away to fix what needs to be fixed and to replace things that can't be fixed.

My After-Christmas Sale Experience

Today, I made a few stops for Christmas shopping.  The first two, the craft store and the fabric store, were not good.

Then I went to a store called Namco and had amazing luck.  I bought some ornaments and window candles to supplement what I already have.  I also bought a gorgeous 4 foot wreath that I can decorate and hang from the side of my house.  Everyone will know an Elf lives there! 

Momma Elf and I bought new Christmas trees -- beautiful artificial trees that look amazingly real.  The trees were 90% off.  I do love that price!

Special Elf thanks to the store employee who helped us load the trees in the car and to the two gentlemen driving down the street who moved the trees into the basement!

Decorating for the Senses

One of the things I love best about Christmas is that it appeals to all of the senses.  When I decorate, I try to take all the senses into account.

Touch: Over the years, I have collected a few lengths of brightly colored velvet that I use to cover table tops.  It's also a good time to break out your most luxurious throws and pillows.

Sound: Tinkling bells  hung on door knobs, logs crackiling in the fireplace, and carols pouring out of the speakers set the scene.

Taste: Now is a time for wonderful spices, sugary cookies, smooth chocolates, delicious citrus fruits, and rich cheeses.

Smell:  A pine wreath on the door, scented pine cones in a basket near the door, and a pot of spiced cider bubbling on the stove make a house a home.

Sight:  The twinkle of lights on the Christmas tree, the sparkle of garland, and the bright shiny colar of ornaments makes the season special.

As you decorate this year, try to appeal to all of your senses.

All About Christmas Wreathes

This blog comes to us from Elf friend, Heidi who used to have a wreath selling business, so she's an expert!

1. Try to get a wreath made of balsam. It is not only delightfully fragrant, but holds its needles better than any other evergreen. (This is especially important for wreathes because they are usually placed on doors which get open and shut on a daily basis—you thus won’t end up with piles of pine needles on your door jamb).

2. Look for wreathes made of evergreens that look fresh—not brown, not dry. Lightly grasp some of the evergreen and pull gently. Very few needles should come off if it’s fresh.

3. The best wreathes are double-sided. They look pretty on front and back in other words. You’ll get a fuller wreath this way, and if you put your wreath on a storm door or window, it will look lovely from inside and out.

4. If the wreath is decorated, personal taste dictates what you may like. I like bows that aren’t squashed, and pine cones and decorations that aren’t broken, but that’s probably a no brainer.

5. If you’re feeling crafty, you can decorate your own wreath. Getting the decorations to stay in the wreath is all about wire and picks. Bows can be wired to the wreath. Pine cones can be first tightly wired together in twos and threes, and then wired around the wreath (use light gauge wire that’s easy to manipulate. Wire length should be about 18 inches long). Thread the wire behind and between the evergreen foliage so it doesn’t show, and twist it together tightly on the back of the wreath. For attaching other decorations, it helps to purchase some wreath picks (wood or metal spikes with wires attached). Tightly wire the decoration (bow, holly sprigs, juniper sprigs, dried flowers, magnolia leaves, cranberries strung on wire, mini ornaments, whatever) to the pick. Then jam the pick into the wreath so it won’t fall or blow out. If you have a glue gun, or hot glue available, you can also hot-glue some decorations to a pick (nuts, apples, lemons, lotus pods, etc.) and firmly stick them into the wreath. Birds will eat the fruit on your wreath, but it’s all good.

6. Wreath hangers for your door are a brilliant invention. No need for nails and screws that way. Wreath hangers are available for standard doors and storm doors, but if you can’t find a storm door hanger, a regular door hanger can be re-bent with pliers to fit a storm door (storm doors are narrower than standard doors). If possible, hang your wreath on the OUTSIDE of the storm door. If the wreath is hung in between the main door and storm door, you may get “greenhouse effect” drying your wreath—especially if your door faces south or gets a lot of sun. You can also hang your wreath on a screw or nail on the door or on the wall beside the door. And they look lovely on windows too.

7. ENJOY. I leave my wreath up until Spring or until it gets warm outside. I figure it’s a Christmas AND winter decoration. One year some sparrows built a nest in my wreath so it stayed up until the fledglings flew off.

Live vs. Artificial Trees

For many people, nothing says Christmas like the smell of fresh evergreen.  Others would never dream of having a live tree. (I love a live tree, but I come from a family of folks who are allergic to pine.  A live Christmas tree would mean a holiday season of hives and labored breathing.  More Bah Humbug than Ho Ho Ho.)  Environmental activists may consider a potted evergreen that can be planted outside after the holiday. 

If you haven't decided what sort of tree you'll have this year, here are some things to consider:

• Cost:  An artificial tree requires a larger initial expenditure (unless you were very smart and bought one at the after-Christmas sales last year.)  However, a quality artificial tree will last for several years if stored properly.  On the other hand, many community groups sponsor Christmas tree sales, so you know that your money is aiding a good cause.
• Maintenance: A live tree must be watered regularly for the entire time it is in your house.  Without regular watering, the tree will dry out quickly, turning brown and beginning to drop its needles.  (Your vacuum cleaner will not like picking them up.)  A dry tree is a major fire hazard, especially given the likely proximity of hot lights and candles.  On the other hand, I have seen properly watered trees last into April.  If you will be away from your home for several days during the holiday season, you should either choose an artificial tree or take your tree down before departing.
• After Christmas:  When it's time to take the tree down, you'll need a place to store an artificial tree.  Most tree boxes are too large for a closet, so you'll need an attic, basement, or other storage area.  Many cities offer disposal of live Christmas trees, turning them into mulch for spring flower beds.
• Atmosphere:  Live trees win this one hands down.  NOTHING smells like a live evergreen.  To me, the combination of cinnamon and pine is the smell of Christmas.  If you choose an artificial tree, you may want to enhance the atmosphere with a fresh wreath or garland.  If live pine isn't practical for you, pine scented potpourri or a pine scented candle can help a little. If you go the potpourri or candle route, it's not the time to pinch pennies.  Buy the best quality you can afford.  It could mean the difference between a house that smells like a pine forest and a house that smells like a taxi with a car deodorizer hanging from the rear view mirror.  (Try several votive-sized candles to determine the best quality brand before purchasing larger candles.  The most expensive isn't always the best quality.)

If you love a live tree, indulge yourself.  Personally, I'd rather have a live tree with nothing but lights and homemade decorations than a fancy artificial tree.