Less Is More Christmas Tree

This year I promised myself that I wasn't going to get all stressed out over decorating... so my motto this year is "Less is More"... okay I have had a few clitches along the way with Faceless Charlie...but that is another comedy of errors...

For years we did all the traditional things like freezing our butts off cutting a fresh one... spent 8 - 10 hours just putting the lights on...I put a light on every single branch and wrapped them from the trunk out... I wanted sparkle big time... after the 2,000th light BF was getting a little tired of  untangling and making sure they worked while emulating Scrooge the whole time.

After Christmas he came across this 9 foot beauty with 1800 lights already attached and being Italian it was an offer he couldn't refuse... he was doing the BIG happy dance...this tree is so gorgeous and so real looking... he was sure I wouldn't object.

Now we  only had one slight problem my ceilings are only 8'... let's see if I amputate part of it's belly I think I can certainly make it fit... oops another problem the girth is as wide as it is tall...  in order to get this baby in my room I have to remove half of my furniture.

This year I decided to go with a smaller tree because I don't have one empty spot to put all that furniture... great idea until I priced those fake pathetic things that you have to sell your first grandchild to own... now I am paying more for less... somehow this got twisted around.

After I plugged the light bulb in my head...  I decided if I could give it a tummy tuck...why couldn't I give it a butt lift while I was at it... ah ha.. now that is more like the Less is More I was aiming for and I don't have to attach an I.O.U to my first grandchild to get it... it still could use a litte tweeking but that may or may not happen... I am not a theme person... each one of the ornaments is special to me... when we travel I buy a new ornament and if I don't absolutely love it, it isn't on my tree.

my 2 piece tree...

I found about a dozen of these mercury birds a few years ago at a garage sale for $1.50... I did the happy dance all the way home... the little ballerina was from a trip to Nova Scotia to visit family and my little cousin was taking ballerina lessons at the time... so this was to remember you Leah...

I just couldn't resist this Santa face...

I found this ladder and elves in Mississippi at a year round Christmas tree store about 25 years ago when they weren't even thought of over here...

A couple of treasures from our travels... oh the trip down memory lane.