Preparations of Christmas

What kind of preparations you have done for Christmas guys??

 

We have decorated the outside of our house, so far, and begun the inside of the house. For the outside, we have some garland and lights strung around the front door and the lamp post. We also have a lit wreath on the door. A bit out into the front yard, we have two lit raindeer posed between two trees. Inside the house, we have yet to put up the Christmas tree (probably this weekend) but we have put up my collection of "conehead" Santa Clauses (it's a long story, but they all have pointy hats; I have been collecting them for decades) in the family room. It is a lot of work, but always fun because we play Christmas music while decorating, etc. Thanks for asking.

 

Fake or real? This year we decided to have a fake one.

 

We have been using fake trees for many years. Too much hassle and mess with real ones. Within the past five years, we upgraded to one that has the lights built in, thereby saving having to fool around stringing lights on it. Just plug it in, put up the ornaments and good to go. Last week, my wife found a scent product that you hang on an artificial tree and it is supposed to make it smell just like a real tree. If it works, it will solve the one issue with fake trees: you lose the great smell of a real one. Will let you know how that works once we try it out.

 

I have a question which might be a little off-topic. I'm currently working on an e-commerce website where we're planning to put up a lot of different products for the upcoming Christmas sale. Christmas trees are a hit which is a given. When I was working previously for an e-commerce store, we used to find the best deals for Christmas trees at Walmart and some at Amazon occasionally. Seldom we could catch something on Sears or Kohls. I haven't lately been in touch with this side of things though. So what I wanna ask esp. those living in the US is - do you still go to Walmart for buying Christmas trees? Are there any new stores around where we can probably find some more (and better) deals or discounts? Maybe we can try to enroll for some new affiliate programs to see if it boosts our sales, or more precisely commissions.

 

I have been trying to do what I can in my small way, to try and ensure that no one will be prosecuted for calling Christmas, as Christmas and no school will be forced to not put on the Nativity Play because some busybody in a council here in the UK may object to it!

The increasingly politically correct police in the UK and in fact almost every where, are threatening to take away the magic of Xmas away from the little kids.

That sure is very naughty and NOT nice!

 

Home Depot and Lowes have big Christmas tree selections, along with a bunch of other decorations. BJ's Discount store offers some trees and decorations, probably at the best prices. Here in New England, we have the Christmas Tree Shops regional chain which is focused on cheap home goods most months, but really have a whole department store of Christmas items September - December.

 

Thanks for the info @jrbiz. You're right, September – December is that time of the year when we get most of our business.
I missed Home Depot totally. We had put up a lot of trees from there though. I haven't heard of Lowes and BJ's Discount but I'll see if we can enroll for their affiliation. So is it that people are no longer so crazy about Walmart?
What else sells as hot as Christmas trees? I know Santa Clause apparels and caps to be one among them.

 

Lowes is a direct competitor of Home Depot. BJ's Discount is a warehouse buyer's club like Costco and Sam's Club. I only belong to BJ's, but I suspect that the other two also carry Christmas trees and decorations.

I think that wreaths probably sell well and would be a good complement to the trees. I often see wreaths being sold alongside Christmas trees in stores and in the parking lot sellers who spring up for a couple of months before Christmas. My wife is always buying a new one either for the inside or the outside of the front door. We have one on each side.

 

Okay, we have finally pretty much finished decorating the inside of the house (Christmas tree and other assorted decorations.) It is funny. This year, was the earliest that we had ever decorated the outside of the house. It is also the year that we have ever decorated the inside of the house so late. Last night, my wife and daughter (who arrived home from college yesterday) spent hours wrapping gifts. But the pressure is really on now because it is less than a week before Christmas Eve and we have not picked the meals that we will be serving that night and on Christmas Day. Part of the reason is that we are not yet sure how many people are coming (have not heard from nor contacted all potential guests) and the other is just procrastination. We do not have specific meal traditions for either day, so it could be anything. We have been going out to Chinese food on Christmas Eve, but that will not likely be in the cards this year.

The best news is that it has been unusually warm up here in New England and we have been getting rain, not snow. This means that we may not have a White Christmas which works for me as the guy who has to fire up the snowblower and clear it out on Christmas morning so that guests can arrive safely. Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain!

 

@jrbiz care to share some pics? I'd take pics of the outside, but it's kinda cold this morning here in FL (48F) LOL. It's actually a very nice, sunny day. It'll probably average about 68F this afternoon.

Here's our tree:

 

You know, I was thinking of posting a few pix, but thought that it would be presumptuous. I will take a couple of the inside and then, tonight, try to get a shot of the outside. Wait until you see my "Conehead Santa Claus" collection!

 

It is a loooong story, but I have been collecting "Conehead Santa Clauses" for many, many years. Started with my aunt giving me a couple handmade ones when I was a teenager. Later, when Saturday Night Live introduced the Coneheads, I realized that I had a unique and amusing pair of Santa's that would fit right in. So I began to collect them with two main criteria (that occasionally I deviate from): they had to have pointy heads/hats and they could not be jolly (the ones that my aunt gave me were not jolly, either.) So, over the years, the collection has grown and grown to what you see above. They continue to make me laugh and have become a tradition in the family as the first things that we put up inside the house for Christmas. We put on a Christmas CD and put them up!

I will get a shot of the outside of the house tonight when it is dark and the lights are all on...

 

@jrbiz, your Santa Clause collection rocks! Can't believe they're handmade!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

 

Thanks. Only some of them are handmade. The top shelf in the middle picture being the handmade ones, with a couple of exceptions in other places. Most were purchased at stores, tag sales, etc.

 

Well, apologies in advance for my lack of photography skills, my lousy smartphone camera, etc. Below is the best that I can do to get a picture of the house lit up in the dark:



By the way, @qwikad.com I forgot to mention that I really liked your Christmas tree. Very nice.

 

My wife and kids did all the job. I have not been involved in decorating much of anything this year (but I still take a lot of pride in what I see, as if I did do something).

 

Those seem to be outdoor LED reindeers. Look nice! Would love to see a closeup, obviously if it's feasible and you don't mind posting one.

 

Of course! I have done 5% of the decorating (if that) and I am the one posting pictures...

 

The reindeers are outfitted with mini-Christmas lights (the bulb type.) We have been using these lights for a looooong time, so they are not the latest/greatest technology. I will try for a close-up tonight.