Tag / Christmas tree

by Kelly Mattei

Christmas Decor from Amazon

Christmas decor from Amazon. ***As an Amazon affiliate, I might receive commission from purchases made through my links.***

It’s almost here! The holiday season is upon us! Time to get prepared! Here are a few things from Amazon to brighten up your home around the holidays! From tableware to yard decor, let’s go…

  • Retro style blow mold figurines. When I was a kid in the 1960s and 70s (do the math), blow mold figurines were all the rage. Somehow, over the years, they fell out of favor…probably for the easier to store inflatables…but I prefer blow mold figurines 100 percent. In fact, I still have my parents’ old “Noel” candles from the early 1970s. They still work, but I do worry a little about the electric components, so this year, I ordered new ones from Amazon, and while they aren’t exactly the same, they convey the same feel. See them here. At writing, they are on sale! I ordered two, one for each side of the porch steps, just like my parents used to do!
  • Vintage style blow mold Santa (43″ tall!). Back when I was a kid, these were pretty normal. I rarely see them anymore, but here is your chance to get a blow mold Santa. It’s not inexpensive ($169 at writing), but think how much the neighborhood kids will love it! Isn’t it worth it?!? Purchase it here. He’s reading his list. Who’s to say you can’t use a black Sharpie to write some names on that blow mold list?
  • Spode Christmas Tree tableware and more. If you’re a fan of the Spode Christmas Tree tableware collection, you can get some items on sale a Amazon (as of writing). The Spode Christmas Tree Ribbon Couple Plate is 10% off at writing. See it here. Or maybe you’d like the pasta serving bowl at 73% off? See it here. Cloth napkins at 42% off can be purchased here. Or maybe some holiday coffee mugs at 10% off? Purchase here. If you’re looking for ideas on tablescapes, or how to decorate your table, check out tablescapes_ on Instagram.
  • Retro Christmas Tree Skirt. I feel the need to change the tree skirt every couple of years, and this year, I’m going with a retro vibe. See a fun retro skirt here.
  • Christmas Lights. If you’re looking for Christmas lights and don’t want to fight the crowds at your local big box department store, check out the offerings on Amazon. They will deliver to you…and get free shipping with your Prime account! See all the Christmas lights here.

Thanksgiving has not arrived yet, so you still have plenty of time…over a month…to prepare for Christmas! Let’s goooooo!

by Kelly Mattei

Favorite Ornaments

This week, I decorated our Christmas tree. My husband carried the bins down from the attic, and I went to work.

We have a lot of meaningful Christmas ornaments. My mother was a big collector of ornaments, so I have lots of crystal and sterling ornaments. We have some lovely ornaments my husband’s family gave us. We have ornaments commemorating our first Christmas together and the birth of our daughter. We have lots of ornaments our daughter made in preschool and elementary school. And we have some silly ornaments we collected along the way.

When I was growing up, my favorite ornaments on our family tree were some ornaments that looked like the toys from the Island of Misfit Toys on Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I know I brought those back after my mother died, but I’m having difficulty locating them. It’s not likely I will find them this year, but I hope to put my hands on them before next Christmas.

We do, however, have some fun ornaments from A Christmas Story…one that looks like the house from the movie, and another of the leg lamp and Ralphie. The ones that really made me smile, though, were two ornaments from the Nickelodeon show, iCarly. Our daughter loved the show when she was younger (and likely still does), and her very favorite characters were Carly and Sam. I don’t remember where I purchased them, but when she was a little girl, I found some Carly and Sam ornaments.

Back then, we were still doing the Elf on the Shelf thing, and our daughter loved the Elves (yes, more than one…we were overachievers) as much as she loved iCarly. She often wrote them notes…sometimes asking them questions about themselves…favorite foods, favorite TV shows, favorite sports, etc. And sometimes, the elves brought little gifts…very small gifts…but they generated a lot of excitement. One morning, she came downstairs to find the elves had brought her a Carly ornament from iCarly, and the next morning, she found a Sam ornament. Carly and Sam were the two main female characters from the show, and she thought they were hilarious. She adored them. I didn’t park her in front of the TV when she was really little, but when she was elementary school aged, I didn’t mind if she watched a few shows here and there. She loved iCarly so much, that she knew the title of each episode! In fact, I’m guessing she can still name each episode and give a brief synopsis.

All that is a long way of saying that yesterday, as I pulled ornaments out of the bin, I found the two cheap iCarly ornaments that generated so much excitement on that December morning eight or ten years ago. I hung them on the tree together…they’re pals, after all. Our daughter wasn’t home, but I took a picture of them and sent it to her, asking, “Recognize those ornaments?” She replied, “OMG! Yes!’ I couldn’t see her reaction, but I imagine she felt like she was six or eight years old again…just for that second. She likely remembered exactly how excited she was to receive them.

And you can bet your sweet bippy they will continue to be on our tree every year…right up there with all the sterling and crystal ornaments from my mother.

 

 

 

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