Ace is the place...for Christmas decor and preparations!
Though the selection is not as expansive as big box shops, Ace Hardware has the advantage of being very near our house. Perhaps there is one in your neighborhood too? There are 4,400 of them across the USA.
We opted to buy an 8-foot tree (retails for approximately $35). This is the first year (since we've been married - that's almost eleven years!) that we've had a real tree. Our tree has quite a wide girth and Tim is already sighing about the pins and needles on our floor, but the smell is lovely. No doubt about that.
We strung the tree with LED Warm White lights (on-sale for $5.99!). Interspersed with the lights are dark red glass bulbs (a matching set from many years ago), mixed with handmade advent ornaments (thanks to a friend). A Color Changing Star perches at the top.
We used the same white lights to garnish our house. They're quite simple, but that is our style. Minimal. Quiet. Clean. P.S. This picture is very representative of our house. White walls. Globes. Homeschooling supplies. Word games. Books, book, books.
When you first enter through our front door, you'll find a little nativity set in a cut-out space. Tim purposefully kept the wise men a slight distance from Joseph & Mary and the newborn babe since they technically didn't arrive until after the manger.
Our pipes are also ready for winter now, thanks to insulation we bought at Ace. If the temperatures would drop below 70 degrees, I'd tell you how it's working (that's a Southern Arizona winter for you!). ;)
Ace Hardware also has artificial trees, indoor & outdoors lights, wreaths, and wrapping paper. Plus, gifts and gift cards!
Does your family opt for a real or artificial tree? How did you decorate this year?
* Thanks to Ace Hardware for providing a gift card to our family so that we could share our shopping experience with you.
A REAL tree all the way, baby! This year, we got one 10 feet tall. EEEE...I feel like its a childhood fantasy come true! I ADORE IT! Finally finished decorating today...basking in its beauty as I type. After living in South Africa for three years and then at my parents place for two years, we finally have our own house and got our "newlywed" Christmas stuff out again -- berries, pine cones, white lights, ornaments I've had for years, and my favorite are these handmade scrolls ornaments {index size} from my ex-boyfriend's mom with the names of Jesus on them. It "makes" the tree for me!
Thanks for sharing your tree and traditions with us!
We get a real tree each and every year. In the past we've actually "Griswold-it" and cut down our own. But ever since we moved into the city we now walk over to the church tree lot where the proceeds go directly to our school. From the same lot I also buy a couple of wreaths, some spruce tops for my flowers pots and a string of balsam garland to use on our fence.
Inside we have a Fontanini nativity set that we received as a gift for our first married Christmas together. It's one of my very favorite gifts we've ever received. I like to put it within the kids' reach because they like to do pretend play with all the pieces. Another favorite of our Christmas decor is our stockings from Lands End. They are very old-fashioned looking and each has the kids' names stitched on top.
I do like decorating for Christmas but I admit that I also love tearing it all down once January hits and returning to my clean, simple home.