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A Cheery Delight

December 19th, 2011

Most years, my front porch is all decorated this time of year with fresh pine greenery, big white Christmas lights, grapevine stars, terra cotta pots, pinecones, and all things natural. I spend the better part of a day outside stringing garland and lights and adding a touch of the holidays to our home.

This year however, my front porch is bare, there is no pine garland, no white lights, and no grapevine stars. I never got around to buying the garland and I haven’t been able to find the time to pull out the stars. It’s kind of sad, I really miss the big white lights shining through the front windows during the evening. I didn’t want to go completely without any outside lights, that makes me sad.

We are not completely devoid of holiday cheer in the garden. Some big colored lights were strung in a small blue spruce out back for our Christmas card photo.


Generally I’m not a colored light kind of gal, but I find them to be a cheery delight when I see them through my kitchen window in the evenings.

The nice thing about this little strand of lights is that no one else can see them but us. It’s like our own little holiday display on the back hillside. The extra nice thing is that it will take me all of two minutes to take down the outdoor holiday decor instead of the usual couple hours.

Do you add any outdoor decor/lights to your home during the holidays? Which do you prefer: white or colored lights?

24 Comments to “A Cheery Delight”
  1. KimH on December 19, 2011 at 8:08 am

    I have wreaths with pinecones & a few poinsettias on the street facing windows & door.. 3 lighted fake Christmas trees in my little garden area, and 2.5 foot Candy Canes along the rock wall next to my solar lights.. Thats it.
    I wanted to add some garland on our porch rails, but Im not sure if I will or not.. If I have time in a few days, I’ll see about it.. if not, Im ok with it. ;)

    Reply to KimH's comment

  2. daisy on December 19, 2011 at 8:15 am

    I love your private tree. Kinda like a secret garden…

    We use a combination of lights on the outside as well as white twinklers in our Lil’ Guy’s room.

    Reply to daisy's comment

  3. Sofie Dittmann on December 19, 2011 at 8:35 am

    one year, the kids insisted on “dressing up” the small fir tree that we then had in front of our house. it has since been replaced w/ a weeping cherry. somehow the lights never made it off the tree, and when i came too close to it one day, i took the whole thing (sans tree) w/ me as the bumper cover on that side was loose on the corner. all i could do was literally snip them off (after making sure they were no longer connected, of course).

    we had to take the car into the dealer for something, and one of the items on the bill when we got it back was “removal of christmas lights”. LMAO

    Reply to Sofie Dittmann's comment

    • Susy on December 19, 2011 at 9:55 am

      Love the line item on the receipt, wonder if that was already in their system or they added it just for you! Too funny!

      Reply to Susy's comment

      • Sofie Dittmann on December 19, 2011 at 6:47 pm

        i think they had to make a new line item for this. LOL

        to Sofie Dittmann's comment

  4. goatpod2 on December 19, 2011 at 9:20 am

    We don’t have any outdoor decorations out this year. Like white and colored lights.

    Amy

    Reply to goatpod2's comment

  5. Misti on December 19, 2011 at 9:28 am

    We haven’t decorated either, mostly because our stuff is still in storage and it feels silly to buy more of the same stuff. Walked through our local nursery yesterday and I was tempted to buy a 2′ tree.

    Reply to Misti's comment

  6. Allison on December 19, 2011 at 9:49 am

    We are in our backyard all the time because that is where everything is! So, we string lights on the horse barn and lightpost back there and other than our neighbors, we are the only ones who see them :) We don’t bother doing the front of the house since a corn field lives across the street.

    Reply to Allison's comment

  7. 1916home.net on December 19, 2011 at 9:53 am

    The growing trend out west I am noticing is to buy a cut tree and put it on the porch. I dont know if this is in addition to one on the inside of the house as well? For us… it is because we have no room inside!

    Reply to 1916home.net's comment

  8. tj on December 19, 2011 at 10:09 am

    …Your garland and decor is beautiful! I remember last year’s with the white lites, that was so pretty. :o)

    …Usually I go all out with the decorating but this year if you visited out lil’ homestead you would think that Christmas eluded us this year. We’ve experienced a tough year and we’re not hosting the holidays at our home this year so there is nary a Christmas related item out here. We have the Christmas spirit, which one should have all year long, and we’re listening to Christmas music but other than that, nothing. I am missing seeing all of my old ornaments tho’. Every year it is like a reunion of old friends when I remove each one from their tissue paper cocoon. I’m pretty certain too that folks who drive by our old wagon out front wonder what is up with no Christmas wreath and pine roping this year. Oh well, there’s always next year, God willing. :o)

    …Thanks for sharing! Love the lighted Spruce too.

    …Merry Christmas! *<:o{

    …Blessings :o)

    Reply to tj's comment

  9. Jennifer Fisk on December 19, 2011 at 10:12 am

    I have a flowering crabapple tree in my front lawn that I leave the lights on all year. I turn them on for Christmas and then again when the tree flowers. That is really pretty.

    Reply to Jennifer Fisk's comment

  10. Kathi Cook on December 19, 2011 at 10:13 am

    We have pine garlands and white lights on our front porch. I want to photograph it in the snow for next year’s Christmas cards. I love the looks of your natural outddoor decorations. I don’t care for artificial Christmas greens when the real ones are so much more beautiful.

    Reply to Kathi Cook's comment

  11. Daedre Craig on December 19, 2011 at 11:04 am

    I don’t have an electrical outlets on the outside of my house, so holiday decorating is kind of difficult. I do have a mini-christmas tree inside with white and blue lights.

    Reply to Daedre Craig's comment

    • Susy on December 19, 2011 at 11:28 am

      That’s tough, we have 1 outlet, but have to run extension cords all around. I’ve painted them the color of the house so you can’t see them (the bright orange was a little hard to hide). I told Mr Chiots if we ever build a house we’re putting in strategically places outlets outdoors just for Christmas lights (like in the porch ceiling) and they’ll all be wired to one indoor outlet to make turning them off/on easy. Wonder how many people have that on their dream home wish list?

      Reply to Susy's comment

  12. MAYBELLINE on December 19, 2011 at 11:56 am

    I like most any style of lights as long as they do not flash.

    Reply to MAYBELLINE's comment

    • Susy on December 19, 2011 at 12:04 pm

      I’m with you on the no flashing – hate that! And I HATE the new LED lights, they make my eyes hurt & give me a headache!

      Reply to Susy's comment

  13. Lona on December 19, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    I love your arrangements. They do look so festive. Your pine and lights are indeed looking Merry and Bright, Merry Christmas to you and yours.

    Reply to Lona's comment

  14. Victoria on December 19, 2011 at 1:48 pm

    Your arrangements look divine, the star-tree on your porch is really cute! Did you make it yourself?

    We do both…we have an indoor tree with white lights that is dedicated to ornaments from germany that my husband received each year from his grandparents, and we have a more whimsical tree with colored lights that I wrap with a big red velvet ribbon & bow (instead of garland.)

    Outside we have a big wreath with colorful large bulbs…and a smattering of white lights along the walkway…I guess we can’t decide which we like best!

    Reply to Victoria's comment

    • Susy on December 19, 2011 at 7:18 pm

      I made the star tree, but I purchased the stars many years ago. I just affixed them to a pole and stuck them in the flowerpots.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  15. Mich on December 19, 2011 at 4:14 pm

    i have a wreath by the front door and thats it for outside Xmas decorations….. I do love fairy lights though, have to be white and non flashing SO I have these strung round a few trees in our mini arbouritum & they stay put all year. Hoorah for cheap solar powered fariy lights :)

    Reply to Mich's comment

  16. Karen on December 19, 2011 at 4:17 pm

    I don’t put up much because I hate being cold and don’t want to stand outside so long, to put them up or take them down. I admire the people who decorate, especially if it’s pretty, which is not always the case :)

    Reply to Karen's comment

  17. SixBalloons on December 19, 2011 at 6:30 pm

    I enjoy the splash of colour myself!

    Reply to SixBalloons's comment

  18. Joan on December 19, 2011 at 9:09 pm

    We don’t usually do a lot of lights other than a few on the porch, and those on the tree (trying to save electricity!) but usually have a nice tree that we find on our own property. This year we’ve all had really nasty colds, and are not feeling particularly energetic or motivated. Yesterday my 14 year old son and I finally went out to search for a tree in the woods behind our house. We came home with the most scraggly, pitiful Charlie Brown tree I’ve ever seen. I’m sure that once it is up and decorated we will love it though!

    Reply to Joan's comment

  19. Sincerely, Emily on December 19, 2011 at 11:41 pm

    I like white lights. I still have the pine cone wreath up on the front porch from last year. I decided it would just stay up there year around. ha. Right now, that is the only decoration that is up anywhere inside and our. We are still cleaning up after the windows were installed and putting up the blinds. I will be happy to get the place vacuumed and the furniture dusted and back in place before Jan. ha

    Reply to Sincerely, Emily's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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