“Christmas is the time of year when you say to me, ‘How much do you love me? Now get up on that ladder and prove it’,” my husband said to me this weekend.
“Oh, that’s not true!” I replied. “But, you better get to climbing because we are losing daylight.”
Yes, I’ve become that person. Sue me.
Before we lived in our current home, I was happy with some simple white lights strung across the bushes in front of our house and a few trees in our front yard. I was a complete white light SNOB.
But then, I discovered this other house in our then neighborhood – the ‘Most Awesomest Christmas House in the World‘ house. It was G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S, and it was my intention to copy it as soon as we moved. At that time we weren’t even planning on moving, but I filed it away in my brain.
Fast forward a few years. Our new house was being build during the after-Christmas sales of 2007. I measured all of our windows (while there was little but windows and drywall) in the new house and rushed out to buy all of the necessary supplies. Tom knew that my plan would require him to climb all the way up to the second story windows of the house, but I’m pretty sure he didn’t think I would actually go through with it. I think his jaw just about hit the floor when the huge box of red, green, and white Christmas lights arrived at our door from Christmas Lights, Etc.
Oh, Buddy. It was ON!
Silly, Tom! Doesn’t he know I have a very important blog? 🙂
Some of the garlands fell down the day after we put them up. I thought it was funny, but I found Tom sitting in the garage, rocking back and forth. I think he was trying not to cry. I’m sure our neighbors thought it was funny to see us out there on Day 2 with the big stick.
That’s okay. We’ll have the last laugh, because our house is the most beautiful in the neighborhood this time of year. Or, at least we think so. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right?
Daytime
Evening
Plus, if you one of you win, I’ll win $500 for sending you their way. Gah! Oh, just think of the garlands I could buy!
Just kidding, Tom. 🙂
your home is lovely. love the stone work! and I think the garland adds just the right touch.
We just do some lights in the living room window, but this year I am looking for a bit more..just not sure what it will be!
Looks awesome!
I'm still a white lights girl but I love other people's homes looking more bright and flashy 🙂
Your outside decorations are gorgeous and your home is beautiful. It looks fabulous both in the daytime and at night. LOve the look from the inside too. Hugs, Marty
Oh, it does look nice from the inside out too. 🙂 This is our first year in the house and my youngest (five) was adament that we should have lights on our roof because we have a roof now. (We had a roof in the apartment too- it was just three stories higher than our apartment. 😉 ) My husband considered it for about a second. Then he went to Sam's club and bought three light up presents for the lawn. We tease him that they look pathetic sitting all by themselves out there. I have a feeling it's not the end of the story…. 🙂
Your Christmas display is beautiful – there's just enough and not too much. Nice job!
Love it!
Our husbands just don't understand the awesomeness of our blogs do they?!?!
I'm dying for a close up of your entry table. I have one and need some inspiration!
are their christmas lights in this picture?… ho wait… there they are, i was distracted by your awesome house (inside and out!)
I love the red ribbon with the greenery! That is my favorite!
LOVE IT ALL. My next door neighbor has already decorated outside. I didn't even think I wanted to bother with it until I saw there's. It is beautiful & glowing & makes our house look like a dark, sad, scrooge of a house. Now I feel like I need to be just as crafty as my fancy pants, pretty house-d neighbor! But then I tell myself…"Jen, they have lived here for years & years & you've only been here 2 months. Your house doesn't need to be a beautiful glowing masterpiece like there's." But I don't know if I've convinced myself yet…and this post didn't help!
Again…BEAUTIFUL!
Jen
It looks fantastic! And I bet you're the envy of all your neighbors. My hubby refuses to help me hang our decorations this year so they're sitting in a box. I'm trying to find my motivation to get up on a ladder and not kill myself in the process. But first I need to run to Lowes and buy up all the 3M hooks :). Great tip on the painter's tape by the way. I hadn't thought of using that.
This made me laugh out loud…."rocking back and forth" in the garage!! We haven't done lights outside, mostly b/c it's all I can do to get T to go out and get me a tree. Your house is gorgeous!!!
We don't decorate the outside of the house (we're in a rental) but we hadn't gotten around to accruing enough decorations for our home that we own in TN.
Our neighbors decorated their yard with a lot of mismatched items and we drove by during the day and my son says "Yard Sale!" So I made a mental note that when i do decorate the outside to make sure it doesn't look like a yard sale!
I clicked on the link and couldn't find the tree giveaway
Your decorations are lovely and you have a brave husband! Since I don't have one of those (brave husband), I gave up. It's not so much doing the decorating I mind, but doing it in the COLD!! So I'm donating all my outdoor decorations to my niece. She has four teen kids and a brave husband to do her bidding …. 🙂
Wow, it's beautiful! Great job – very tastefully done. 🙂
I have been pondering how to hang garland in windows…..duh! I never thought of the 3M adhesive hooks! Now my mind is swirling with all the new possibilities:) What do you do with all of the extra cord that hangs down from the garland? How do you plug them in. I have so many places in my house I want to hang stuff but the cord dangles or it doesnt reach. Do you use batteries? ivybsmith@gmail.com
Your home and your decorations are gorgeous! And, as for my own outside decorations, I plead, and beg, and beg again for my husband to hang lights. That's all I ask for – just some lights on the trim. He's done it twice out of the six years we've owned a home. Now – I'm onto Plan B. Get my girlies to plead and beg. (He has a much harder time saying no to them…heh, heh, heh…)
"Silly, Tom! Doesn't he know I have a very important blog? :)"
Lindsay, you continually crack me up! I'm sure our husbands could trade stories. 🙂
Looks beautiful, especially at night! Great job! Gets you in the Christmas spirit for sure!
It looks beautiful, and really classy!
I'm still waiting for Angry Husband to put up everything, but sigh, he is out of town all week. I remember when we both shopping for decorations in 2007. Aww yes, the perfect garland with white lights.
Can I borrow your ladder?? 🙂 I really wish the HOA would have just let us leave our lights up all year, then we wouldn't have to re-hang them!! 😉 I think your house looks beautiful, right outside my window!
I have given up control of the outside for now. I'm embarrassed by it. I told the neighbor across the street that I love looking at her tree and elegant candles shining from each window. I told her that I'm sorry she has to look out at the blow up of The Grinch pulling a Christmas tree from a fake-blow-up chimney on our front porch. And that my husband plans to take the kids this weekend and buy a huge blow up Santa Claus for the other side of the porch. The large colored lights outlining the downstairs windows and porch roof will appear soon to. No garland on it, just bare light blubs. Nothing on the second story either, hubby is afraid of hights. He won the argument and control of the outside by pointing out that he and the two kids LOVE IT and they LIVE HERE TOO! Our 5 years old says every day that if we are gettig ready for Christmas (advent) it's time to get out the Grinch! Yup, he's missing the point, and this is so long that I need my own blog!
I bought the 3M adhesive wreath hook for our front door and thought afterward that I should have checked if there was a certain temperature they had to stay at. Unfortunately, the package said to use them above 50 degrees farenheit! Well, considering it is only about 30 degrees in Ohio right now, I opted to put it upside down on the inside of our door and hook a ribbon to it! (My hubby won't let me use my wreath hook anymore because it ruins the seal on our door!) Anyways, just wanted to give others in the COLD states that little heads-up. They might not work well if it gets cold!
Also, wanted to know how you get your wreath on your front door to light up? Our outlet is on the wrong side on our porch, so I can't do it that way…besides, I think the cord would look unsightly. Is it battery operated? My wreath just looks so blah because it doesn't light up!
so, so pretty! be careful on that ladder 😉
You've got the *perfect* amount of lights. I'm a simple girl, and I like simple, classic displays. All of those crazy inflatables people are doing nowadays make my teeth itch.
We're not doing anything exciting at our place this year as we'll be back in Texas for the holidays. I broke out the glitter and did a couple of centerpieces and some items for the mantle and that was it. To be honest with you, I'm relieved we're not bothering with a tree! Next year we'll definitely be going faux!
I love your house!! Could you send Tom this way -it's a one-level. Please tell him to bring the garland, as I don't have any and I LOVE it.
I'm available Saturday before noon. Thanks!
wow, that's a tall ladder! kudos to Tom for a job well done & to you for magnificent supervision 🙂
gorgeous home!
you have such a pretty house!
I love, love, love this post! I have yet to start decorating…maybe today? You've inspired me!
Susan
ps – please add this post to the Holiday Blog Party at YHOB!
Your house IS beautiful! Inside and out! 🙂
All the stone on the front of your home is beautiful and the decorations just add to it!
Enjoy! Janell
I adore your decor for the holidays. Especially the way it adds just the right touch both day and night. Now, that hubby of yours deserves a big round of applause for his hard work too!
Looks great, Lindsay! I like that it's different from what you normally see. We usually go in with our neighbors and rent a cherry picker from Home Depot and do everyone's lights on a Saturday. I think we're all feeling lazy this year though. We'll see what happens…
Your home is lovely. I need to take a picture of our outside – it's definitely not as nice. Just some lights on the hedges and one awesome light up snowman I found on a dumpster dive. This year I let the 5 year old help and now we have a small strand of blue lights going around the tree. He was very proud to have helped, however, it is obvious someone very short wrapped it. LOL
Btw, I *need* to win that tree! Sadly our pre-lit tree didn't light this year. *sob* Fingers crossed!
This year I thought that lights along the top of the porch would look great in addition to the lights I strung around the door last year (easily tucking them around the door frame.) My husband bought me a huge box of light clips that clip around the gutter and the lights, set up the ladder and let me at it while he held the ladder. We put up LEDs which I love because they are extra glowy – and energy efficient.
Other than lights we have greenery draping the front porch and a feather wreath on the door.
Beautiful lights! After years of suffering with horrible allergies at the holidays (I am allergic to conifers/evergreens) we decided to go faux a couple years ago and purchased a tree from Balsam Hill. No one believes us when we tell them it is a face tree. Great product to endorse!
Okay you gave me my morning laugh, thank you! Our house is about as tall as yours and last year Mama hung the lights. I was able to use a ladder until we got to the highest elevation, and then I had to get up ON THE ROOF. After one slipping episode, my husband (who has a bad back and can't get on the roof) vowed that I was never doing this again. So, with that in mind, this year I paid a teenager across the street $20 to hang our lights, and it looks like a teenager was paid $20 to hang them, if you know what I mean.
I'm hoping to get out there this week and "pretty things up". Thanks for sharing. Your home looks beautiful!
So pretty! One of our holiday traditions is driving around drinking hot cocoa and looking at lights. Yours would totally get an "ooh ahh" from us if it were in our neighborhood!