Decorations

Well, I put up the Christmas decorations, such as they are. 

No one really does evergreen wreaths hanging on doors here, but I have an artificial one that doesn't dry out and turn brown within days, so I hang that. It's on the outside of the gate. On the inside I hung a burlap strip of bells. 

It looks very reserved -- my New England tendencies to understate and under-decorate are still with me. In Santa Fe they do rows and rows of lighted farolitos (luminarias, bright orange bags, quite festive.) Or they hang icicle lights from portals or throw colored light strings randomly all over everything. 

They don't do simple wreaths and a small strip of bells. But I do.

In the back yard on a bench in my new garden, a family of snowmen waits cheerfully for snow to arrive. It has been quite cold here, but no snow yet. They wait.

Inside, the tree is up and the mantel decorated.

It's just a row of forest trees and polar bears on the fireplace beam. The bears look like they, too, are looking skyward waiting for snow.

Like my outdoor attempts, it's not much. I do miss the days decades past when stockings hung on the mantel and decorations were garish Santas, freaky elves, lights, lights and more lights, and chaos reigned.

One last attempt at Christmas whimsy: I put Santas on the front doors where my red chile decorations had been.

Too small, you say? Why yes. Yes they are. Once again my holiday decorating is pretty underwhelming.

All these Christmas decor items and all the ornaments on the tree are old, brought with me 5 (five!) Christmases ago from Connecticut, where I'd had them for many years. I like their simplicity and the memories. 

But it's all so small and underdone. I'd like to jazz things up next year. Something less tasteful and more impactful, 

This year I can't wait to see my granddaughter's 11 month old face in videos when she sees her first Christmas tree and lights and spectacle and tries to make sense of all the visual overload. 

And what fun she'll have with boxes and ribbons on Christmas morning. We won't be there for that (we'll be there after Christmas for her January first birthday!) 

Meanwhile, my reserved, quiet little bits of Christmas decor will have to do.