Alyse French | Fine Art Portrait Photographer | Houston, TX »

1 For You // 1 For Me | December 2010

For as long as I can remember, we, the French family, have always prided ourselves on the girth of our Christmas tree. (The word girth is so off-putting, isn’t it? Sort of like the word caucus. But I digress..) That isn’t to say we haven’t faced our fair share of obstacles, however. There were countless times my parents would rather pull their own teeth than haul the entire family to the Rotary Tree Shop. After all, they knew none of us could possibly agree on needle sharpness, aroma intensity, or branch density… (Yes, it was THAT complicated.) Dad would forget his gloves and grunt like a linebacker as he spun each potential tree for our unanimous 360 degree approval. Nine times out of ten, one of us kids would resolve to shoving our hands in our mouths for fear of frostbite. And once we’d miraculously find THE one, the back of the van would become a death trap of rope and cable wound tautly from the left window, up over the roof, back through the right window, and around Cam’s head for anchorage. Needless to say, it was always an adventure. :)

Now that I’m a Morrissey living in snow-less Houston, I’ve experienced a great humbling in regards to Christmas trees, or a lack thereof (at least, in our case)… And that’s where 1 For Me // 1 For You comes into play! December’s 1 For Me // 1 For You features four Christmassy products from West Elm, which has quickly become my new favorite resource for all things decor. Among these wintery items? A Christmas tree! Sure, 27″ ain’t no 87″… But we love it just the same. :) Before we get into all the specifics, how about a little recap on how 1 For Me // 1 For You works!

  • What is it? It’s pretty straightforward, really.. If I have one (or more) of something that I find functional, fashionable, or just plain fun, I send one of you a duplicate set, so we can be functional, fashionable and fun together!
  • Who can enter? Anyone and everyone. Sorta.. ;) Please see the fine print below for full rules and restrictions!
  • How long do I have to enter? You have until next Saturday, December 11th at midnight CST to enter. The winner will be chosen at random using the random number generator at Random.org and announced the next morning (always the second Sunday of the month).
  • Schweet! How do I get my shot at winning? You must comment (and answer the specific question asked at the end of the post) on this 1 For Me // 1 For You post to enter. Comments left via Facebook, Twitter or elsewhere will not be taken into consideration.
  • But why? Because it’s the most wonderful time of the year! And decorating is fun. :)

The first item ya’ll have a chance to win is West Elm‘s handcrafted felt wreath! I just LOVE this fun and fuzzy spin put on the traditional green and prickly wreath. Because as you probably know by now, we don’t do traditional around here. :) I also love how this wreath has just the right amount resemblance of snow! Well, that or Dippin’ Dots.

And HERE is my favorite part! West Elm‘s twig topiary, designed by David Stark. THIS is our Christmas tree. :) Newsprint paper/poly resin covers both its base and branches, which bend any which way you want them to! Ours is currently the centerpiece of our dining room table, but it could easily look fabulous atop your fireplace mantel or bookshelf. The other awesome thing about this topiary is that once Christmas has passed, it’ll still be just as awesome! I’m thinking of clothes-pinning old Polaroids on its branches. :)The next two West Elm products take the form of super cute, mini ornaments! The first is a set of four felt ornaments in white, red, and green!The other is a set of six newsprint leaf ornaments with a shiny, silver backing! I absolutely adore how well these go with the topiary. I mean, the Christmas tree..For good measure, here’s a final shot of the tree and ornaments! One in which you can see the base a little more clearly. Presents not included. I’ve shaken them way too many times to never find out what they are! ;)And here’s a shot of my stuff in the background, and your stuff packaged up in the foreground! For those of you thinking, “Sure it’s pretty cool and stuff, but how will I get it all in time for Christmas?” … You have my word, West Elm‘s felt wreath, twig topiary, felt ornaments, and newsprint leaves will be on your doorstep with days to spare! :)

Question to enter: What is your favorite way to decorate for the holidays? Popcorn garland? Six-foot-tall penguins? Less-than-girthy, fake Christmas trees? We want details! :)

Not so fine print: Only one entry allowed per person. All contestants must live within the continental United States and must be able to provide a valid mailing address upon winning. I am not responsible for items that are lost, stolen or damaged during shipment. The winner will have 24 hours to contact me and redeem the item or a new winner will be chosen.
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  • December 5, 2010 - 4:21 PM

    Katrina - I have a 1950s aluminum silver tree that I decorate every year. I love it!

    I like the wrapping paper in the photos!

  • December 5, 2010 - 4:45 PM

    Ann Marie - I have this beautiful glass bead garland in green that I bought years ago that i wrap around my loft with white lights. It’s so pretty =) Now that we’re moving into a new house, I’ll have lots more room to decorate, I can’t wait!

  • December 5, 2010 - 4:59 PM

    Jamie - I love that felt wreath! Our entry is painted a deep cranberry color and it would look great there.

    We have a lot of decorations my mom has passed down to me. My kids are 8 and 5 now and they LOVE decorations. We don’t have any outside except for a simple wreath and they want more bling. ;)

  • December 5, 2010 - 5:14 PM

    Suz - Candles… Candles and greens. This year I have all sorts of old bottles, e.g. clear glass spice bottles, and I put cranberries in the bottom and stuck boxwood sprigs out of the top; they go everywhere from powder room to kitchen windowsill and just feel festive. And I LOVE that tree…. Thanks !!

  • December 5, 2010 - 5:33 PM

    Corrie - We used to get a live tree when I was a kid, but use a fake tree, as my husband is allergic to pollen….
    White lights, then bubble light things, then ornaments.
    We have a very small apartment, so we dont put up many decorations. I do have up a pretty wreath, and door mat, some snowmen around, and a nativity scene my grandpa made me.
    We wrap gifts in homemade cloth wrapping, and stuff homemade stockings!

  • December 5, 2010 - 5:42 PM

    Claire - Christmas lights everywhere and a huge christmas tree overfilled with ornaments , lol

  • December 5, 2010 - 6:45 PM

    vickie - I’m very traditional …. lots of lights and red and greens!

  • December 5, 2010 - 6:49 PM

    kelly tillotson - my craft room is red, turquoise and white, so I went with that theme for decor in that room—i love all retro 50-60s ornaments, have a beautiful white tree. winterwonderland ala 1964. it makes me so happy!
    *kelly
    kelly-tillotson@hotmail.com

  • December 5, 2010 - 7:01 PM

    Meghan Stang - I love this time of year! My favorite way to decorate is to be classy and simple. I still live at home so I do not have a lot of input on what our family Christmas tree looks like, but my mom is a genius when it comes to decorating. She has such a great eye for what looks good. Staying within a color palette is the best way to steer away from becoming gaudy :) I just put a small scale fake tree in my room, it has one strand of clear lights and white, glittery star ornaments. I also put silver, iridescent curly ribbon throughout the tree and to top it off a huge (fake) diamond as the tree topper! I am in love and it makes my room very cozy, can I keep it up all year?!

  • December 5, 2010 - 7:09 PM

    Weslea - We always decorate with a lot of snowmen and homemade stockings with our names on them… It’s usually a crafty Christmas!

  • December 5, 2010 - 9:00 PM

    Christina Shippey - Decorating at my house is definitely all about the tree!! We always get a real tree….. and the whole process is done as a family…. from picking it out to putting lights on and decorating it!! We all drink eggnog and listen to Christmas tunes while we decorate!! It doesn’t feel like the holidays until the smell of the pine tree fills the house! P.S. You always find the coolest things to giveaway!! Love the wreath and tree!! :)

  • December 5, 2010 - 9:19 PM

    Kate D - favorite thing about decorating for christmas. it’s gotta be the lights. i just think they’re so pretty. Every year my sister and I attempt to put a strand around our room. and every year we awake to them falling on our faces in the middle of the night. BUT this year we’ll use duct tape! and and they’ll definitely haveta stay! but we say that every year.. and yet they still fall. haha

  • December 5, 2010 - 10:06 PM

    Leslie M - Decorate the Xmas tree with vintage ornaments

  • December 5, 2010 - 11:20 PM

    Rachel - we have a fake tree b/c i like to put it up nov. 1st and keep it up until after new years of course. we decorate it with red balls and popcorn garland, and the kids homemade ornaments. :) thanks for this chance.

  • December 5, 2010 - 11:58 PM

    Lamb - We’re all about cozy holiday details – fuzzy blankets draped over the couch, hot apple cider ready to sip, and Christmas cookies always waiting :)

    lambaround@gmail.com

  • December 6, 2010 - 8:48 AM

    One Frugal Girl - We have old ceramic Christmas trees, they are hard to explain so hopefully you’ve seen them before. They have room for a lightbulb inside and when you turn on the light it shines through little colored bulbs on the outside that look like Christmas tree ornaments. We have a bunch of them in the house and I’m always looking for more!

  • December 6, 2010 - 8:59 AM

    Jennae @ Green Your Decor - I always get a giant kick out of decorating the tree. Every year, I try to do something slightly different, and this year, I plan to make a bunch of my own ornaments and other decor. I’m really excited about all of it!

  • December 6, 2010 - 9:57 AM

    Amy Trimble - Since my dad is allergic to “real” trees, we have always had a fake tree. We used to decorate it with all of the ornaments my brother and I made when we were little. But now, since my brother and I aren’t home anymore, my mom decided to add some pizaz to the tree. Last year she garnished the tree with clear bright lights, then carefully weaved lime green sparkly thick ribbon throughout the tree. Then, she added bright green, pink, blue, and orange ornaments to the tree. She topped the tree with a funky green tree topper. My mom and I made felt stockings that matched the colors of the tree. Very cute!

  • December 6, 2010 - 9:59 AM

    Amanda Moss - My favorite way to decorate for the holidays is to combine our vintage (hand me downs from parents, grandparents) with more modern decorations & settings. Clear bowls filled with bulbs (both old and new), a handmade wreath (LOVE the new West Elm ballzy one – totally looks handmade), a Christmas tree filled with decorations (old & new), small hints of the holidays in every room.

  • December 6, 2010 - 10:00 AM

    Alison - My favorite go to holiday decoration is strands of popcorn and cranberries to hang around the christmas tree: )

  • December 6, 2010 - 10:47 AM

    Sonja - White lights and glass bulb ornaments

  • December 6, 2010 - 10:48 AM

    Karen - Gorgeous!!
    We ususally have 2 trees — one inside that is decorated with lots of ornaments and one outside on the screened porch that is just lights and red berries! And we always have a fresh wreath on the front door.
    Thanks, Karen
    lemontart5kb at gmail dot com

  • December 6, 2010 - 1:11 PM

    Danielle - My favorite way to decorate for the holidays is to set up the manger scene at my grandparent’s house. I live in a apartment with 2 other girls. None of us have much to decorate with, so usually it’s just stockings and a strand of lights out on the balcony. However, when I go to my grandparents for the holidays it’s a different story.

    Every year my immediate family goes to Michigan(where I was born) to stay at my dad’s parents. Our Christams decorating tradition is to set out a huge & ornate manger scene while singing Christmas carols. I look forward to freezing my butt off while placing sweet baby Jesus in his feeding trough every year. : )

  • December 6, 2010 - 1:41 PM

    melanie saludes - i have a lot of nieces and nephews and we always make sure that they are part of the fun during christmas season! we started a family tradition of always putting up a 6 footer tree (sadly a fake one, but its all good!) and decorate it with DIY crafts made by the kids. my ultimate favorite was in 2007 when all the kids thought of collecting pictures of everyone in the family, made handmade photo frames, and made the tree look like a family tree! this was in another country though…now that im in the US, living with my boyfriend in our first ever apartment, we decided to pay tribute to that same tradition, so we both made paper flowers made of old magazines and decorated our tree with them. we found some vintage lockets in the flee market, added photos of our family in it and alternate them with the flowers in our tree.

  • December 6, 2010 - 2:21 PM

    Marchet - I have a preschooler, so my general rule for decorations is nothing breakable (grin). Our favorite decorations are the hand-made stockings that my mother made for me (as a child), my hubby (when we married), and my son (when he was born).

  • December 6, 2010 - 3:23 PM

    Courtney - I decorate with tons of white, silver, and natural elements like pinecones and greenery. So that white wreath and white tree would be PERFECT!! I love them!

  • December 6, 2010 - 3:25 PM

    Deb K - My favorite way to decorate is all over the house! I like to make it look like Christmas in whatever room that I enter~as this is my favorite time of the year!

    deb55106{at}gmail{dot}com

  • December 6, 2010 - 5:30 PM

    Heather - My Holiday decor is totally tradional, with a 9′ tall (yes, FAKE) tree covered in red and white and photos of the kiddos and heirloom ornaments. I LOVE it!!! I think these oh-so-fun trimmings would add some nice contrast to our VERY traditional decor!

  • December 6, 2010 - 5:52 PM

    Riley Woods - Every year I rescue a little tree that looks like no one would ever buy it. Then I decorate it with all of the ornaments that are broken or otherwise strange (the goose with backwards legs) or that aren’t pretty enough to put on our big tree. I call it the tree of misfit ornaments (after the Island of Misfit Toys).

    I liked all the other giveaways, but this is the one I would most like to win! love the newsprint.

  • December 6, 2010 - 6:01 PM

    stephanie - Well here on the Com Design floor of the Warehouse we’ve decorated & hung fuzzy red&white stockings, and also have a Christmas tree that is decked out in ornaments with typography all over them =)

    At the 965 we have a tree (with presents underneath!), some white lights running up the banister of the staircase, and stockings hung on the fireplace. It’s great.

    Miss you Lysiiee
    <3S

  • December 6, 2010 - 6:58 PM

    jessica - my favorite way to decorate for the holidays is loudly playing Mariah Carey’s Christmas while using tons of white lights, filling glass vases with random ornaments and wine corks and hanging snowflakes in my windows…and the best…setting up my Willow Tree nativity and my mini-brass nativity and my guatamalan painted nativity:)…and drinking a glass of wine…then cocoa;) and making Gabe dance with me..i love my trees too…unfortunately we won’t have a BIG one this year either cause we’ll be in Texas and Simcha would knock it down…so i have three mini ones;)

  • December 6, 2010 - 8:45 PM

    Jen - I love to decorate our Christmas tree with lots of white lights and cascading ribbon all around! This year the ribbon is red and gold! Ahh I could sit and enjoy looking at it for hours! But, really my favorite part is putting up all the ornaments because each has a fun meaning or memory.

  • December 6, 2010 - 10:35 PM

    Aimee - My favorite way to decorate is to hang one specific ornament every year. It’s a 3D heart and each side of the heart opens up. On one side is a little girl peeking at the tree and the other side is a little boy peeking, and in the center is santa putting gifts under the tree. The ornament always reminds me of my brother and I as kids =)

  • December 7, 2010 - 11:53 AM

    maygan - I love to take things I can con find outside and rearrange them to make big simple decorations. I’m lucky to have a couple of holly bushes in the yard so I’me using a lot of that this year- but that tree is gorgeous!

  • December 7, 2010 - 11:55 AM

    Emily - My favorite decorations for the holidays are the ones we put up outside. They entertain my daughter for hours and she can’t break them.

  • December 7, 2010 - 12:38 PM

    Colleen - Sunrise Learning Lab - As far as our how we like to decorate for Christmas, it is very kid friendly, kid inspired, and much of it (though not everything) is kid made by my sons, ages 4 and 7…

    Each year, make and put up many decorations, which helps to make it feel more like Christmas here in Florida…

    My sons love making snowman decorations and gingerbread houses every year. This wreath looks like snowballs so it is something that would be a nice addition to our decorations and am sure that the boys would love it, but it is also appealing in that it looks nice for the grown ups who come over during the holidays.

    Great giveaway! Love your newspaper tree centerpiece, too.
    Colleen:)

  • December 7, 2010 - 1:28 PM

    April Islip - my favorite way to decorate is putting up all the ornaments. Ever since I can remember each year my parents would take my sister and I to a store and we would each pick out an ornament for the tree. So now as a married woman it is so nice to see and re-hang each ornament from every year of my childhood.

  • December 7, 2010 - 2:43 PM

    pam - my favorite way to decorate is well anything that involves my son, so pretty much anything :p

  • December 7, 2010 - 3:22 PM

    Alicia C. - Right now, with a 2 y.o., decorating mainly consists of paper chains! They’re strung everywhere and look so nice :)

    ohmiss14 at yahoo dot com

  • December 7, 2010 - 4:47 PM

    Heather - I love making homemade decorations so that I can change it up every year! It’s fun working on Christmas projects all year long. At the moment I am making a wreath for the front dour out of cardboard and wrapping paper. Thanks for the giveaway!

  • December 7, 2010 - 5:29 PM

    Jill Swank - My hubby and I pick one night to put up the tree and we laugh and smile over our ornaments as we hang them. It is a night to remember the story of each one. We also plan what cookies we will make with my parents.

  • December 7, 2010 - 6:15 PM

    Sarah - My favourite way to decorate for Christmas is with my family. First, my husband. Second, my parents and siblings. Especially, as we put ornaments on the tree, it brings back many memories.

  • December 7, 2010 - 7:26 PM

    Taylor - my mother bought a fake upside down christmas tree a few years back. I hated it from the moment she put it up. I think I might have cried a little too;-) However, years later, I look forward to seeing it. It is now a tradition to see that tree rather than something else…such as a normal one. Anyways:-)

  • December 7, 2010 - 9:23 PM

    Alicia Pyne - Besides the normal real life tree with all of its lovely scent, I LOVE to decorate for Christmas by having a fire on any given chilly to cold night. Seeing that “home” is in Houston, I have to take all advantages of even chilly weather to make a fire. But along with the toasty fire, I LOVE decorating my tummy with Smores made in our fireplace. :) Mmmmmm and I type this while sitting on the floor by the fire waiting to make my smore for the night. HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!

  • December 8, 2010 - 2:15 AM

    Hanna - Favorite way to decorate for the Holiday?? Hmmm.. We have these round transparent plastic Christmas tree ornaments, that can be open in half and filled with anything you’d like. We love everything that looks delicate and breezy, so we decided we’ll go with feathers. So each year we choose a different color to go in. We either go with white or silver feathers for a more classy look, or with pink and red for a more retro feeling:) We just love this cute tradition that we have! We’d totally love the West Elm handcrafted felt wreath:) It would go perfectly with our decorations this year! Crossing fingers here:):)

  • December 8, 2010 - 8:57 AM

    Condo Blues - My favorite Christmas decoration is the red feather wreath on my front door! I have pine garland around the door with sparkly red glitter picks at the corners and a sparkly red bow above front door in the center of the swags.

  • December 8, 2010 - 9:18 AM

    jessie - My favorite decoration is a wooden advent calendar that my husband and i fill with treats for each other.

  • December 8, 2010 - 11:36 AM

    Hannah Q. - My husband and I have always gone back to see family over the holidays so we haven’t done much decorating in the past, but this year we are staying home, so I’m having fun coming up with ideas. I just finished a pretty yarn wreath for the front door!

  • December 8, 2010 - 12:09 PM

    Amber Jacoby - hmmm. I’d have to say my favorite memories from decorating are making super cool snow flakes and hanging them EVERYWHERE!
    Last year I hung Christmas balls with fishing wire in the nook above the kitchen sink, it looks so cool!!

  • December 8, 2010 - 12:46 PM

    Jen - I love putting up the tree and going through all the ornaments and remembering when and why we got them all. I also like to put garland with poinsettias everywhere.

  • December 8, 2010 - 5:02 PM

    Brittney - Decorating for Christmas has and will always be a favorite in our house. The husband and I cherish it. We dim lights, get out the wine, and light candles. Our tree has always been themed (this year it’s light blue, light green, and red..my favorite yet!) and we seriously decorate every room in our house. Yes, including the bathroom…we are THAT family. However, I predict things to be very different next year because our son will be two and wanting to partake in festivities as well. It will be magical!

  • December 8, 2010 - 9:47 PM

    Amber - My favorite way to decorate is my nutcracker-themed Christmas tree (fake, but it’s pre-lit and it rotates!).

  • December 8, 2010 - 11:04 PM

    Stef - Cheesily enough, putting up the Christmas tree is my favorite way to decorate, along with wrapping a fake line of leaves/holly on top of the windows in the living room, and lighting Christmas-smelling candles. :]

  • December 8, 2010 - 11:51 PM

    Patricia Williams - We started a tradition years ago to buy an ornament to remind us of the family vacation we take that summer, so my favorite part is taking out each one of those and remembering that particular destination (Boston, Niagara Falls, Air & Space Museum, our in-vitro nurse, –ok so that wasn’t a vacation but we sure visited that place in Norfolk often–…we even have a Good Humor Ice Cream Truck!) Next year we’ll be adding a miniature cruise ship with a Mickey Mouse picture on it. I can’t wait to buy it….3 weeks and counting! I think I’m more excited than our kids!

  • December 9, 2010 - 12:41 AM

    lynn @ the actor's diet - i just love my tree with the white lights.

  • December 9, 2010 - 9:50 AM

    Mischelle Morgan - In our family we have done both real and artificial trees! Love each for their own reasons. But the favorite part is putting the decorations on. It is very eclectic. We have homemade ornaments from when we were kids. (You know the ones with terrible pictures of yourself in them as kids) and store bought ones that range over the 21 years of marriage and kids. One tradition we have is every year we go by 1 new ornament for the tree. Something unique. It can be delicate and beautiful or crazy and wild. That way every year a new memory is put on the tree!! We also have ornaments that are each of our childrens, so when they have their first christmas tree of their own, they have memories to put on it.

  • December 9, 2010 - 11:10 AM

    RunToTheFinish - I am a christmas light fanatic… I think the little white lights can just look so elegant and really add ambiance to a room for a romantic dinner or a party!

  • December 9, 2010 - 11:26 AM

    dororhy - for Christmas I decorate trashy we use a old beat up fake tree and decorate with all the ornaments the kids made in school over the years.I fact I have a few things on the tree that I made in school years ago. The tree is not the best looking but we have fun and laugh about the things we have made.

  • December 9, 2010 - 1:30 PM

    Kelsey Apley - My favorite way to decorate is with scented pinecones! I love them when they smell of cinnamon! I like to put them in holiday decorate bowls around the house and have to Christmas look and smell!

  • December 9, 2010 - 4:32 PM

    Kathy Scott - My favorite way to decorate – it to watch my son putting random christmas items in odd spots around the house :0)

  • December 9, 2010 - 11:48 PM

    Darby Lohrding - When I was a child my Mom started decoration collections for each of us kids. The once we were adults we received our box of decorations and each decoration is significant to the specific child for that specific year, ex: if we took a family trip to somewhere “neat” then we had an orientament that reflected that trip, like sea shells for the beach, etc. Now that I am married we decorate our tree with these orientaments along with several that I collected on own during my “single” adult years. We also always hang the stockings for our “girls” …. they are our five 4-legged children and these are stuffed with Christmas day goodies and toys. It is always a challenge to keep the goods in the stockings until Christmas morning! ;-*
    I love your post and the christmas goodies!
    Thanks for the opportunity,
    Darby
    darbyscloset at yahoo dot com

  • December 10, 2010 - 3:56 AM

    Georgia - I decorate very simply. I have a self lighting christmas tree, small and some ligts around the living romm window, thats it. Simple, love it!
    gmissycat at yahoo dot com

  • December 10, 2010 - 9:01 AM

    CJ Little - Big fake tree – lots and lots of outdoor lights (hoping to win that holiday light competition every year in the neighborhood).
    Hamdmake ornaments adorn that big fake Christmas Tree. We have to lay it out days before we put it up – air that year long musty smell out of it. Can’t buy a new one – the kids go crazy every time we mention it. They like tradition….stinky tree and all.

  • December 10, 2010 - 9:51 AM

    Erica Sonnier - I have a lovely fake Fir tree that used to have some white tipping on the higher leaves, but it’s worn now. We use blue lights and blue and white or silver ornaments. I am a huge snowman fan so most of the ornaments are snowmen and I have a little snowman that is about two feet high, he stands in front of the plugs to hide the wires going to the tree. My kids have the usual…. um… colorful ornaments and this year I only let them pick a few to put on the tree :)

  • December 10, 2010 - 9:59 AM

    Manette Gutterman - I use scrapbook paper to make an advent wreath. I also use pine cones in many different ways! Nature has alot of beauty to use indoors!

  • December 10, 2010 - 11:43 AM

    Aleksandra - I’m pretty borning…we put out a tree, stockings and wrap a garland with bows on the stair bannister :)

  • December 10, 2010 - 11:59 AM

    Stephanie - We love decorating our live tree with ornaments passed down from our family over the years (many wooden ones from Germany) and incorporate new handmade ornaments that our daughter has made/painted. We have a table filled with old photos from Christmas’s past. Love the simplicity in the items from West Elm!!

  • December 10, 2010 - 12:44 PM

    Mabyn - Oooooooo I Love west elm too! I almost got the newspaper flowers the last time I was there. Now I wish I had. :/
    I love to decorate with holly berries, pine cones, & rustic accents. I love the whole country Christmas motif.

  • December 10, 2010 - 1:11 PM

    Erin Haase - Just a tree with lights and ornaments. We have started the tradition of getting a new ornament each year to celebrate another year together!

  • December 10, 2010 - 1:36 PM

    Taylor - Every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving we go cut a tree. And this year has been amazing with our little love, who is now 2, to get to help pick and cut the tree. Some classic ornaments, but most are ice and snow themed. White lights are always the best and we use them everywhere. Its an amazing time of year to have fun with simplicity.

  • December 10, 2010 - 2:38 PM

    Allison Waken - I love to decorate calm and simple – life with 2 boys is anything but – so calm and simple decor helps out a bit ;) I love, love, love West Elm!

  • December 10, 2010 - 3:04 PM

    RebekahJause - Well…with this being our first Christmas together, Jonathan & I have a limited supply of decor but we have managed to start some decorating traditions.
    We went and cut down our own 8 foot tree and hauled it up to our 3rd floor apartment and had a blast doing it (although all the way home I just knew it was going to slide right off onto the road and was a wreck the whole time…I should just trust my husbands skills :) Now our lovely and very tall tree (which is the most perfect tree I have ever had) is graced with ornaments from my students and our Grandparents. Our favorite by far is our gold plated ornament of The Equinox where we went on our honeymoon given to us by Jonny’s very nostalgic and thoughtful Aunt and Uncle. Small purple and gold Christmas ball ornaments are surrounding candles and used as center pieces 3 different places!! I love it
    I like it clean and not crowded, soft lights, instrumental Christmas music and fragrant candles.It’s such a sweet time of year!!

  • December 10, 2010 - 3:20 PM

    Imani - While a real tree would be AWESOME, my mom has not allowed us to have another one since the year half of the tree ended up on the floor in pine needles. So now we have an artificial (but awesome) tree that is pre-lit. My favorite part comes in when we put on all our decorations and I get to reminisce with ornaments that I made in Pre-K :)

  • December 10, 2010 - 4:31 PM

    zinnia khalid - DECORATE WITH CANDLES!! I just love candles. I decorate most of my rooms with candles. A single candle looks good, but a grouping of candles looks great. When placing several candles together in one grouping I try to use the same color candles. It looks cohesive and makes a stronger impact.

  • December 10, 2010 - 5:18 PM

    Rebecca - I love to decorate with cute ‘christmassy’ candy bowls with red and green jellybeans…my fav!…also a fav of all visiting kids :)

  • December 10, 2010 - 7:37 PM

    Breanna H - I love your tree. I didn’t realize it had writing on it unitl the up close picture! Anywho, we decorate every year the same, angel on the table and either red and gold or blue and silver christmas tree.. this year was blue and silver. AND… stocking on the door! Cause Santa does still fill our stockings and forever will :-)

  • December 10, 2010 - 8:23 PM

    Katydid - I love to decorate with tree branches! You can spray paint them white and put gumdrops on them. Wrap them up in twinkle lights for outside or in! You simply placed them in a pot!

  • December 10, 2010 - 9:09 PM

    Athena - I usually decorate with an artificial tree. This year I used a pre-lit one. I decorated it with a variety of decorations from homemade to traditional. I also have up some wreaths that I made. One is made from old book pages. The other is made from natural color coffee filters. I also made a big hanging ruffle snow ball out of coffee filters. I have it hanging over my dining table along with some gold ball Christmas ornaments that I decorated with red, silver and gold glitter.

  • December 11, 2010 - 12:05 AM

    Michéle - Old fashioned candles in every window, hot pink feather wreaths in front windows, old glass ornaments in bowls or apothecary jars, grouping of seven candlesticks with white candles.

  • December 11, 2010 - 10:22 AM

    Lauri M - It has to be white lights for me! My tall FAKE Christmas tree, sad I know, but I’d forget to water a real one. Then for decorating, lots of snowmen figurines, candles and on the tree, reds and golds! Oh, and I have to include the bad naughty kitten who likes to play in the tree, literally in the tree!

    Great giveaway, I love the little tree and I have the perfect spot picked out for it!

  • December 11, 2010 - 10:28 AM

    Reyna - Thanks for the great giveaway!

    I love to decorated with sparkly (not cheesy sparkly though) Christmas things! Especially if it’s Anthropologie like! I have plans to make a “Wish” banner, with each letter covered in silver sparkles!

  • December 11, 2010 - 11:18 AM

    Min - We haul our little boys up into the mountains to search for the perfect tree and chop it down, hopefully before one of them gets snow in his boot and starts to cry. Drink hot chocolate, have snacks, bring it home & decorate. This year, we chose all of our “classic” looking ornaments, some bright, funky snowflakes and lots of sparkle. We found the perfect tree, btw, just under 9′ tall and perfectly formed (but not as heavy as last years!) Thanks for the great giveaway!

  • December 11, 2010 - 11:52 AM

    Kimberly - One of my favorite things to use in the holidays is a gift my Mom gave me as a kid. It is a small girl teddy bear, dressed in a Christmas apron and hat, sitting in a red rocking chair. It plays Jingle Bells and rocks back and forth with the music. It is such a simple decoration but one that always brings a smile to my face.

  • December 11, 2010 - 1:10 PM

    Rachael B - Christmas wouldn’t be complete without a Christmas nativity scene and a Christmas tree. And, of course, the nutcracker my grandmother gave me.

  • December 11, 2010 - 4:09 PM

    Kate - We like really tacky decorations- they give us a laugh

  • December 11, 2010 - 4:24 PM

    Stephanie Briant - I prefer to decorate more for the season rather then just the holiday itself! Rather then the commercialized version of Santa Claus figurines or blow ups around my place I tend to like blues and whites resembling the ice and snow. This way not only is it pretty for the holiday but its pretty for the whole winter season!!!!

  • December 11, 2010 - 4:26 PM

    Debra Briant - I like to decorate traditionally. I love to have a big full wreath on my door with a spotlight on it. I love a festive candle in each window. I like bows on my tree rather then the traditional ball ornament as well! This way it all looks crisp and clean! Im not a fan of a cluttered look.

  • December 11, 2010 - 4:28 PM

    Steven Bonner - Now that I have children I like to decorate very cartoonish. I like Santas, snowmen, and nutcrackers around to create excitement and anticipation for Christmas for them.

  • December 11, 2010 - 4:31 PM

    Dave Briant - I love lights! I am extremely particular with them. My whole family picks on me for how long it takes me just to put a strand up.

  • December 11, 2010 - 7:37 PM

    Leah Walker - I like a little something around the front door, with or without lights depending on my mood. A real CHRISTmas tree is a MUST. I can’t stand fake trees. I like the mess and the smell of a real tree. I am sadly without a tree this year though as we have a puppy that is quite destructive for his size. Lol. Next year though the tree is going up the day after Thanksgiving. I don’t put much else in the house, except maybe changing out the hand towels to something more festive. My main focus and main love is the tree, the real tree that is. I like plain decorations on the tree also. I like lights, garland, handmade ornaments made by my daughter over the years, and candy canes. I have a star or a bow made by my mom on the top. My main decoration is the presents. Lol. I like to coordinate my wrapping paper so it looks good all together and good with the tree. And no premade bows and sticker tags for me. I like handmade things or at least hanging tags on my gifts. **sigh** I miss all that this year. I haven’t even been able to start wrapping gifts cause the little monster will eat them. Lol. At least he’s cute.

  • December 11, 2010 - 7:49 PM

    Morgan - Keep it simple. Fresh greens on the door and white twinkle light-these will make a beautiful addition

  • December 11, 2010 - 8:45 PM

    Deb Anderson - In my tiny apartment, I don’t have room for a real tree, so this topiary would be perfect! I like to decorate shelves and small spaces with candles and shiny ornaments and greenery.

  • December 13, 2010 - 11:58 AM

    Sarah Darbonne - My favorite way to decorate for christmas is with christmas cookies! I love decorated sugar cookies and spice cookies layed out all over the kitchen and the smell of them filling the house!