Christmas decorating
One thing about December is the decorations for the holidays. I love decorating. My dad did too. He and I went out to the after Christmas sales to stock up on lights and decorations for the next year. Even after I moved out, he would come over to help me decorate. He would put lights on anything that did not move; gutters, trees, bushes, and mailbox. One year he outlined my driveway with white lights and my friends said it looked like an airplane runway.
We always had an artificial tree since we liked to put it up on Thanksgiving. Except for one year. In 1986, my dad was on the way to work. Since we lived out past Dixie Caverns in Roanoke County and he worked on Peters Creek Road he often took I-81 to work. One day between exit 132 and 137 a big truck carrying wrapped trees passed him and as it passed, it dropped a tree on the side of the road and kept going. He stopped, picked up that tree, turned around and brought it back to the house. We had a live tree that year. He was so proud of that highway tree!
Our tree was never “on theme”, more a collection of memories. Hallmark ornaments, made in school, and new from Kmart graced our trees. Every year, Dad and I made a construction paper chain garland to drape on the tree.
I decorate the paper’s office since I spend most of my time there. I decorate a tree, hang stockings and wreaths. Betsy helps with the garlands. My coworkers appreciate the decorations as long as they don’t have to put them up or take them down.
I always decorate my house’s front porch with a wreath on the door and a lighted tree. I have cut back on the decorating I do inside since I do the office but there are always a little Christmas tree and candles on the mantle.
I read a study in Psychology Today that indicated that putting up holiday decorations can positively affect a person’s mood. Christmas decorations stir up pleasant emotions and the sooner you decorate, the longer you experience the benefits. Not only that, results noted that people who decorate the exterior of their homes were seen as more approachable and friendly by their neighbors.
Whether you’re listening to Christmas music or you’re putting your decorations on the mantle, the sights, sounds, and smells of the holidays stir up nostalgia. Nostalgia can help us find more meaning in life, deepen our social bonds, and even soothe collective anxiety. When you decorate early, you experience nostalgia for a longer timeframe.
Engaging in positive activities can give you a mood boost, even if you don’t really feel like doing it. This idea is grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy, where “acting as if” can lead to genuine changes in emotion. Acting as if you feel full of holiday cheer might actually fill you with holiday cheer.
In some families, Santa decorates the tree on Christmas eve so when you wake up it’s decorated. Others have a live tree and don’t want it to dry out before the holiday so they decorate later in December.
Whether you decorate early for Christmas or wait until the few days before Christmas, this year rather than seeing decorating your tree as a chore, make decorating your tree a main event leading up to Christmas Day.
Allow plenty of time to do it so you don’t feel rushed. Plan ahead and let as many of the people in your household as possible know about it, so that they can join in. Eat delicious snacks while you are decorating, accompanied by the Christmas music you love. This week’s recipes are for homemade ornaments. Betsy likes her pawprint ornament we made from salt dough front and center on the tree.
Bay, popcorn & cranberry strings
30 bay leaves
100g popcorn popped (Stale popcorn works best)
15-20 whole fresh cranberries
Directions
Cut a 3m length of kitchen string and tie a fat knot 10cm from one end. Thread the other end onto a big, blunt needle, such as a tapestry needle. Thread on bay leaves, popcorn and cranberries, in a random pattern. Tie off when you get to the other end, leaving enough string to hang it up with.
Salt Dough Ornaments
Yield: 1 dozen ornaments
Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1 ½ cups water
1 cup salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Combine flour, water, and salt in a large bowl; mix well and knead for 10 minutes. Transfer dough to a floured work surface and knead until soft and pliable. Roll out to a thickness of 1/8 inch; cut desired shapes with cookie cutters. Transfer dough shapes to ungreased cookie sheets; use a toothpick to make a hole in each ornament for hanging. Bake in the preheated oven until hard, about 30 minutes; allow to cool. Recipe Tips: You can mix the dough with food coloring before rolling. Decorate baked dough with poster paints or tube paint when completely cool. Allow the paint to dry, then spray with clear polyurethane on both sides to preserve and use ribbon or yarn pieces to hang.
Homemade Cinnamon Ornaments (not for eating!)
These easy homemade ornaments for your Christmas tree will make your house smell like cinnamon!
Ingredients
1 cup applesauce
1-1 ¼ cup 130 grams ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground cloves optional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 200°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the applesauce, 1 cup cinnamon, and cloves (if using). You want the dough to be able to form a ball without being too sticky. Add additional applesauce or cinnamon if needed. You can also mix the dough by hand. Sprinkle a clean surface with cinnamon (like you would with flour while rolling out cookies). Place the dough on the surface and sprinkle with more cinnamon. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to ¼ inch thick, sprinkling with more cinnamon to keep from sticking. Cut out into desired shapes and place on the prepared sheet pan so that they aren’t touching. Use a skewer to poke a hole into each ornament (to attach string). Bake in the preheated oven for 1 ½ – 2 hours or until rock hard. Loop a decorative string through the ornament and hang on your tree.
