Christmas Decorations

[WDWNJ]

Hi - we did this last year and I really enjoyed seeing everyones decorations. So, please share your special ornaments, house decorations or even your pets decked out for the season.

I'll start;

Here is a train ornament set given to Cathy by a very special friend.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa286/wdwnj/Christmas/IMG_3154-1.jpg

[Timon]

Here are some of my favorites. I think you can guess why.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2563/4191666928_712364cc4a.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/20697893@N03/4191666928/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2548/4191667264_e08c3d36c8.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/20697893@N03/4191667264/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2493/4190905699_10dd600bed.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/20697893@N03/4190905699/)

[WDWNJ]

so Barrie sent me some links to something called Light Painting. It's mostly people doing fun stuff at night or in the dark with flashlights and laser pointers. Very cool concept and I want to play around with it. But one article I found spoke about using light painting to enhance regular photos. You use a flash light or whatever to fill or light an object in a dark picture to enhance it, instead of using your camera flash and lighting the whole scene. Of course I had to play...

Here are two pics of the same ornament (one that we have had for years and is special to us).

The first pic is a normal long exposure using a tripod. Not a bad pic but the nutcracker doesn't stand out.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa286/wdwnj/Christmas/IMG_3134.jpg

The second pic is the same set up and exposure but just before the shutter closed I used the mini flashlight that WillCad gave us at Tag-O-Mania and I flashed it on the nutcracker real fast. Now the ornament shows up better.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa286/wdwnj/Christmas/IMG_3135.jpg

I really like the idea. If I had used the camera flash for the second pic, the whole area would have been lit up and it would have washed out all the color.

Neither one of these pics were enhanced.

[Moley]

These are beautiful photos. I have really enjoyed seeing all of them. :heartThumbs:

[Tagrel]

Yes, good - on the tree, pics are tough take. Thanks for the good idea on the quick flash of light John. I'll have to try that. Time has been very scarce this year but I'll have to see if I can get a few pictures sometime soon...

[WDWNJ]

Our kitty laying in the decorations in our front window...

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa286/wdwnj/Christmas/IMG_3244-1.jpg

and part of our front window without kitties...

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa286/wdwnj/Christmas/IMG_3246-2.jpg



c'mon folks... I want to see your pictures!!!

[Sheryl]

I'll start with our fireplace

http://tagrel.com/photopost/data/500/021.JPG

[Cruiser]

The last few years I've posted pictures of Carol's Disney Village, so this year it'll be something different!

The tree in our family room is 100% Disney - a garland, red bows and nothing but Disney.

http://i586.photobucket.com/albums/ss301/gcruise1948/Christmas%202009/ChristmasDecor2009030.jpg

http://i586.photobucket.com/albums/ss301/gcruise1948/Christmas%202009/ChristmasDecor2009037.jpg

http://i586.photobucket.com/albums/ss301/gcruise1948/Christmas%202009/ChristmasDecor2009040.jpg

http://i586.photobucket.com/albums/ss301/gcruise1948/Christmas%202009/ChristmasDecor2009041.jpg

http://i586.photobucket.com/albums/ss301/gcruise1948/Christmas%202009/ChristmasDecor2009044.jpg


The TV cabinet in the family room has a few "Frosty Friends" decorations.


http://i586.photobucket.com/albums/ss301/gcruise1948/Christmas%202009/ChristmasDecor2009017.jpg

http://i586.photobucket.com/albums/ss301/gcruise1948/Christmas%202009/ChristmasDecor2009018.jpg


And a table in the Disney Room has Carol's Boyd's Bear Nativity Scene under a Disney tree.


http://i586.photobucket.com/albums/ss301/gcruise1948/Christmas%202009/ChristmasDecor2009022.jpg

[Photographer]

I ring up Christmas decorations at work and ask people questions like, what's this do, and should this be wrapped in tissue paper? LOL I must have a puzzled look on my face based on how they react to me. The best one was a reindeer or moose (I forget) that I made trot over to the scanner.

Ooh look at the shiny train set. ;) :)

[Cruiser]

Here are a few more:

The Disney Room gets a special Christmas Overlay:

http://i586.photobucket.com/albums/ss301/gcruise1948/Christmas%202009/ChristmasDecor2009023.jpg


There are snowmen everywhere:


http://i586.photobucket.com/albums/ss301/gcruise1948/Christmas%202009/ChristmasDecor2009048A.jpg


No window sill is left unadorned:


http://i586.photobucket.com/albums/ss301/gcruise1948/Christmas%202009/ChristmasDecor2009076.jpg


And there are two Christmas Villages on display. I've posted the Disney Village before, here's the Dickens Village.


http://i586.photobucket.com/albums/ss301/gcruise1948/Christmas%202009/ChristmasDecor2009074A.jpg


And of course the stockings are hung by the chimney with care . . .


http://i586.photobucket.com/albums/ss301/gcruise1948/Christmas%202009/ChristmasDecor2009057.jpg

The only thing missing is snow!

[SusanL]

These are beautiful! Thanks for posting.

[TominPok]

I don't always put up a Christmas tree, and this year is turning out to be one of those off years. I think this will be the extent of my holiday decorating:

http://www.pbase.com/image/120470042/original.jpg

[Moley]

I took these pics with my Iphone so they are not like looking at a WDWNJ pic. But here are a few of some interesting decorations from our house.

We have a peninsula in our kitchen which includes a raised countertop on the living room/breakfast nook side. It becomes garland central every Christmas. The garland is strung out with lights and has food related ornaments, some of which are attached to the light string and are animated. When I decorate, my style could be best summed up as Early Demented Elf Pack Rat. One of the latest adds to the counter is the Muppets' Swedish Chef, shown in front.

http://tagrel.com/images/lb/xmas2009counter.jpg


In keeping with the real meaning of Christmas, I told Zeus the Baby Jesus did not have enough bright lights around him. He needed more bling. So we sent out the word to the Far East and the gift of half price outdoor lighting from China appeared on the top shelf of Walgreen's. As I pulled this huge silver cardboard thing out of the box, it started to come apart immediately. I picked up the instructions and they said, don't let the points drop out of the inside of the tips of the folded star. They would be very hard to replace.

I looked down at the fallen pieces of the star. It was the forewarned points which had come undone. True to the word of those Godless Commie Peking Ducks, those points took me nearly an hour to place back into the points of the star. The next step was to fold out the star without letting the points fall again. :mad: An hour later, after the points had been re-placed a second time, I looked at step 3, secure the star's shape by locking a chord at the base. As I reached up to lock the chord, one side of it pulled out of the cardboard star.

I gazed at my unlocked star, dangerously close to spewing out its irreplaceable points for a third time. Luckily I applied my years of practical engineering experience and yelled for Zeus to come help me. He found a way to fix it and only said the Baby Jesus' name out loud once. Maybe that was what helped the star come together properly. Zeus was then told to go forth unto this day and find the hammer he hasn't touched since 1999. Also bring unto the manger a ladder tall enough that the star would not obscure the Nativity which was half its size.

We then had the discussion of how poor a shopper I was when I purchased that ladder. It was heavy and bulky and hard to carry through the house. I mentioned, in retort, that it was that way to be sturdier than the antique chair he normally climbed on for jobs like these, also sometime in early 1999. I was only thinking of preventing him from meeting the real Baby Jesus prematurely.

As he ascended the ladder, he realized he forgot the hammer, the nail, the hook and the star itself that he meant to hang. Of course I was on hand to deliver whatever tools he needed and a couple of remarks he didn't. As we plugged in the Mickey Mao's lights, it was all worth it. Finally the Nativity was as tricked out as everything else in the Christmas array.

http://tagrel.com/images/lb/xmas2009star.jpg

Because all that decorating and bickering is exhausting, we decided to go out for Christmas dinner this year. A dear friend had sent me an Elvis Christmas hat, with silver sequins and a music box that played Blue Christmas. When I wore it to the Chinese restaurant, they all laughed. It was okay, it was karma for my questioning the ancestry of their Mainland cousins when I assembled the star. I'm glad we all got we wanted. They got to laugh at a crazy lady. I got to enjoy General Tso's Turkey. It's all good.

http://tagrel.com/images/lb/xmas2009hat.jpg

[Tagrel]

LOL!! :rofl: Ah... There is nothing better than a good long, loud Christmas laugh! :lol:

Only you Moley... That star story is classic and love the cool decorations and awesome bling! You look great! Merry Christmas!

[WDWNJ]

You just made my Christmas complete Moley! :handslapper: Thank You! :lol:

PS - Love the Swedish Chef. And I'm impressed that Zues had to call out to Baby Jesus only once during the latest decorating ordeal.

[Ursulinda]

Moley, dear, you certainly have not lost your touch! LOVE the bling.

WJWNJ, THANK YOU for the presents - they are truly extraordinary!

[TwirlerGirl]

Thanks for sharing. We have a new camera, I'll try later today to upload a shot or 2.

Sandy

[Big Red]

I took these pics with my Iphone so they are not like looking at a WDWNJ pic. But here are a few of some interesting decorations from our house.

We have a peninsula in our kitchen which includes a raised countertop on the living room/breakfast nook side. It becomes garland central every Christmas. The garland is strung out with lights and has food related ornaments, some of which are attached to the light string and are animated. When I decorate, my style could be best summed up as Early Demented Elf Pack Rat. One of the latest adds to the counter is the Muppets' Swedish Chef, shown in front.

http://tagrel.com/images/lb/xmas2009counter.jpg


http://tagrel.com/images/lb/xmas2009hat.jpg

Oh Moley thanks for the laugh. Sounds like you had a very Merry Christmas. Love the Swedish Chef decoration.

Last year John bought the Muppets Red and Green Christmas Album and it was in the mix of our Itunes Christmas library this year. My new favorite wacky Christmas Song is the Swedish Chef's Christmas Smorgasboard.

Found this version on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fct8qVDJjyQ

[Collette]

:lol: Ah Moley it's been too long!! I love it!!! Thanks for sharing as only you can!! Merry Christmas!!

[MJTinNH]

Well I can't follow Moley with laughs, but I can with cute!

Jai's 1st Christmas

The Tree
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a19/MJTinNH/Jai/100_1119.jpg

Close up of Jai's Gifts

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a19/MJTinNH/Jai/100_1118.jpg

Jai taking some of his toys from under the Tree
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a19/MJTinNH/Jai/100_1099.jpg

Playing with a toy

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a19/MJTinNH/Jai/100_1117.jpg

Jai telling me close-up how much he loves Christmas!

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a19/MJTinNH/Jai/100_1097.jpg

Jai smiling

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a19/MJTinNH/Jai/100_1111.jpg

Jai is all worn out from the excitement

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a19/MJTinNH/Jai/100_1102-1.jpg

[Sheryl]

Oh MaryJane, what a beautiful dog Jai is. And I LOVE your fireplace!!!

[Moley]

The cuteness factor is way off the charts. I think Jai must be a real love. :wuv:

[zakerdog]

Jai is beautiful! or should I say handsome. They are great pictures, thanks for sharing.

[MJTinNH]

Oh MaryJane, what a beautiful dog Jai is. And I LOVE your fireplace!!!

The cuteness factor is way off the charts. I think Jai must be a real love. :wuv:

Jai is beautiful! or should I say handsome. They are great pictures, thanks for sharing.


Jai thanks everyone for the compliments. He is very handsome and also very sweet. Everyone loves him. :wuv:

The fireplace was sort of a bonus for the family room. My brother knew the mason that put it in. He was out of work in one of those slow times years ago. So I got a really good deal on it. Most of the bricks used in the firebox came from Phyllis's Grandparent's property. There was an older house that had burned down probably almost 100 year ago(also related to Phyllis) The bricks from the facing and foundation were still very hard and usable. So, a little remembrance of her family is in the fireplace. It actually is placed in the corner of the family room and is curved. My brother made the mantel to custom fit the curve. I never knew my little brother had such talent. :)

I will try for some more pictures of the Fireplace with the decorations and a nice fire burning.