an obligatory end of october christmas post...

it's november now, so this is an obligatory christmas post. before you start singing christmas carols remember the wise words of francis from malcolm in the middle- "halloween is in your hearts. every time a little kid cries in fear, that's halloween. every time something repulsive ends up in a mailbox, that's halloween. as long as

you carry the spirit of destruction and vandalism in your hearts, everyday

is halloween".

the world flips the christmastime switch at 11:59 on october 31st. goodbye dark and spooky, hello cheery and sparkly. apparently, christmastime isn't just december 24th through january 1st. christmas is november 1st to january 1st and there's a little holiday in between that called thanksgiving (a.k.a. the day where americans revert back to thinking it's fall). technically, christmastime is here.

some houses in my neighborhood turned on their christmas lights already and i think someone had garland around their door by november 2nd. soon the mall will be decorated with giant ornaments and creepy santa and reindeer statues. christmastime is here, but i'm not complaining. to get myself in a more cheerful sprit, because i'm still in a halloween mood, i've found some festive decorating ideas.

my tips/personal taste in holiday decorating:

- i like decorations that are more "winter" than "christmas"

-using less primary red and green, and more silver and earthier tones like an evergreen

create this more "wintery" look as opposed to "christmassy"

-opting for a "wintery" look allows you to put your decorations up earlier and

keep them up a little bit longer

-if you're looking for a place to start with holiday decorating, search for scandinavian christmas decor

- the simpler, the better

fun felt garlands

sweedish dala horses

evergreen branches in vases make sweet little "baby trees"

a "baby tree"

scandinavian inspired christmas "tree"

a wreath made of antlers, twigs and pinecones makes it
less "christmassy". you can keep a wreath like this up
from november to february and because it's already dead,
you won't have to worry about your greenery turning brown.