well deck my halls.

No really. It's November, which as any self respecting Christmasaholic knows means it's OFFICIALLY time to start decking those halls! (On another note, I feel as though there should be some way to hint at "Hall" being my last name whenever I say "Deck the Halls." However, I haven't found anything clever; rather it sounds as though we would appreciate a good punch in the face. So, for the time being, don't try to come up with anything "punny" about Decking the Halls. We wouldn't appreciate it.)

Now as most Christmasaholics do, I have special "hiding" places for all my Christmas decor where they hibernate for most of the year. I regain an entire closet in our guest bedroom when my decorations go up, as well as all of the shelf space in our "nook". But again, as most Christmasholics will tell you... the best day of the year is when the holy grail of Christmasification goes up... the CHRISTMAS TREE!

But again, there is more to the Christmas tree than meets the eye... and that is where our blog begins today.

Now, for me there is no question. The main tree SHOULD and WILL ALWAYS be a live tree. Preferably a big fatty tree that does not really belong in the 1100 sq ft apartment in which you currently reside... but I digress. I guess the tree for me may or may not be the tree for you, so I'm offering a few acceptable examples, brought to you by the fabulous people of Treetopia!

In honor of Election Day, I bring you this special treat...

And for those who like a splash of color...

And finally, for those who prefer a dash of whimsy...

If anyone puts one of these trees up, I'll need a picture IMMEDIATELY :)

Now I hope that the "treepicker" in your home is a little bit more reasonable than myself. If you're tree picking with me, I'll have you pick up and twirl EVERY tree in the lot until we find the fattest, most ridiculous and most "guaranteed not to fit in the corner space you left for it" type tree there and then proceed to rearrange the living room to make it work. Keep in mind- 1100 sq/ft doesn't leave alot of space for this sort of behavior, but I have a sweet husband who deals with it on a daily basis. (Unfortunately, I was an interior design major in college. We are constantly rearranging and redoing. Can't help it.)

Assuming your tree has been picked and your placement has been blessed by those in charge of Christmas celebrations (aka the wife or whoever will actually be responsible for decorating said tree and vacuuming the needles from the carpet and keeping the dog from drinking the tree water, etc etc etc), you are ready for your next big decision... what sort of lights should bedazzle your tree?!

Now if you are one of my family members, this is a huge decision. Despite my previously mentioned degree in design, I have a tendency to love ridiculously tacky things... and this tends to cloud my general sense of judgment when it comes to Christmas. I'll admit it here...

I LOVE COLORED LIGHTS. I can't help it. Those big fatty ones that look straight out of Charlie Brown's Christmas special and always seem to burn too hot, but give such a warm "Christmasy" feel that I can't resist them. However, my husband prefers the white lights and so did my mom growing up, so I feel the need to compromise. Our tree gets white lights and white sparkly lights and then most of my decor gets big fatty colored lights. I'm border line Griswald-y. Just can't help it... although so far I have resisted an inflatable decoration. We'll just have to see Christmas 2010... we will see :)

I think that's enough for one night, but follow me through the next couple weeks as I deck my halls and craft my way into the holidays. My first project is looking as though it just might be a decorative fireplace screen... those of you who have read the "Better Homes and Gardens" Christmas Ideas magazine might have seen what I'm about to attempt. I'll keep you in suspense for now, but keep an eye out :) Also look out for the not one, but two Christmas parties the Hall household is attempting to host. Lots to blog about in the future... but for now, Happy Election Day!