Out with the pumpkins....

.... and in with the Santas. That's what I've been doing since the first of this month-- packing away the happy porcelain pumpkins and ghosts, the witches (smiling ones, not at all frightful) and the black cats (excluding Mickey Kitty). Instead of taking the ornaments off of the purple and black Halloween tree, I just put it in the closet just as it was, up on a high shelf and away from the always-decorated table-top Christmas trees.

That huge closet connected to the bathroom of the TV room has been a life-saver in this big old house. With careful planning and placement, the interior of that walk-in closet has become like a jig-saw puzzle. It holds all of the holiday decorations, from the largest five-foot Nutcracker to the teeniest one-inch pumpkin. With all the parties we used to give, I have three white feather trees decorated with green shamrocks for St. Patty's Day, red and pink hearts for Valentine's Day, and pink and yellow chicks and bunnies for Easter. No holiday went un-decorated in whichever house we've lived in, and through the years, the decorations just multiplied. How that happened, I have no blessed idea, of course.

Each day now since November 2nd, I've been taking out the Christmas decorations. Santas are in all the rooms of the first floor, table-top trees are in every room, sparkling stars and golden angels are coming out, and my dad's Nativity set is already up in the living room. This is the second year I've had that manger, and as I set it up, I can still see myself as a little kid, playing with the sheep while watching The Mickey Mouse Club. The 1950s silver tree isn't up yet, and all the angels aren't out of the closet (now there's a strange phrase for you).

My cousin F asked me if all of my decorations go in the same places every year. As if I could remember where they were the year before? Some trees do go on the same tables each year, just because they fit better, but that's about it. The Santas and the angels end up in different places every year, and most of the table-top trees get a different view of the house from one Christmas to another.

The little tree that's on my desk here with the laptop is a green feathery tree that I put into an antique teacup one year. At the top is a very small angel from the 1940s, and there are pearls, crystals, and tiny fans dripping from all the branches. Except for that angel (that I found on eBay), everything else came from yard sales over the years. Somehow, they all worked together and the result is such a pretty little tree that looks like it's been to every Christmas since 1946.

I have promised myself that I wasn't going to do an eBay search on "vintage Christmas" this year. There are more than enough Christmas decorations in this house, and still in the closet waiting to make their appearance. Each year as I take out holiday decorations, I look at each thing and decide if it should be kept or donated. So far, the only things that went into the donation bag were some un-used red and white pillar candles.

But I'm not done yet. Surely there must be other decorations gathered at yard sales and thrift shops that can find new homes this year. But not the Santas. Or the angels. And certainly not the gold-sparkly 1950s reindeer that I found at the thrift shop just last year....

If anyone is interested... there are now just 48 days till Christmas.