Even though we haven’t hit Thanksgiving yet, this year as soon as November arrived, I couldn’t help but start to think about Christmas. More specifically about Christmas decor to deck my halls – because this year I am ready to make some changes. The past few years I have been in a bit of a holiday decorating rut. I realized my cache of holiday decorations is a potpourri of mismatched items acquired over the years and in various ways that lacked any cohesion. Do I really have to hang every ornament everyone ever gifted me on my tree, even if I find them *ahem* less than palatable? Must the large-royal-blue-unnamed-decoration find a home yet again this year on my sideboard, just because it was expensive and passed on by family? I respectfully say no. It’s time for a Christmas decor do-over. (more…)
I’m not really into dressing up for that ghoulish holiday. I wish I were. I do, however, love decking the house out in dark, creepy-crawly accessories, especially to entertain for the occasion. It’s challenging to host a Halloween cocktail party though if you’re not inclined to dress the part. Here’s my out. We’re not hosting a Halloween party per se; we’re hosting a Netflix Stranger Things viewing party, or Halloween Spirit Party. Creepy crawly to the nth degree. (more…)
The harvest table is normally my favorite to decorate but I admit struggling with it this year. We’ve hosted my parents (and some version of my family) for as long as I can remember and this past year they’ve all moved across the country. Decorating the table without my mom to see it now seemed anti-climactic. And yet, with or without my family present, we’ll celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, feast on the fare, and entertain friends. I still need a dressed table. (more…)
I’m usually a hold out for Indian Summer – a true believer that it will come and temporarily relieve us of the fall chill. Not this time; fall seems to have dropped in a few weeks early. With that, comes my foreboding about the months ahead, being locked in the house with my loving but rambunctious brood. I can picture too the commotion in our kitchen, the bottleneck around the island at every future gathering we host and I long for a few more weeks with the option to push them out the back door. So, I’m going for it. If you’re a friend of mine reading this, thank you- we’ll square up later. Secondly, I’m putting you on alert: don’t come over without a sweatshirt because we will be snuggled outside until the snow begins to fly. (more…)
Are you ready for some football? If your family is like mine, the beginning of August means one thing – the start of the new NFL season. At my house, the fall is filled with the sounds of pads knocking, refs’ whistles and lots of cheering. We love to host friends and fans to help us root on the home team. If you too are getting psyched for football season, here are a few things (beyond the big screen and sound system) you can do to get your house ready before kickoff. (more…)
