Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Christmas Tree Prep

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So many of you have been sharing such beautiful pictures of your homes decorated for Christmas. Your trees are gorgeous, your home decor is fun & Kimmie even put up pictures of Christmas foods (thanks Kimmie, my tummy is grumbling now!).

Mr. Potts and I will be out Saturday picking out our Christmas tree. We're going with a faux one instead of real. Easier that way (Pepe Cat & Hayden would kill it by drinking the water up in one fell slurp) and there are some really pretty ones out there.

I've got all the ornaments I received growing up from my mom and grandparents. We've got the 12 Days of Christmas from Meme. Mr. Potts' mom gave us some new ones as well this past weekend. We're going to have garland & some bows. I'm searching for a cupcake ornament - any suggestions of where to find one? I'd love one that is glass or enamel.

The big question? Colored or white lights?

I grew up with colored ones & I always loved turning off all the lights in the house & sitting with my mom watching the tree. Yet, as I've gotten older, I've grown to love the white lights also.

So, dear readers, this is where you come in. What do you like best? Colored or White? Blinking or Still? What suggestions do you have?

White lights tree (how I wish I had a home like this with the fireplace & all).


Colored lights

What do you think? What will you be doing (or have already done)?

27 comments:

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

I'm a white lights kinda girl!

Landlocked Mermaid said...

white lights white lights. but when I was a little girl we had colored, so i feel your nostalgia pains.. whatever makes you feel good honey. last year we had a few strings of each on the tree. talk about a bright old hot mess! xo

Anonymous said...

This is a tough one. I grew up with the big colored bulbs that seemingly had a mind of their own and would blink randomly. I'm kind of fond of them in a nostolgic way.

For myself, we have a faux tree with white lights on it. My retro look comes in with the eclectic stash of ornaments. I have ornaments my mom gave me (1 ornament/Christmas), ones I made as a child, some blue & silver balls I purchased from the dollar store, some tacky gold ornaments from Target, and a big, huge, silver, sparkly star.

I'll post pictures, it'll be hilarious!

In sum, I think we need some balance to our trees - do the colored lights and classy ornaments (which you sound like you have), or white lights and whatever ornaments!

Ashley said...

It seems like my friends who have kids do the colored lights- Kids love color. When I was younger, my mom did color. As we got older and did not care, she did white. This year, I put white Blinking lights up (I think they are called chasing lights actually) My husband wanted color lights. So, I say next year, he can have color, and this year we did white. I also went with a theme-mostly silver ornaments- but the white lights drown out the silver ornaments and balls...so I am reconsidering what I went with. I might redecorate it this weekend.
I used a fake tree in college that had colored lights...I think the white look more grown up! :))

Dee Stephens said...

We've had white lights as a kid and I've always had white lights.
It might be fun to switch it up..I just have never done it..

Lacey Bean said...

My ultimate favorite are colored lights, non-blinking. We had them last year, but this year we were given a really nicr fake tree w/ white lights so we have that. Its still pretty! Meanwhile my fiance cracks up at how obsessed I am about our tree - I'm Jewish!! I didn't have a tree until last year. :)

Caroline said...

I like white lights on the outside and colored lights on the tree.

katie + bret said...

Depends on my mood I think... I love white lights the most but sometimes it's fun to see the multi-colored too. They always look so happy to me!

Not very helpful, I know ;)

Lexilooo said...

At my house, we'd put white lights outside and colored ones on the tree. We'd have candles in the windows too!

My boyfriend and I were jsut discussing this the other day, on our drive back from Iowa!

PS. Can I mention your cookbook exchange on my blog?

Brown Girl said...

I prefer all white but it's funny you ask because M and I had a discussion about this when we were buying our pre lit tree. Of course, I won because I win everything! ha!

Brittany Ann said...

I am the same way. Grew up with colored lights but kind of have a new affinity for the beauty of white ones. To be honest, I do white ones.

But my husband insists on using the old school colored bulbs on the house.

Whitney said...

Always white lights for me!

Carrie said...

I grew up with colored lights and I agree that kids like the color more.

My husband prefers white lights, and they are starting to grow on me. I do think they look more elegant than the colored lights, but I like the nostalgia of the color!

Annie said...

I have white lights on my big tree. I plan to put up another small one with colored lights. I like them both! I grew up with colored lights and my parents always let us kids decorate the tree with kiddy ornaments.
I think whatever you like best you should do :)

Kelsey Claire said...

White lights. Then you can use some fun ornaments to spice everything up!

Susannah said...

I'm a white lights girl too, like Kristin, but LOVED the colored lights and we would sit and stare at them too! Either way, it's beautiful, fake or real! Fake is so much cleaner, but real smells so much better. Have fun, I'm jealous that I haven't even THOUGHT of decor yet!

Anonymous said...

I love mixing lights! The more lights the better. I also really love the bubble lights- the one that are round on the bottom and have a red tube that you can see the bubbles through. They just remind me so much of the trees by family decorated when I was a kid

Brittany said...

Hubs and I love white lights. We have them both on the inside and outside. They seem more classic to me.

MCW said...

My mom would do a mix of lights. Christmas time always makes me want to live in a cozy house in the burbs!

Brittany said...

I say switch it up! White lights this year, colored lights next year! Brent and I were thinking about picking a new color scheme every year, but I think that might get a little spendy, lol.

When in doubt, go classic. WHITE.

Unknown said...

Although I grew up with colored, I have found that my own preference is white and still - that way they don't take anything away from all of the gorgeous ornaments!

Neha said...

White Lights and those that glow on and off softly and slowly! They give a whole new feeling!

We, in India, are equally excited about Christmas and celebrate it with as much excitement. Buildings, markets, shoppong malls, homes...every place is decorated, well-lit and has an adorned christmas tree too! We also write wishes on the stars and put them up there! It's so much fun!

Hope yor find the stuff you are looking for...wish I could help :(

Jennifer said...

I love big color lights. If I had more than one tree I think that the others would be white lights, but Christmas always means colors to me with a few well placed blinkers. I also have an irrational aversion to mini-lights. We have to have a real tree so that I can have the large lights without melting the tree!

I get around all of my obsessiveness by having a winter tree after the holidays with white lights and winter themed ornaments.

Lucy Marie said...

I vote for still, white lights. I think it looks very classy. I just recently saw a cupcake ornament somewhere ... I wish I could remember where!

Susan said...

We have still white lights. I've been collecting ornaments since I was a little girl, from all of the different places and events I have visited or attended. The white lights show off the ornaments better, IMO.

We had the big colored lights growing up, and I do feel some nostalgia for those... but not enough to change. ;-)

Carol {Everyday Delights} said...

I'm a white light girl too! And I love that giant fireplace!

KAC said...

I guess I'm in the minority but I LOVE color lights...I always think theyre so festive and that's what we always have at home. I do love white lights because they're so classic. Thanks for sharing those pictures they're GORGEOUS!!