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Have Yourself a Grace Grits Christmas!

December 4, 2016 By Talya Tate Boerner

Grace Grits Christmas!

It’s beginning to look like a Grace Grits Christmas, which for me means peaceful, simple, and easy. Surrounded by joy.ย Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year,ย so it stands to reasonย I’ve been collecting ornaments and decorations for a long time. And really, what’s the point of decorating at all if the end result doesn’t make usย feel happy and provideย a haven of peace during this busy time of the year?

So the simple andย easy part? Here’s what I did. I walked outย to the garage, carriedย in a few plastic storage containers, and unpacked what I wanted to use. Tip:ย I don’t displayย every single thingย every single year.ย And, in many instances, when I put a Christmas decoration out, I take a “regular” decoration away, meaning, I placeย the “regular” item temporarilyย inside the Christmas storage container. This one little idea, the practicing of restraint, cuts down on clutter. It’s the whole less is more thing and I like it.

Tiny bottle brush tree

tiny clay houses by Beth S. Macre.

 

And the peaceful part? Simply being surroundedย by Christmasย make me happy. Re-visiting treasures made by my kids and remembering those elementary school days is part of the traditionย for me. I happen to believe glitter and twinkle lights and the smell of evergreenย lowers the blood pressure.

Another Tip:ย You don’t have to decorate a tree for your home to look festive.ย Soย far this year, I haven’t put up a real tree at all. I mightย buy a small one later (mainly for that smell of evergreen, and yes,ย to haveย a place to hang the kids’ ornaments), but at this point all I’ve done isย unpack my collection of Christmas trees and place them around the house. That’s it. And that may be all I do.

I have lots of assorted treesโ€”vintage bottle brush trees, glittery trees purchased at after Christmas sales through the years, candle trees, silver trees, gold trees, and the actual aluminum tree from my very first Christmas circa 1962. I didn’t consciously set out to collect trees. It happened naturally because we are drawn to what we love. Yetย Another Tip: group like things together for impact.

bottle brush trees

 

a grace grits Christmas

 

And now a Tip from Desperately Seeking Gina:ย I recently learned you can easily freshen upย bottle brush trees and even change the color of them. My friend Desperately Seeking Gina has a great post about re-coloring bottle brush trees. She says it’s easy to do, so go check it out. (Recommended forย newishย bottle brush trees, not antiques ones with value, unless you aren’t concerned about preserving value.)

Ornament Display Tip: There was a time I couldn’t imagine not having a really big, freshly cut tree. But things change. Kids grow up and Christmas traditions evolve. Thoseย boxes and boxes of ornaments I’ve collected through the yearsโ€”vintage Shiny Brites, fragile glass ones, old favorites I bought at thrift stores and wherever,ย those I don’t want two certain schnauzers to breakโ€”I displayย them in bowls andย beneathย a glass cloche.

Grace Grits Christmas decor

Glass cloche tip:ย If you don’t have one, put this on your Santa list because you’ll find it to beย one of the most versatile decorating items you’ll own. Mine makes a creepy Halloween centerpiece in October, displays gourds during Thanksgiving, succulents during summer, and so on. World Marketย has inexpensive choices.

That’s it for my Grace Grits Christmas decor and tips. I hope you’re getting in the spirit of the holidaysโ€”whatever that means to youโ€”and at the very least, here’s wishing youย a peaceful feeling about life in general.

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Musical Pairing:

Filed Under: Holiday, Home, Simple Pleasures Tagged With: Christmas, Christmas decorating, Christmas decorations, vintage

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Comments

  1. Barbara Tate says

    December 4, 2016 at 9:03 am

    I, too, love the look of a simple, real tree. The people who decorate a tree to look like a department store display, well, that’s fine if that’s what you like. I always wonder if there is a tree under there. ‘Nough said about that.

  2. Dorothy Johnson says

    December 5, 2016 at 9:46 am

    Great post! I love your assortment of trees and the way you’re displaying them. Whether you buy a real one or not, you have Christmas trees!

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      December 7, 2016 at 4:10 pm

      So true Dorothy and these trees are my favorites!

  3. Gary D. Henderson says

    December 5, 2016 at 10:33 am

    Back when I still put up trees, I also got tired of the ‘overdone’ look, and went to Hobby Lobby and Michaels and purchased a bunch of plastic flowers in autumn colors, some ribbons and bows, and such. I used those to decorate my tree. It looked vintage without being gaudy, and my cats were uninterested in the drab-to-their-eyes ornaments.

    Because when you have cats, you’re not ‘decorating a tree,’ you’re ‘displaying things the cats are just going to destroy.’ ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      December 7, 2016 at 4:10 pm

      Same trouble with toddlers and dogs! Good idea.

  4. Gina says

    December 5, 2016 at 8:11 pm

    I’m starting to think a collection of lovely trees like yours is exactly what I need instead of all the commercial Christmas-y decorations. Less is definitely more and can be so beautiful. Thanks for linking, btw. Merry Christmas, friend!

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      December 7, 2016 at 4:11 pm

      You’re well on your way with your bottle brush trees! Merry Christmas!

  5. Georgeanne @ Southern Fried Soprano says

    December 5, 2016 at 8:58 pm

    I love all different kinds of Christmas decorating, from the minimalist to the tacky. At home, there are lots of family treasures. Here in Wichita, I have been gathering my own things. I don’t have a whole lot, and a lot of what I do have is cheap. But it means something to me because I picked it out myself. Just me. So it’s special!

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      December 7, 2016 at 4:12 pm

      Absolutely! I remember when I had very little on my tree. Picking things out and accumulating as you go is special, I think.

  6. Sarah Rankin says

    December 9, 2016 at 6:31 pm

    I enjoyed hearing that you also must protect Christmas ornaments from two schnauzers. That’s quite a job!

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      December 10, 2016 at 8:32 am

      Oh yes. Always an issue!


Hi! I'm Talya Tate Boerner. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (2022)

THE THIRD ACT OF THEO GRUENE (coming 2025)

Recent Ramblings:

  • Sunday Letter: May 25, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: May 4, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: Rainy Day Edition
  • Spiderwort: my love-hate relationship
  • Sunday Letter: March 23, 2025

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