Monday, November 4, 2013

Christmas Has Come Early To The Country!

Good Evening Everybody!

Yes, I know...It's scary!  I've been starting Christmas on the farm.  Why you ask?  Well, if I don't start now I will not get everything done. I'm determined to have a more relaxed Christmas this year.  Plus, I love Christmas.  Always have.  When I place... actually tie over 2000 ornaments on a tree, by gosh I want to sit down and enjoy it for more than a month!  That's just me.  We all have our own traditions.  LOL!

So, when I got a few winks of sleep Friday night, I was raring to get going Saturday morning.  First was getting the tree up....Which means replacing about 5 strands of lights that had gone out.  Did I ever tell y'all I used to decorate houses for Christmas professionally?  We used to light trees before you could buy them where all you had to do was plug them in!  This still comes in handy when you need to re-wrap lights on a tree. LOL!



Once the tree was up,  I started unwrapping the hoards of glass ornaments from their tissue and placed them in large tubs to easily grab them when the time came.

 
 
Next, for me, I think it's great to have some big silver balls toward the base of the tree to not only add some dimension, but for their reflective quality.  So reflective, that if you enlarge the picture, you can see me taking this shot with my cell phone. LOL!
 
 
 
Now it's time to start layering the ornaments onto the branches...The largest ornaments toward the back....

 
Once the ornaments were on the tree (By Sunday afternoon) it was time to do the top.  I placed the tree top into a plastic coffee canister and applied the ornaments.  Once decorated, I placed it on the top of the tree and plugged it in.
 
 
Done!  Thank God!  One big job out of the way!
 
 
 
 
Now, it's time to play in the studio before I start on another tree.  So much to do so little time...
 
Have an awesome night!
 
Jim
The Gentleman Crafter
 
 

35 comments:

  1. Your tree is SO beautiful! I can't wait to get back from San Antonio so I can get mine up too! I always put mine up early and take it down late.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amazing tree! Love everything about it. I think it's great that you are doing what you love and planning for a fun and relaxed Christmas. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. So wonderful that you get so much pleasure from your Christmas decorating.This tree is so lovely! Really sings!!
    I used to go OTT with decorating for the Home where Mum is, but a lot of the people have died, and the new Residents have Dementia- sadly.
    So Mum's room will be spectacular!I'm doing a Victorian Style Christmas theme. Lots of lace, bling..etc.
    thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beautiful tree. I Love your ornaments!

    ReplyDelete
  5. There is a tree under there? Spectacular as usual Jim. I may need to barge over to come see it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow that is impressive I have to agree I can hardly see the tree and I always put mine up early when I can not this year :( but next for sure :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a beautiful tree. I will have to live vicariously this year as we are waiting for some building work to be started ASAP. So more than likely no tree this year. But I am planning a fabulous front porch/outside!

    ReplyDelete
  8. It isn't fair. I don't have half the ornaments you have and leave most of them in the totes because I can't find places to hang them. But my tree never looks like that. Yours is just BEAUTIFUL!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I don't think there is room on that tree for a single extra ornament! What a display. Happy pre-Christmas, Jim!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. My tree is at my kids house. They have a set up the tree the day after Halloween tradition. Can you say excited for the holidays. Your tree is gorgeous. Maybe you need to take some time and enjoy it. I don't know how you can walk away. I would be mesmerized. Hugz with tinsel in my hair. Peg

    ReplyDelete
  11. Beautiful! Didn't know you did this professionally in your "past life." No wonder it's so gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  12. No wonder you need to start early Jim. That is a labour of love. I hope that large santa is secure! I always take photos of my tree in the different decorating stages. What fun to have done this for a living!!! I feel all Christmassy - thanks for sharing the fun!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow!
    Wow!
    Wow!

    Thank you so much for sharing your tree with us. I really appreciate you also sharing your technique of tree decorating. Things around this house have been very stressed-to-the-breaking-point and we haven't been able to have a tree for the last several Christmases. This year I am praying for things to turn around and I can get some "new" ornaments and start over! You have inspired me to keep my nose to the grindstone!

    In addition, your Italy trip was fun to follow and was a delight to following along with. It gives me hope that "someday". . .

    Kindest of Regards

    ReplyDelete
  14. OMG! I wanna marry you!!! I thought I was potty over Christmas but you beat me hands down! I usually take a day off work just to decorate the two or three trees we have in the house! I will have to email your link to my Hubby. He thinks decorations should go up on Christmas Eve and come down on Boxing Day though I have to say he is a little better these days having had it drummed in to him that that is NOT the way I will do it.
    Great looking tree and what a job to have to do! How do I apply?
    Hugs
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow! No wonder you start early! Your tree is amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  16. WOW! Now that's a superb Christmas tree!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. all I can say is "WOW"....speechless...

    ReplyDelete
  18. Well Jim, I thought my tree had a lot of ornaments on it, but yours tops it by far. My DH is always telling me that it's okay to leave branches without ornaments on them. Seriously!

    Your tree is absolutely beautiful and to have it up this early is so smart. I usually do mine the weekend of Thanksgiving and on January 2nd, I take it down.

    I can see why you decorated homes for Christmas professionally. You have such a beautiful way of coordinating all of this ornaments.

    Tell me Jim, doesn't the top part of the tree have to hook up, the lights, with the remainder of the lights on the tree? If so, how do you connect it after all those ornaments are already on the tree? I realize this is the top part of the tree and such a clever way to decorate the top. I have to use a 10ft. tall ladder to do mine with and moving that thing around is tough.

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a beautiful tree! Those are the same kind of orna Kent's I collect for our living room tree. Wish I lived in Texas so I could tour your holiday house! I bet it's spectacular!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I don't know how you had the energy to decorate the tree but it is SPECTACULAR!! I want...no...NEED to see it in person!!! You can come and help me with my little tree....gotta redo the lights...that was DH's job.

    ReplyDelete
  21. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
    OK, explain the top in the coffee cannister--does that whole little tree go on top of the big tre? Oh--the tree is in sections! DUH!

    ReplyDelete
  22. What a gorgeous tree! I love glass ornaments but only have a few for the top of the tree. Hand tying with ribbon sure adds a lot!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I absolutely love your tree. It's so gorgeous. I love Christmas too. I would never be allowed to put one up this soon. I get to put it up the weekend of Thanksgiving. I would love to do a tree in each room, but my husband would never allow that. I'm fighting right now to get a skinny, skinny tree for the dining room.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I have just swooned! Not only have you taken me on a trip down memory lane, but you've also created the epitome of what I've always dreamed my Christmas tree should look like. The boxes of ornaments and goodies I've collected or made over my 61 years are pretty extensive, but they pale compared to all your Christmas goodness, Jim! Right on for enjoying your beautiful tree for more than a few measly weeks! I wish I could keep mine up all year long - gnarly job to dust it, though! Thanks so much!!! Kris

    ReplyDelete
  25. If you're coming to Minnesota, I have a tree you can decorate! :) LOL, Beautiful!!!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Wow... your tree is stunning! Did Cesar help you? Did you play Christmas music? I just had to ask, as my tradition is to watch "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" while decorating! It usually takes me 3 rounds of the movie! Michael puts the lights on and helps hang decorations, But the old fashion tinsel is all me!!! One strand at a time!!! I love it!!!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Love how the tree came out!!! Beautiful, can't wait to put up mine.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Oh my goodness.... this is a huge tree. How tall is it????? Absolutely gorgeous, Jim. What a talent you have. Now that I am alone, I just have a tabletop tree - but I love it. Works perfectly for me and my sweet little dog, Ms Sophie.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Holy cow! I'd love to do that but so afraid the animals (2 and 4-legged) would kill it. How did you attach the Santa platform? That I'd be tempted to try.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Well I can tell you certainly enjoy Christmas! That is the most ornaments I've ever seen on a regular house sized tree (aside from the g-normous trees at Biltmore Estate and other large venues)! It's beautiful! We're having to go to an artificial tree this year due to hubby's allergies that developed over the past few years. We usually get a live frasier fir from the mountains here in NC and go cut it ourselves. Will miss that for sure. So I finally found a life-like fraiser fir artificial and it's supposed to be here next week and I'll be decorating early too! Thanks for sharing your tree and how you decorate it. Great idea for the silver balls!

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.