There is no better feeling at Christmas than being surrounded by decorations, either cute or spiritual, warm colours, beautiful lights on the Christmas tree and mantel, Christmassy pillows on the sofa and carols being played on the CD player. You can just smell the roast bird, eggnog, and cookies on a plate painted with reindeer. Red and green candles with the aroma of bayberry are on the tables. Holly rests on the door frames. Everyone's eyes twinkle like the Christmas tree lights and smiles stretch across everyone's faces.
The house looks like a picture this year and you wish some glossy magazine would make a spread of it. Instead of big red bows hung from the window frames this year, you hung beautiful silver angels. Along the porch rail you draped silver bunting twined with holly and suspended from huge red bows. You backlighted it with tiny white Christmas tree lights. It would look lovely against the snow. Instead of a wreath on the front door this year, you decided to construct a panorama of angels of different types and sizes. Your husband, of course, performed his yearly task of putting up the Christmas lights on the roof of the house.
There are those crafts types who can make tree decorations out of cookies they baked and decorated or they buy a plain wreath and use stuffed animals with a Christmas theme to decorate it. There are those who can knit or crochet or hook lap rugs who make their own Christmas tree decorations. Strings of cranberries and popcorn on the tree is still a beautiful decoration and involves the whole family in the fun. Making the star on top of the tree out of paper mache or tinfoil is still popular. Ah, but where to put lights after you've decorated the tree?
Some decorators build around a theme, like the nativity or a Winnie the Pooh Christmas and they use lots of pictures on the front door and in the windows. They place stuffed or ceramic figures on the mantel and coffee table and hang themed figures on the Christmas tree. Of course they line the doors and windows with lights the better to see their work. Other decorators work with what they have available and work toward a warm and fuzzy feeling with decorations and aromas like pine wreaths and bunting and lots of candles that smell of cinnamon backlit with Christmas tree lights. Yet others use little in the way of decoration but place the Christmas tree lights in strategic spots to create an atmosphere and allow the spell of the season to work its Christmas magic.
Christmas without Christmas tree lights would be dark indeed. They add a twinkle to the season and, properly placed, call attention to the artistry of the decorator. They add a warmth that can be seen as well as sensed when we are surrounded by snow. They reflect the light of the Christmas star for us on Christmas Day.
