My First Winter Wonderland
It is already cold December, the last month of 2021.
Today I am going to let go of Autumn and welcome Winter.
My neighborhood is already filled with Christmas decorations and lights.
Let’s organize and pack all Fall decors. See you all next Fall!
First, I am going to bake and dry orange and grapefruit slices.
Slice nicely and bake them in the oven at a low heat.
This is originally designed as a candle holder.
I am going to decorate it differently this year and use it as a candle holder later when my daughter is little older.
I am adding mini ornaments I bought at Target for $3 a box.
The orange slices I made in advance when making Van Chaud become nice Christmas decors.
I am trying to bring a Christmas vibe without changing too much from the existing neutral tones I like.
Leave the vase as it is, and change the atmosphere with different stems for each season.
Flip the orange and grapefruit slices and bake again.
These mini trees, $5 for 4, are affordable and they look pretty no matter where you place them.
I brought my old wood bead garland from my master bedroom to decorate it here.
Shall I twist it?
My own little Winter Wonderland!
Huh?…What is this? 🤔
Okay munchkin, I told you everything is okay except a pen, which is too hard to erase...
Well, let’s just cover it…🤣
The snowflake shaped coaster is enough to bring a holiday vibe.
Replacing the cushion cover will add coziness.
Hang throws nice and neat.
Hey Santa, can you please stuff some presents for me too?😋
I think bell decors are especially popular this year.
Looking back at my year 2021, I am grateful for being just safe and healthy.
I’ve been using it for 5 years now, and it starts to peel and become worn out.
Gotta do some maintenance work with my daughter’s acrylic marker pens!
Maintenance completed!
I brought a cozy placemat here.
Although the light from the large size house is broken, white ceramic houses add warmth and coziness.
Add a ribbon and a pretty candle too.
These décor are from my favorite shopping place, Target Dollar Spot!
Small trees are $1 each; large one is $3, and the LED light ceramic house is just $5!
A LED candle from IKEA is a perfect fit!
I am dreaming of a white Christmas with these cute décor.
I put a little Winter stem on a recycled bottle here.
Then adding these little trees will make my kitchen corner warm and cozy.
I burned a few…..again…..😅
Dried orange and grapefruit slices are simple but pretty Christmas decors.
Orange ornament!
Hello Fall, but now it is Bye Fall.
These mini trees are pretty no matter where you put them, right?
I hang this Christmas wreath, which I used every Winter for 5 years now, here instead of my entrance door I used to hang.
I took out my old table runner.
Grab a wood tray and a candle holder.
I wanted to make a DIY dining table centerpiece.
I bought a box of pine cones vase fillers and used them everywhere this year.
This is originally a gift topper bell set, but I think I am going to use it here.
You are allowed to have sweets without any guilt in December, right?
Ho Ho Ho~ Now that I’ve fueled up with a special Santa hat chocolate,
It is time to unbox and set up my very first Christmas tree!
Umm… the box is bigger and heavier than I thought 🙄
Set up the Christmas tree stand first.
When I am lost, I tend to go for manuals (reading pictures….only) haha
Okay, found A!
Wow…this is heavy…
It comes with shaping gloves, but I think it is too thin to grab sharp branch tips.
Heh, I have the famous Korean heavy duty work gloves!
Okay, I got B!
C completed!
I am still familiar with the metric system only, so I didn’t know how tall 7.5 ft would be before ordering.
It is….tall…..very….tall….taller than expected.
Now it is time to do the most important job: fluffing and shaping the branches.
You need to shape the tree by angling the tips upward or downward to fill the empty gaps in between……This is what I heard.
Yes I know, I’m no expert haha. I told you this was my very first Christmas tree.
Wow this takes a lot of time to fluff every single branch tip. Am I doing it right?😮
My Christmas tree makes me do ballet…
Okay, almost done!
The sun is already setting….
The consequence of insisting that it must be a flocked, snowy Christmas tree….🙄
A Christmas tree collar is a must to give a more aesthetically pleasing finish….This is what I learned from the internet too haha.
When I tried to tighten the collar with screws, I realized I should’ve done this very first before putting the tree stand.
My clothes became a mess and I am exhausted now. Let’s just tighten one screw out of 4.
I’ve been lost quite a few times, but after all, my very first Christmas tree is so beautiful!
Okay, it is time to light the Christmas tree!
Ta-da!!
I am done for today. I will be decorating my Christmas tree tomorrow!
Until now, I’ve never realized there were so many kinds of ornaments to choose from.
This year I decided to go simple and just match a color theme to the rest of my home decors.
Here?
Maybe here?
Being the first time to decorate a Christmas tree, I was hanging one ornament, taking it out, and hanging it at another spot. It took me a long time.
This year I bought ornaments that are made of shatterproof materials only because of my little girl.
I bought 25 ornaments for $5, which is a great deal, but I realized that these don’t come with ornament strings.
I made my own strings and I thought they made my Christmas tree rather cozier.
I am going to finish decorating with a pretty ribbon.
Cut the end nicely.
Score a goal?
With the lights on, it made my home cozier.
Snow shovels don’t get a lot of use in where I live, so I wanted my Christmas tree to be flocked at least.
When everyone is asleep,
I am going to do gift wrapping with these orange and grapefruit slices that I’ve burned a little (no, a lot, lol)
I am also going to use leftover mini ornaments and strings.
While I was wrapping my Christmas presents,
I was reminded of the tragic News on a deadly tornado that swept across the Midwest recently.
December is a month of happiness for everyone and this heartbreaking news just before Christmas made my heart cry.
To be honest, I don’t regularly give donations or sponsorship to charity like other wonderful people do.
But I believe in the miracles of giving and small support.
My prayers and heart go out to the family who lost their loved ones and everything all at once, all of sudden.
I hope my small donation can help.