Ready for the most wonderful time of the year
- Laura Moore: Housebroken
- December 19, 2023
- 800
This is a wonderful time of year for both houses and their occupants — a time for them (the houses, that is) to be decorated with wreaths on the doors, candles in the windows, and trees lavished with lights, tinsel and lovely ornaments.
Of course, some owners indulge themselves in a veritable orgy of decorating. We once lived next door to a couple who festooned their front porch with hundreds of twinkling lights, trimmed all of the trees in their front yard with red bows, and to top it all, on their roof they put a sleigh and a red-nosed reindeer. It was truly something to behold.
Several neighbors were critical because so many folks drove by to admire that display.
I suspect those folks were just jealous.
It also is important to remember this season of gift-giving should include a gift or two for our homes. They, of course, prefer gifts of expensive things, like new carpet or appliances, but they’ll be happy to accept anything.
Taller Half and I always give each other at least one gift our house wants. Last year we got a new storm door. We even send our children a gift for their houses. One year we gave one daughter a ceiling fan. That really paid off when we visited the next summer.
As much as we all enjoy them, the holidays can be a dangerous time for houses. Wise homeowners never leave their houses alone with the tree lights on and the candles burning.
And remember — once the holidays are over and our houses are stripped of all their shining finery, it can be a depressing sight. They can look naked and rather drab. That
can be the perfect time to brighten up a room with new paint or wallpaper, new curtains, or perhaps invest in a pretty new rug.
A few years ago, one of our daughters thrilled us and their house by decorating a bedroom to welcome a new baby. Doesn’t get any better than that!