Winter Bucket List AND Homemaking 101 | The Nutcracker Christmas Tree

We interrupt this regular program to bring you some Christmas spirit, inspiration & joy! (I hope you won't mind too much! ...next week I'll probably be back to regular Homemaking 101 posts, but this does relate to homemaking and is in season so I wanted to share these with you now so you could look through these photos and maybe find some inspiration for your own decor!!)

As you can see this is a double titled post, and well deserving too! You might have read My Winter Bucket List...and if you haven't yet, head on over and check it out!! I have 30 things I want to check off, mostly by the end of December so I have quite the challenge in front of me! #18 on this list: Put up Christmas decorations with Autry for the first time!! Last year we were separated by distance and couldn't do this. Now that is done...as you will soon be seeing! I actually don't have much to decorate right now seeing as my room is over taken with things for when I get married, and also doubles as my craft & sewing room...so you can imagine that adding even a miniature tree was difficult for me since that was space I had to give up. Fortunately we found the perfect place so it would be out of the way and not really take up any of my 'sewing' area (aka my floor, or walk way lol).

The Story Behind The Name

My version of the Nutcracker Tree, 2009.
This is the last time I decorated my tree for Christmas. Since then I have not been well enough or had the strength to dig everything out to decorate even though I enjoy it and love sitting and looking at all the ornaments throughout the month.

My favorite non-Christian Christmas story is without-a-doubt The Nutcracker. I have enjoyed that story for years and never gotten tired of it! One year I had the idea (when I was in my teens I think) to decorate my medium size tree with old fashioned looking ornaments, add candy and chocolate and then have nutcrackers standing next to it. Well, at first I didn't have the nutcrackers but I did have the tree...but eventually I found one and he has been faithfully guarding the tree from little hands who would snatch a piece of the candy.

 

This Year's Tree Story

On the left we have the tree where only part of the lights are working...
And on the right...they are all on after almost 2 hours of slow work!

This year when Autry & I plugged in the tree to make sure the lights were working we were in for a huge disappointment: over half were burned out and it would take me almost two hours to sit there and change out bulb after bulb until the whole thing was finally lit up and ready for decorating. This was on Monday (December 3). Autry had to work so I finished out the lights while he was at work and the next day we added the following ornaments to the tree.



All the ornaments that didn't make it onto the tree this year.

I have come to realize that I have out grown the medium tree and that is in perfect timing too since next year we will have a tree all to ourselves! Not only that but it will be my first time ever to have a REAL tree!! I cannot wait! Autry wants that to be a tradition for us since he grew up with a real tree for Christmas and wants to do the same for us.

The Unique Ornaments

 

These are most of the ornaments I had pulled out for the tree this year.
Of course many of them didn't even make it onto the tree since it was so full.
And I didn't have room for the candy canes...but that's okay I'll use them next year!

 

I wanted to share with you photos of all the different types of ornaments I've collected over the past years to put on this tree. I have never grown tired of the theme and don't think I ever will! It's just too fun and all the ornaments are gorgeous & unique...I could never bring myself to do anything else.

Glass candy ornaments. I had a second red ornament, but it broke a few years back.

Enter this plastic version of candy ornaments!

A candy cane made from a red and white glitter covered plastic. I love it!!

 

And the real candy!
Cinnamon candies & miniatures candy canes which I tie with gold ribbon.

Of course you can't have a Nutcracker Tree without a Sugar Plum!

 

An imitation gingerbread ornament with green icing. I really love this ornament!

 

Miniature pinecones with glitter and gold ribbon.

 

Heart shaped potpourri ornaments. I really love these and will eventually make more!

A red crochet star which was added to my collection this year.

 

I've had these ornaments for years.
Each one has a different image on it and I love each one!

 

A glass bell. This is one of my favorites!!

 

This ornament was given to me in 2009 by a co-worker at my first job: Gliori's Italian Restaurant.
I was a waitress so this is an ornament made of noodles and she's holding the plate and silverware.

 

In 2012 this red stocking was added to the collection.
I got this at the Tecumseh Public Library Christmas Gala which I attended each year.

 

A red heart. I used to have two of these ornaments, but the other one has been lost for a few years now.

 

Another "H" ornament! I love the sparkly diamonds. I think this was given to me by my momma in 2011.

 

A gold violin ornament.
In case you're wondering: yes, I played the violin for 2 years Summer 2007-Summer 2009.

 

This is one of the very first ornaments I ever had.
I believe my Papa gave this one to me on my first Christmas in 1991.

I love this wooden snowman holding a gift.
Mom gave a snowman ornament to each of us kids last year. I really love mine!
I want to look for some more unique snowmen ornaments to add to my collection.

A white yarn angel.

This little bear couple has been on my Nutcracker tree since the very beginning.
I've had the girl beginning since I was a little kid. I'm not sure where the little boy came from.

Of course you can't have a lovely tree without beautiful balls. I love my random collection!

And finally, we have the nutcrackers. The ones in the box really aren't that big but there are a lot of them!
The brown one on the right is quite a bit bigger than the others since it was given to me before I received the others.

 

The Finished Nutcracker Tree

 

Sorry about the messy background.
I live in the basement right now and there are no walls...except for white sheets lol.
The tree skirt was found at a Garage Sale awhile back for 0.50 cents!

 

 After a little bit of work the tree was finished! Every branch had an ornament or decoration on it. I was sad to not have candy on the tree this year, but I'll be okay. I'm very positive that next year's tree will have PLENTY of candy to make up for this year's lack of it!

 

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