Alexandra Bogdanovic's Blog: That's life... - Posts Tagged "christmas-tree"

Another Christmas has come and gone. I suppose it's time to dismantle the "Charlie Brown" Christmas Tree I made out of some branches from our back yard (even though I just put it up a few days ago).
It's time to bid adieu to 2014, and start thinking about the coming year. And with that in mind, I thought I'd share some of my hopes, dreams and aspirations for 2015.
In no particular order, here they are:
-- I hope I hit the lottery. I don't really care which one. Mega-Millions, Power Ball... It doesn't really matter, as long as the jackpot is worthwhile.
-- Barring that, I hope I continue to do well in my online paralegal certificate program and graduate in March as planned.
-- I hope that a few New York City-area lawyers in need of a good paralegal read this and keep me in mind.
-- I hope my memoir receives some more accolades in the regional literary contests I entered. I'll find out soon, so please keep all bendable appendages crossed.
-- I hope a few more people actually decide to read my memoir.
-- I hope I actually find the time to write my second book.
-- I hope I actually find the time to read a few good books.
-- I hope to make it to the family reunion that's been planned in honor of my grandfather's 100th birthday in the spring.
-- I hope I get to laugh more and worry less.
-- I hope the world stops going "sideways."
-- I hope our leaders stop engaging in hateful rhetoric.
-- I hope that all of my friends in law enforcement go home safely after every shift.
-- I hope we learn to be kind to one another.
-- I hope we learn to respect each other's differences, even if we don't fully understand them.
-- I hope each and every one of you has a happy, safe and healthy 2015!
Until next time, "That's life..."

There's something about the holidays that inspires creativity.
They've influenced literary types, film makers and musicians. They've influenced the designers tasked with creating festive window displays at some of the largest and best-known department stores in the United States, and homeowners responsible for the indoor and outdoor decorations.
Personally I have always found that decorating the Christmas Tree is a wonderful creative outlet.
It's something I started doing when I was little. Back then we got a real tree. When I got married, I opted for practicality and bought an artificial tree. No matter. I was still in charge of decorating it.
The tradition continued when I lived in Virginia and came home for the holidays and when I came home for good in 2012.
Last year, I decided to create a new tradition. Inspired by the "alternative Christmas Tree trend" I decided to "make" and decorate an eco-friendly, DIY, "Charlie Brown" Christmas Tree with sticks and branches from my yard. The new tradition continued this year.
I started by finding the perfect tree limbs and a vase to put them in (pictured here).

Then I added some ornaments. Since I've been a fan of loft living and industrial decor since before it became trendy, I decided to give this year's tree a bit of an edge. In addition to traditional ornaments, I decided to use some ball and chain I had sitting around as garland. The work in progress can be seen in the following photo.

On Christmas morning, added the finishing touch by putting all of the presents around the tree. The only thing that's missing is some sort of tree topper (like and angel or a star). Oh, and my cat. For some reason he didn't feel like joining in the festivities this year (he was sleeping). In any case, I like the final product.

What do you think? Let me know in the comment section below, on Twitter or Google+.
Until next time, "That's life..."