Monday, December 18, 2017

An Almost-Real Christmas for CHEAP!

Howdy,

I've been waiting to share all things Christmas.  Don't ask me why.  I just have an unhealthy love of Christmas.  I didn't want to start talking about it too soon... I know I love Christmas and I know it can be a bit overwhelming in OCTOBER - haha.  I love the holiday at its core - celebrating the birth of Christ.  I also, however, love the time with family and partaking in our family traditions.  UGH, and the decorating.  I love decorating for the holiday.  Something about Christmas brings a fresh perspective to our space every year.  I start to see things differently and I look ways to usher the holiday season and new year into our lives with casual, comfortable and chic Christmas decor.

The big move of #summer17 came with a lot of requirements.  I had to shed dead skin of previous years and to prepare for a new covering in a new area.  In addition to shedding the old, I shed a lot of our belongings to make the move a little easier.  When I say a lot, I mean a lot... like 70% of everything we own.  We downsized from a large (nearly 5,000 sf) single family home to a townhouse to an apartment unit until we learn the area for a move into a house.  As it relates to Christmas decor, I kept our family ornaments, and 1 box of small decor (our stocking holders, the stockings, our holiday candle houses, etc.).  I didn't keep any of my Christmas trees.  I did not keep the fiber optics tree from the kid's room last year:



I didn't keep my beloved pink tree from my craft room last year:



 I didn't keep the beautiful flocked tree from our family room:


I gave away everything... almost like I didn't plan for Christmas to come again, at least not so soon.

Man, I was mistaken.  Sadly mistaken.  Time ticked on and, before I knew it, Christmas was upon us.  Before I could process, it was Black Friday and I was determined to find a good deal.



Did you know thrift stores have holiday-themed decor around the holidays?  I knew the Christmas goodies would be on overload and I needed to check the thrift store before I shopped retail.  I got dressed and I left.  Just before I pulled off, I got a call from Hubbs.  He wanted to accompany me on the trip and asked if I'd wait for him and the kid to come down; it was officially a family affair.  No, I don't usually like to have them come with me.  They're just naysayers and haters on my love for all things granny. ** eye roll**

Yet, here we were headed to Goodwill.  We arrived and I walked to the tree section.  You heard it.  SECTION.  There were more than a dozen trees and that's not including the drug store trees sold as a retail closeout (there were about 4 dozen of those brand new trees).  We found a HUGE tree.  9 feet.  $35.  It was made of the typical fluff-n-go tree stuff except it was about 5' in diameter at the base.  Hubbs was excited.  He knew it was a nice tree... I investigated and I wasn't as sold.  It was nice and it was large but, eh.  It was okay.  I kept looking.  In a huge bin, I found a box.  There was a piece of greenery hanging out and it looked real.  I enlisted help from Hubbs to open it and there it was... a beautiful, plush, high-quality tree!  I had to have it.  We asked for the price and, because of the quality, the manager priced it at $34.  We bought it, brought it home, plugged it up and *gasp* she was beautiful!


I looked up the information on the box.  It has LED clear lights (although, the center portion flickers due to a shortage), life-like branches and you can see that it is a high-quality tree.  I had to google the name on the box.


There it is... the tree of my dreams!  I checked the price for the height we bought and OMG!









It is on sale for $370!  Islanders, I paid 10% of the SALE price!  If you're looking to upgrade your Christmas Tree, check out the thrift store and remember to follow these tips:

- Plug it in to check if lights work.
- Notify staff of defects for a price break.
- Google for a comparable tree to see if you're getting a great deal
- If you don't find the prefect tree on your first visit, don't be afraid to leave and return on another day.

The inventory is ever-changing and the hunt is always an adventure.  I love the tree and I can't wait to share how I decorated it affordably tomorrow!


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