365 days is way too long between Christmases’ … we just have to celebrate all year long.   Today is the first day of spring, which means we just have to hop over summer… and fall will be here before we know it…in just 279 days and counting.

I am finally tucking away the last of the decorations; the winter tree and the village display that has been in my wall unit since the day after Halloween.   I love the Department 56 and Lemax Village pieces, and I put up a full display for Halloween and Christmas… thank goodness my youngest daughter is now an adult and has taken over the “display management” – it’s a lot of work!   I knew she would be a natural since she loved her dollhouse when she was younger, and was always so creative by making her own pieces.  I spent several years planning how I would acquire enough houses, buildings, accessories and figures to fill up eight shelves of the wall unit; however, now I search for new scenery and retire the old.  We put up the Halloween display just after Labor Day and then we replace it on November 1^st with Christmas.  The grand-kids love it…. My three youngest granddaughters just stare in awe… for them it’s a huge multi-level dollhouse.

I use mostly ALL Lemax for Halloween, their “Spookytown Collection”  is awesome – lots of sound, flashing lights… very spooky!   I buy some on-line but usually I go to Michael’s to see the displays live; and usually Michael’s offers great savings early on – if you go in August (the bring them out the end of July) they will have a few weekends with special  savings of 25% off.    However, for Christmas Lemax’ collection is not well constructed, so I prefer the Department 56; which has ten or more villages that are crafted differently; Alpine Village, Christmas in the City, Dickens’ Village, Jim Shore Village, New England Village, North Pole Village, Original Snow Village, Williamsburg Village and Winters Frost.  Some villages have larger figures, some are glossy finished, some are matte… so you have to plan the settings – not all pieces work together.   I spend a good amount of time during March and April planning how the village will be setup and searching for the best prices for the new items… these additions can be quite costly; houses or buildings run about $60 – $120 each; but accessories “make the village” and you need a lot.  Just one little figure or a sign can be $15+ – it all adds up very quickly.  My favorite is the North Pole Series  … that’s because its tastefully painted in the brightest holiday colors… the buildings are cleverly labeled “Santa’s Helpers Training Academy”,  “North Pole Cookie Exchange”, “Santa’s Hot Cocoa Café” and they even included a Disney group buildings like “Mickey’s Ears Factory” – we usually design two shelves with Disney pieces and six shelves with traditional Christmas village (naturally The North Pole is at the top).  As a backdrop for the village I take the shelves out and line the back with wrapping paper that looks like a nighttime sky with stars; then I put the shelves back in, cover a few select shaped pieces of Styrofoam with snow blanket and then put the pieces in place… lots of planning, lots of fun and most definitely worth it.

March is also the time for “spring cleaning” and there is one important thing that we can all do and that is to put together coats, scarves, hats, boots and other winter clothes for those in need.  I usually donate to Vietnam Veterans of America; they will take almost anything and the donation is tax deductible.   We all have at least a few bags to give; you may be surprised once you start cleaning out those closets.  I am also donating two of my artificial trees since the lights had burned out (beyond repair).  Don’t feel sorry for me… I have already replaced those trees 😉

Yes this is a great time for cleaning and organizing.  As I mentioned last month, I started posting  photos on Pinterest… I actually made one of the boards “Ideas for our home” where I am placing photos of all the things I want to do for myself.  Pinterest is a “great” organizing tool and photo gallery; it’s a visual notepad.  Also, this month Facebook insisted that we change our profile format; we all had to edit the profile image and put up wide screen covers over the “timeline” …. It actually looks very cool.

Throughout the year, I do many things to prepare for the blessed season, such as organizing recipes (not that I ever have the time to test them all)… I am always looking for different ways to make the ham or season the turkey.  I’m constantly check out websites for Christmas cards, labels, wrapping paper and other embellishments – that keeps me busy. I also repair any broken decorations or replace them – all of the “berries” that were embedded in my wreaths and some outdoor décor were weather-damaged, so I ordered a few dozen batches of berries (some with glitter) to replace the ones in need.  Anyone who knows me will tell you that I “love” wreaths; yes — I know I could make them but I can’t resist seeing that all beautiful and ready for display.  I have double-doors so I just ordered two wreaths with red/white/blue flowers that will take me from now through August… then the fall wreaths go up.  If you haven’t been there yet, you should check out Wreaths Galore – they are running a 20-50% off and free shipping!  They have a beautiful selection of Christmas wreaths and garland.

It’s time to plan camps for the kids, but I know it will breeze by and once camp is over, it’s back to school –I’m not rushing it, I am savoring every moment.

Please share your ideas and let’s bring in the season together – be merry and stay healthy!