Picking out our Christmas tree was a bit of a scavenger hunt this year. We went to our tried and true place. The one we have been going to for the last ten years. And they did not have a single Noble Fir. They said they had been selling out of them by 4:00 each day. Well, with my husband’s work schedule, kids’ schooling and life, 4:00 was out of our reach for the week.
We decided to search for a Christmas tree elsewhere.
I am a true have-to-have-a-real-tree girl. I just am. I like the picking out of the tree each year. I like the smell. I like the tradition. I just like it.
We drove to a place that used to sell Christmas trees the year before, but they were not selling trees this year.
I remembered seeing a Christmas tree lot on the other side of town earlier in the week. We drove there and it was amazing. They were hoarding all of the Noble Firs!
The tree we picked out for our main tree (we also get a smaller one, because I am a greedy tree decorator) ended up being about nine feet tall, but was marked 7-8 and the guy gave it to us for that price. It was a steal! And since my husband refuses to look at any tree taller than eight feet, my stealthy sneaky big-tree-heart exploded with joy.
It almost made me as happy as this dress. I purchased Free People’s Bombora Dress during Free People’s annual 25% off sale. It showed sold out, but in my cart it went to backorder. I honestly did not think it would ship, so I never mentioned it. I thought it was a fluke. I was very surprised to see it show up at my door three weeks later.
It was a happy surprise.
It reminded me of my favorite Christmas movie, “White Christmas.” When I was a little girl my mother would tell me that when it was time for my prom she would make me a prom dress exactly like the ending Christmas dresses in that movie. By the time I finally went to my prom, I no longer wanted a fur-lined red velvet number for an event in May. Instead I opted for a custom designed (by myself) little number modeled after Marissa Tomei’s dress in the movie, “Only You.” In my head it was perfection. In real life, the seamstress did not understand what I was going for and I ended up going to prom in a periwinkle dress with triangle cutouts. Oh. It was bad. So very, very bad. As reality versus dreams usually are.
If only they had had this dress back then. Then both my mother and myself could have been happy.
It only took twenty years for that scavenger hunt to come to a conclusion. What look from a movie do you love? Do you love the hunt for an item? If you have a Christmas tree, do you go real or fake? Theme or sentimental? Our big tree is sentimental. Our little tree is a gnome forrest theme… Of course.
*Also, I am sorry I have been behind on emails, comments and blogs. I plan on catching up this weekend. : )
You look gorgeous in this fabulous red dress! Oh, I loved watching White Christmas with my mom growing up as well. I also spent a lot of time singing “I Enjoy Being a Girl” from Flower Drum Song. lol. Your tree looks great! Ours came out a little wonky this year, but hey the spirit is there!
OXOX
Dawn Lucy
http://fashionshouldbefun.blogspot.com
Beautiful dress and tree!! I love Diane Keaton’s whole wardrobe from the film Because I Said So. She really has such a cool and quirky look in her films and I think it is fantastic!! Our tree is fake. We had our living room painted right before Christmas a few years back, so we switched over to this tree and just keep using it. It is really nice, but too small for all our ornaments, so I just have to pick and choose which ones will go on each year. Wishing you and your family a lovely holiday!!
Such a cute dress and a beautiful tree! Can we see your prom dress sometime??
Oh what a beautiful dress! I too adore White Christmas. In fact I turned my daughter and husband onto it, and they now love it too. We’ve already watched it twice this year. Our tree is fake, a big 9 footer. It’s got a little bit of everything on it…ornaments my daughter made, ones I’ve crafted, lots of scandinavian style straw ornaments and woodland creatures. Last year I wanted to do a “woodsy, white christmas” tree, so we just put on the white, cream, silver, gold ornaments plus some sparkly snowflakes and pinecones. But this year the hubby and daughter insisted on more color, so there’s lots of bright red this time. Your trees look so pretty and festive!
I love both trees! We have never had a real tree, even though my hubby loves them. Our pre-lighted tree that we’ve had for 11 years is slowly losing lights so I think next year we will get a real one. I can’t wait for the experience! Love that red dress! Oh, and I found an afghan sweater on eBay……. I found the type of knitting is most commonly called “Granny Squares”, so that is what I searched on.
You look like a Christmas princess! It looks so great. I love the smell of a real tree and grew up on real ones. But since we spend almost 2 weeks between my parent’s and in-law’s and are not home, we have yet to get a real one. It makes me sad. I did find fir tree sticks that you put in a fake tree and it makes it smell semi real!
Your house is just stunning with your tree and Christmas decorations. I hope you have a great weekend and enjoy the kids being home. I am about the make some dough for roll out sugar cookies with the kids! I have yet to make cookies, so I better get on it!
Thank you so much! I need to look for those fir sticks. I love the smell and wish our house had even more of it! I completely understand not getting a real tree. That is a ton of traveling! Wow! We spend Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas is just us. I am such a homebody, it would be hard for me to travel. You are so sweet to do that for your family. I know it must be hard with little ones and organizing gifts to travel, too. You are super mom! And baking cookies! I hope they turned out great! I always buy those premade cutouts and then the kids can frost them. I have the easiest sugar dough recipe for small cookies, but I need to ask my friend who I got the recipe from if I can post it. I made some this week and it is just three ingredients!
Have a happy week and safe travels!
Jenni
Oh! Is this the dress you mentioned in the comments on my blog? If so, I am so happy it got shipped. It is beautiful. I love the colour and the sleeves.
And your Christmas tree is so pretty!
It is the dress! And thank you! I am so glad it shipped, too, although now that means I probably should return the other dress. I have not worn it yet and I like this one better. I have to only keep what I truly love. I need to try it on again to see.
And thank you about my Christmas tree! : ). It is now surrounded by clothes I have to fold when I wake up tomorrow. Where does all of the laundry come from?!
Sweet dreams!
Jenni
I love your tree! And the dress is beautiful – it reminds me of the Kate Bush Wuthering Heights dress. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW3gKKiTvjs
Thank you! Oh my gosh! It does look just like that dress! That is too cool! Thank you for sharing!
Have a happy week!
Jenni
Ah, I love a real tree. Plus it helps that the grocery store down the street sells them for $25- it’s always a bit of surprise since they come bound in string and you don’t know quite what you’re going to get. This year’s is a lovely tall and elegant 7+ footer, very full but not fat. I love it!
I love your fat fabulous trees- scrumptious!
Alas, I did not pick it up in such an elegant and fun style. And your hair- sigh.
But I have snow, and a real white christmas. So there! I have only watched Elf and the new Toy Story Christmas special so far this year- but I have about 40 hours of knitting to finish a scarf for my mom so…. My favourite Christmas movies are Desk Set (inspiration for my blog) and The Thin Man (lotsa drinking) and of course Christmas Carol and It’s a wonderful life. I usually save those for the 23rd!
$25!!!! That is a fabulous deal! And I can picture you with an elegant tree. And thank you about my fat trees! I love a fat tree, even though it really does not fit very well in the space. And thanks about my hair. I didn’t wash it that week for so long, so you would have been appalled to see it a few days later. ; )
There was a new Toy Story Christmas special?!?!?! Aaaaaahhh! How did I miss that?! I am so sad! I have never seen “Desk Set” or “Thin Man.” I will have to see them. I was bummed because I finally watched “Holiday Inn” tonight and I was very disappointed. Tomorrow night is slated for “Elf” and Tuesday will be “White Christmas.” They need to make more Christmas movies that are not cheesy!
Have a gorgeous week!
Jenni
Gorgeous red dress! Gorgeous tree! I love the smell of Christmas trees too. My favorite movies around this time are While You Were Sleeping and Bridget Jones’s Diary. And now I want to see a photo of your prom dress!
Thank you Cynthia! Oh man! I wish I had asked for Christmas movie advice days ago. I had my annual Christmas movie night party with my girlfriends a few nights ago. I could not think of a single Christmas movie that they would want to see. We ended up watching “About Time.” It was so so so sad. Next year, I am doing one of your picks!
Have a wonderful week!
Jenni
We have the artificial tree that I grew up with. My grandparents dropped it on my parent’s porch my first Christmas, along with a box of ornaments. Each year after that, the tree would make its annual appearance for the holidays. We tried to get a real tree once, but our cat decided to live in it and kept destroying all of the ornaments. We went back to the artificial tree and never looked back. It’s in pretty rough shape after all these years, but I’m sentimental about it. We haven’t been able to display it for the past two years since we’ve been in tiny apartments. Instead, we put up my little pink tinsel tree. It’s such a happy little tree, and it goes perfectly with all of our pastel retro decor.
I love that you have your big tree for that traditional Christmas feel, but you also have the fanciful little gnome tree. I love all of the forest friend and mushroom ornaments I’ve seen around. They’d be perfectly at home on your little tree!
Have a very Merry Christmas with your family! Your home looks so cozy and warm!
<3 Liz
http://www.withwonderandwhimsy.com
Oh that dress is beautiful and the pictures of you by the trees are perfection.
Your trees look so nice! It’s interesting how there are the real tree people and people like myself who are happy with a fake tree. I just think they are easier and they don’t require water. My green fake tree is the greatest fake tree and looks so real. We bought it at Ace hardware years ago. I also have a real looking white flocked tree that my mom gave me because she wanted to replace it with this fake tree that really does look fake. I was going to rotate the green and white every year but my daughter really wanted the flocked one this year too.
I do have great memories as a kid going to the tree lot and the wonderful smell of a real tree. I wanted to go to a tree farm just for fun and walk around this year but we have had a lot of rain this December.
I have never seen Only You which is funny because I adore Marirsa Tomei and Robert Downey. I will look for it.
Enjoy this week,
Stacey
I love the mushrooms on your tree!
And I ADORE that dress! Wow! It looks gorgeous on you with your long flowing blond hair. You look like you should be on The Princess Bride.
I do love a real tree but hate the mess and hassle. As the years pass I’ve become more and more lazy about decorating for Christmas. This year we didn’t do it much because I thought we were going away. Turns out we’re not and now it seems like the Grinch lives here. I did manage to decorate our mantel, so there’s that. Next year though I think I need to make more of an effort.
bisous
Suzanne
PS did you keep those amazing high red boots? I hope so!
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Oh, oh, oh…another stunning maxi dress. I’m suffering in the throes of closet envy! You look like a fairytale come to life in this one!