Red & Gold

Greetings, readers. Alas, here is yet another entry for the Etsy Bloggers Street Team Blog Carnival. The theme? Holiday Traditions & Musings.

I thought plenty about what I wanted to write...I don't have a large family; therefore, there's not many traditions that we follow. Honestly, Thanksgiving is the bigger holiday for us, so that's usually where many of our "traditions" are established or have been established. I did, however, remember one tradition that I follow, and that's decorating in red and gold for Christmas.

The tradition of using red and gold decor was started by my grandmother. I don't know if anyone used this color scheme before her, but what I remember most is the way her and my grandfather used to decorate their house for Christmas. White lights were a no-no. "White lights aren't warm, Chelsea," she would say, expressing her disgust for the white light trend that seemed to keep growing and spreading from house to house each year. "You need red to make your house look warm and you need red so it shows up better in the snow."

Every year, my grandfather would drag out those red, fat, monster-sized lights (can you even buy those anymore?) and cover their bushes in the front yard with them. I will say, against the snow, my grandmother was right--the lights looked beautiful. On their front porch was a life-sized wooden Santa Claus, which was bathed in a spotlight powered by a contraption that I think my grandfather built himself (he was quite the gadget maker, I must say).

Inside their house, taking up the entire width of their large front window, stood their Christmas tree. Adorned with red lights and red velvet ornaments accented with gold, it was truly a sight to see. The red lights on the tree created beautiful reflections against the ornaments, and the star on top--a multi-pointed 3-D star--was also embellished with red lights (you should know that I think the star originally came with white lights, and knowing my grandmother, she had my grandfather replace them all with red). To finish it off, each front window was dressed with a decorative arrangement comprised of red plastic bells, pine needles, and gold accents. The bells had twinkle lights inside, and when they flickered, they would light up the windows with that lovely, warm, red glow.

My grandparents aren't here anymore, so over the past few years I decided to take over the red and gold tradition at Christmas. Much of my decor is red and gold, but I have to say that my tree is what I'm the most proud of. I pile on tons and tons and tons of red lights, as well as red and gold bulbs (see some of 'em here...along with a little reflection of me with my camera in them!). I have a few other ornaments sprinkled here and there, of course, but the red and gold is what catches your eye first.

My tree will be here next weekend, and I will spend my Saturday afternoon decorating it (as well as--ahem--working on my custom orders!). Once it's finished, for a brief period of time, it will take me back to a place where Christmas was a magical event, full of wonder and surprise and visits from that jolly Santa Claus fellow. It will remind me of the warmth of my grandparents' living room, and the way the front of their house used to glow under a blanket of freshly fallen snow.

Yes, during the holiday season my colors will be red and gold, dear readers. White lights aren't warm, and I know this because my grandmother said so.