Thursday, December 23, 2010

I've finally mastered Christmas minimalism...

...thanks to one small ball of fur. And it doesn't hurt nearly as much as I thought it would!


This is our house right now, decorated for Christmas 2010. You really have to compare it to past Christmas's to get the full impact of how many decorations I did not put out this year (I normally go over the top when it comes to Christmas decorating). I also didn't have to rearrange the furniture to make room for the tree in our small living room (definitely a plus!).


See what I mean? This is last year.

Instead of my tinsel tree, the Christmas cactus has been moved into the living room bay window because....


...Baby has taken over the Dining Room bay window, where the cactus has been sitting for years. She likes that window best because the bird feeder is attached outside of it!

Fake poinsettieas have replaced real ones...


Again, because of you-know-who. (Poinsettias are poisonous to cats and since she is into everything, I'm definitely not going to take a chance with her! Here's a toxic/non-toxic list put out by the ASPCA if you ever need to refer to it).


Bottlebrush trees aren't breakable (I see you back there, Baby! Watching my every move!)...


...so a tray full of them seems to be a safe centerpiece for the trunk/coffee table.

...and if little Miss Mischief does knock them over...


...it's easy enough to set them back up on the tray.


I'm old enough to know the truth of the phrase "never say never," but I'm thinking I might try to make this "Christmas minimalism" an annual tradition, because it was SO easy to decorate - and undecorating is going to be a BREEZE!
I'm linking up to Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show & Tell Friday, so be sure to head over there to check out all the other participating bloggers!
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Donna

8 comments:

Deb said...

She looks like she's worth it and cats always teach me to make life more simple. Have a wonderful Christmas in your beautiful home. Hugs, Deb=^..^=x5

Susan said...

Congratulations on minimalist decor for Christmas 2010, Donna. Maybe I should have that cat come on over here. ha! Susan

Amanda said...

you tree is so cute, love the colors

Susan Freeman said...

Love those bottle brush trees! Christmas Blessings to you and yours.

Love,
Susan and Bentley
xxoo

Mindy said...

The bottle brush trees on a vintage tray is wonderful. You have a nice touch in how you display your items. Your home looks beautiful.

Elaine said...

Better to keep the cats safe. That's why I don't have candles in the windows this year. I had one break last year and I didn't have the kitten then.

I love the trees in the tray idea. I put all my decorations up high this year. Hopefully Percy won't discover he can jump that high.

I think your home is lovely and still festive. Enjoy the season!

Donna said...

It looks beautiful!!! I tell you, after doing hardly any decorating for the 3 years that we had our home on the market and last Christmas when we were in a rental home ("camping"), I agree that there is a LOT to be said for minimal Christmas decorating!

Dogwood said...

Love what you have done to decorate for Christmas when living with a cat. Cats rule! And, I must say as I have said before..."Baby" is so handsome!!!!! I love cats. Our Rocky is very mischievous but so wonderful. We put very little up for the Holidays but still feel festive.

Have a wonderful, merry, joyous and fun Holiday.

Hugs, Cory