There were so many great shots of our Vintage Vixens, we thought we’d share a few more with you.

 

If you are like most people, when holiday season commences you head up to the attic to retrieve boxes of ornaments, assorted décor items, and your artificial Christmas tree. Soon after which, your family or living room is filled with stacks of boxes and tree parts. This scenario is generally followed by disorganized confusion.

To address this annual storage issue my husband Derek and I store our trees in the basement, most standing up in their complete and assembled form. This helps our trees maintain their natural shape. (If your tree did not come complete with lights and you are using strings of lights, they can be left on the tree, as well.) I prefer to store the trees standing but some pieces remain on the floor securely covered in an old sheet or painters drop cloth to prevent dust from building up.

The ornaments are stored in clear red or green topped Christmas boxes.  Each tree has its own box or boxes making unpacking a snap. Nothing is hung on the tree until every piece is laid out and a strategy for placing them is devised. (Tips to follow).
I keep our much smaller trees decorated year round. I tear open large trash bags and wrap them tautly around the decorated branches securing it with scotch tape; including the bottom just in case an ornament decides to come loose.

Tips for Beautiful Trees Made Easy
First and foremost, the tree must be fluffed and shaped. If you choose my method of storage, this step is then cut in half. The only part of the tree that requires shaping is the section that was placed flat on the basement floor. All branches regardless should mimic that of a live tree. It’s great to find the live counterpart to your artificial tree in nature, so you can model the look of the branches.
Because my artificial tree comes with attached lights, I do worry there will be a day when a row of lights decides not to work. To be prepared, I always keep a few extra strands of lights on hand. You can simply place the lights where the void appears, and leave them there when you store the tree.

My tree topper always takes precedence and is the first decoration I place on the tree. This step helps make the rest of the tree decorating easier. It prevents my body from pressing against and dislodging any ornaments while reaching over a fully decorated tree, or knocking the tree over entirely. Another convenience of a faux tree is that you can pull the leader branch at the top of the tree toward you more easily to attach the topper.

I always remove the hooks that come with ornaments and replace them with a piece of floral wire for greater stability. The wire enables you to hang the ornament closer to the branch as well as adjust the length. A hook appears visible where a piece of wire remains disguised amongst the matching coordinating branches.

Though I am not one for wrapping my trees with ribbon I certainly can share with you the proper way to do so. The only place I use this method is on our banister garland. I personally find it more appealing to the eye when the ribbon comes down the tree instead of across and around. Here is how it works, starting from the tree topper. First, if you are using the ribbon which is still attached to the bow that is cascading down, then you must make a slight arch in the ribbon and bring it down to a nearby, lower branch of your choice. (If you are not using the tails of the bow, you would start with a ribbon tied knot on a branch at the top and fold the branch end over to disguise the knot and follow the above method.) Then take the end of the artificial branch and wrap tightly around the bow securing it in place.  Right there you can tie the perfect bow placing you fingers inside the loops spreading open the bow adding volume. Continue the process with the tails of the ribbon by repeating this method until you have reached the bottom of the tree. For those who prefer to wrap the ribbon around the perimeter of the tree, duplicate the instructions working horizontally. Use floral wire on a live tree if the knots do not work in this case.

You will want to have an abundance of oversized coordinating glass or plastic balls (plastic is great if you have small children or pets, only an expert eye would notice). Try to stick with one color by sporadically placing them on the tree generating a sense of balance and giving it some “pop.” (Though glass is without question the most elegant choice, solid plastic balls or even better, glitter balls are sold in the simplest of places, Target, Walmart, etc. and sold in multi-packs).

Another advantage of the artificial tree is that its branches are more easily manipulated. So, if your ornament is not hanging in the right spot, just shift the branch (up or down, left or right) until your ornament is perfectly positioned.

To make sure I always enough ornaments for my tree, I visually conceptualize and calculate the amount of space I need to fill by drawing a triangle tree on a piece of paper, then sketching in the ornaments. You wouldn’t place them on top of each other, right?  Hopefully you would have symmetrically placed the ornaments on the tree starting with one at the top at its most narrowpoint. As you proceed down the tree, the space gets wider, this time add two, next row add three, adding more until you reach the bottom and so on. When you have finished, times that number by four (dividing the tree into four parts) and bingo the tree ornaments are balanced and perfectly aligned.  If all of that is too much to absorb, then just place the largest balls in those voids of space that seem impossible to fill. I proceed hanging my ornaments from largest to smallest (for example, all large lollipops first, then next size down arranging them in the same manner, sporadically) continue down to the next size until all ornaments are hung, always save the icicles and or small candy canes for last as these are great fillers and finishing touches, think of those as pieces as jewelry.

If you find yourself with additional space on the tree that you would like to fill, make small bows, and attach them with floral wire to the tree or better yet, save yourself a step next year by simply tying the bow directly on the branches.  There is no need to remove the bows, just fluff them up next year.
As for hiding the tree stand, I have salvaged fabric remnants from our window treatments to make a coordinating tree skirt for our living room tree.  Get creative, scan the room, and grab a coordinating blanket or old fabric shower curtain.

Why Faux is Fab
My number one reason for using an artificial tree is that there is no time frame for when the tree should be put up or torn down. Convenience plays a role here, too. Many busy friends and extended family members require scheduled visits weeks into the New Year, only an artificial tree will stand the test of time. Our trees are prepped and ready to be embellished on Thanksgiving night and are gradually disassembled through the second and third week of January.

Decorating Live Trees
My biggest pet peeve with live trees, are the improper and unsightly display of wires from strings of lights. The wires should be disguised to the best of your ability so the attention of the eye is drawn to the ornaments and not the wires. This technique is simple and only requires some TLC. The biggest mistake is made when wires are strung around the tree closest to the tips of the branches. The wires should begin at the base (bottom) of the tree’s trunk running up through the center of the tree working their way in and out and back and forth. If your wire comes to an end near the tips of the branches just work the wire back in toward the trunk and connect the next plug. The plugs should be tucked preferably behind the tree’s trunk if at all possible. Continue this process until you have reached the top. If your lights seem sparse in some areas, just go back in with another set of lights wrapping them the same way, just disguise the end by tucking it under or wrapping it around a large branch or again, behind the trunk.
And don’t forget, a live tree requires watering and needs to be monitored daily.
You may also choose to check your live tree, especially if you cut it down yourself, to ensure no unwanted visitors (for example, bugs or spiders) have nested in its branches.
A reason many people opt for an artificial tree is the mere fact that many of us have common tree allergies.  The natural pollens and tree allergens follow you home working their way into your furniture, rugs, and sinus cavities. Allergists often recommend artificial trees for their patients who regularly suffer from allergies and or asthma.

Making Magical Holiday Memories in Historic Bethlehem

By Jill Waldbieser,

Photos by Michael Robinson

Moravians founded the city on Christmas Eve 1741, and ever since, Bethlehem has been a special and unique place to celebrate the holidays. From Moravian masses to the lighting of the star, traditions steeped in history abound in the Christmas City. One of those traditions, the Historic Bethlehem Holiday House Tour, is a perennial favorite, drawing crowds to witness the most elegant decorations of the season and revel in the nostalgia of Christmases past. Two Church Street homes on last year’s tour show exactly why, in more than 250 years, the magic of the season hasn’t dimmed in the slightest.

 

In Traditional Moravian Style
Stroll through the center of town this time of year, and white Moravian candles dot every window. As far as lightshows go, it’s nothing spectacular, but for Ellen Johnson, the simplicity is the appeal. “I love that it’s not overdone,” she says. “It reclaims a sense of old-time Christmases. That spirit is still alive in Bethlehem.”

Her passion for history is what sold Johnson on her 1870s Victorian, a highlight on the house tour. “Being in touch with the past gives me a thrill,” she says. “I’m a sucker for old houses.” She owned as many as seven of them in various locations in the U.S. and Canada before she settled in Bethlehem 12 years ago. It took her eight more years to find the perfect house. “I looked at a number of wonderful houses, but this was the first one that really spoke to me,” she says.

While original architectural details including the ornately carved wooden staircase banister and raised-panel wainscoting in the entry were intact, Johnson had to make substantial renovations. But she did so with the spirit of the house in mind. She had the original tiger oak and heart pine floors restored, and updated the kitchen, where the sink was “peeling like a bad sunburn,” with a vintage look. “People can’t tell that it’s even been restored,” she says.

Although Johnson readily admits that the three-story Victorian is far too big for just her and her Sheltie, Cady, she’s had no problem filling it with antiques and art that she’s collected on her travels. There are family heirlooms mixed with country pieces from her former homes in Vermont and Maine, and artwork she collected from Nova Scotia and right here in the Lehigh Valley. A bookcase full of antique cameras are a tribute both to her own passion for photography, and to a former tenant of the house, turn-of-the-century photographer Harry B. Eggert. The one constant that runs through the eclectic furnishings is lots and lots of color. “That’s one thing I really do love,” Johnson says.

Her holiday decorating is equally eclectic. For the tour, Johnson decked her halls with four different themed trees. In the sunroom (which was converted from the original side porch), a carved wooden tree is hung with Novia Scotia folk art. A live tree in the dining room sported a nature motif with ornaments in the shape of animals, birds, and nests. In the living room, a bay window framed a tree whose branches hung with glittering vintage Christmas balls. Live greens decorated the mantel, stairway, and table centerpieces, most courtesy of Dale Schaffer at Elysian Fields Specialty Florals in Bethlehem, who volunteered his services for the tour.

But of course, when it came to Christmas lights, Johnson stuck with simple, understated luminaries and candles, in traditional Moravian style. To her, an old-fashioned holiday will always be the best kind.

19th Century Roots
Michael and Annette Schweder have lived in Bethlehem their whole lives, jumping from one historic home to the next. “We both have a great love of history,” Michael says. The Schweders’ current residence, the one that landed on the house tour, is their fourth such undertaking, an 1860s Victorian that was once occupied by the founder of the Bethlehem Symphony Orchestra—who, coincidentally, also designed the town’s first Christmas “putz,” or miniature Pennsylvania-Dutch village, a tradition that continues today.

During the Great Depression, the huge Victorian was converted into apartments. It was only restored to a single-family home in 2001, several years before the Schweders purchased the 23-room, 8-bath house. Jokes Michael, “We wanted to downsize.”

Although it can be tough to find enough candles to fill the house’s many windows—at last count, they totaled 57—all that extra room comes in handy around the holidays, when the Schweders welcome as many as 25 friends and relatives to their home for the festivities. “I like Thanksgiving, my wife likes Christmas, so we sort of roll it all into one big celebration,” Michael says.

With so many square feet to cover, decorating starts early. On the day before Thanksgiving, candles go in the windows. Later in December comes the tree. “With the high ceilings we have, we get an enormous 9 or 10-foot tree for one of the front rooms each year,” says Michael. It’s trimmed with handmade ornaments that Annette has fashioned from dough or fabric. A talented seamstress, she’s also sewn all the quilts in the house.

For the holiday meal, the deep red dining room was formally and festively set with gold dishes and a centerpiece of live greens designed by Dale Schaffer of Elysian Fields. “We have a traditional meal: turkey and all the fixings, homemade pies,” says Michael. In all, it’s a holiday tradition true to the house’s nineteenth-century roots.