The Plaid Pladd

For my second adventure, I decided it was time to decorate for Christmas! I think the summer I moved to North Carolina, my mom got kind of weepy and put together this Christmas box of a few Christmas decorations, mostly ornaments that were “mine” and some new ones too. She gave me this big speech about how now I would have to decorate my own house and have Christmas for myself etc. For about a month, I thought this meant I was not allowed to come home for Christmas anymore because Now I Was An Adult or something, which seemed weird. But then I ended up going home for Christmas anyway, so the Christmas box never got opened last year. This year I decided I would use my decorations, especially since we’ll be here till practically Christmas itself! Plus, it would totally count as an adventure without leaving the house and venturing in the freezing rain.

I am not really big on Christmas trees. It feels weird having a tree in the house and the strong smell often makes my allergies freak out. Plus, this one time in Florida, there were fly eggs in our tree and I spent all of Christmas killing forty-seven flies (I counted them as they fought a battle of wits with my fly swatter and lost). Plus, messy and small apartment. So we decided to decorate the stairs!

I wish I had taken a before shot, because then you would see why “let’s decorate the stairs” wasn’t even really a choice we made–it was so obvious that we didn’t even discuss it. When we moved in, the stair banister was ugly and white and large. That very day–before we even had a bed–I decorated it with all of the scarves I own (it looked like a rainbow caterpillar)–and giant light strands were the first thing I bought at Target to further bling it out. And to add light to our dark living room. Anyway, the stairs have always been a crazy work of art, and if anything they look slightly more dignified now.

I had some rope Christmas lights–which I’ve discovered BLINK AT VARYING SPEEDS, you have no idea how happy this makes me–plus the things in my Christmas box. And some scarves I left on because they were the right colors! Here are some badly lit pictures!

You can just make out the T-Shirt Quilt and inherited Rice throw rug chillin on the back of the couch.

Plus the little secret door. What’s behind it? You may never know.

I had to turn the lights to "slow" speed instead of "frenzied rave!" which they were at previously

Here are some close ups of some of the ornaments!

This is something we made in preschool when I was 4 (it has the date on the back, so I know for sure).

Also on the back: a picture of 4-year-old me looking way annoyed that my picture is being taken for an ornament.

My mom makes these elves out of felt, pipe cleaners, and small Styrofoam balls!

She says she is not artistic or anything, but this is clearly where I get my craftiness. These were literally EVERYWHERE in our house every Christmas. Their limbs and bodies are pipe cleaners so they’re easy to pose and hook from fan pulls or lamps. You couldn’t pee without worrying about one watching you from somewhere in the bathroom. I only have two elves so far, and none of them are in the bathroom. Sorry, elves, but I need my privacy.

Steven got this ornament from my parents this year so he would not feel left out.

Because Coke is his One True Love and it can’t be left out of Christmas!

Yay homemade stockings!

You know you are accepted into the family when my mom makes you a stocking with maximum sequinitude! That’s why Steven’s looks so much newer than mine.

We also read one of my favorite holiday stories:

The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story by Lemony Snicket

My favorite part is doing the screaming pages. AHHHHHHHHHH!

Adventure #2: Completed!