Only 8 Days Until Christmas – Do You Have Your Christmas Tree Decorated

Caribbean Christmas Tree

This year we are spending Christmas in the Caribbean. Yes, we get to escape from the blistering cold and snow this year brrrrr! Of Course, we will miss many parts of the Canadian Christmas. The children and grandchildren most of all. For me, Christmas is turkey, plum pudding, crazy mall shoppers and beautifully wrapped gifts. I embrace it all. Cutting down the Christmas tree with my grandchildren is tons of fun. I even love hearing the kids complain, nanny how much further, I’m freezing, do we have to drag this tree to the truck?  Christmas and all the traditions that surround it is a wonderful time of year for me. Being a part of the Caribbean Christmas traditions this year will be very different and exciting.  Poncha Crema, pasteles, rum punch and swimming in the ocean on Christmas Day. I will make new Christmas memories. First on the to-do list is “The Christmas Tree”.  In the Caribbean, of course, you cannot get a real fir or spruce Christmas tree. We like our tree to come from nature, so we decided to make our own “Driftwood” Christmas tree. I will show you how we did it.

Gathering the Driftwood

Since arriving in November, on our morning walks to the beach we started gathering driftwood.  It took several trips to find driftwood of all different sizes and shapes to create the tree.

image photo:  www.designtime.online

Mockup of the Christmas Tree

We laid out each piece of driftwood to get an idea of how the tree would look.  The rod you see going up the middle is what will hold the tree together.  This is a piece of reinforcing rod  3/8 ” in diameter, 6 ‘ in length.   Use a threaded rod, so you can use a nut at the top to hold all the pieces in place.   A  3/8 ” bit is used to drill each piece of driftwood at the center point.

photo image: www.designtime.online

Tree Assembly

To shape the tree you start with the longest pieces of driftwood and end with the smallest.  My hubby did all the drilling and finicky bits.   It was exciting to see the tree starting to take form. A nut at the top will hold the driftwood pieces together.

photo image:  www.designtime.online

The Tree Stand

The tree stand is a 10″ section of a coconut log.  We removed the bark from the log. A hole drilled in the middle of the tree stump holds the rod in place. A wooden spacer cut from a piece of bamboo hides the extra rod that was showing.

photo image:  www.designtime.online

 Christmas Tree All Decked Out

The backdrop for the tree is the stone wall of a dutch windmill built in the 1680s, the house was built around it.  Amazing architecture.  All decked out in red and white with 4 sets of mini lights.  I used red and white only, to accentuate the wood.   I snuck in a few pinecones with holly berries.   The white flower decorations added visual interest. With a driftwood tree, the branches can rotate to better accommodate the decorations.

photo image:  www.designtime.online

Bamboo Star Topper

The star makes use of split bamboo.  Small holes were drilled in the bamboo to attach the lights.  We wanted to keep everything natural.  There are lots of tree toppers to choose from.  The fun is in using your imagination to make it unique to you. Everyone has their traditions.

photo image:  www.designtime.online

Antique Buffet Hutch

This buffet hutch is great to decorate for Christmas.   Gather items from your kitchen cupboards to use. Pull out all your candlesticks, use candlesticks of varying heights and sizes. Use three candlesticks if you are going for single candlestick holders. Make use of a candelabra if you have one. Use red candles if you need color. The two poinsettias add color and symmetry to the vignette.  A glass and silver serving dish holds silver and red bulbs.   Two white flowers and pine/holly berry picks in a silver vase, repeat items used on the Christmas tree.  Soft lights underneath the white tule brighten it up at night.  A big red bow attached to the antique wrought iron wall lamps ties everything together. Check out this link if you still need ideas to decorate your fireplace mantel. https://www.designtime.online/stunning-christmas-mantel-fireplace-focal-point/

image photo:  www.designtime.online

Christmas Poinsettia

Christmas is not Christmas without several Poinsettias.  Pretty and colorful they add such charm to any vignette.  Take some red cello cut two pieces, lay one vertically and the other horizontal.  Place the poinsettia in the center, gather up the cello around the pot, tie with ribbon.  You transformed your poinsettia into a beautiful showpiece.

Before photo image:  www.designtime.online

After photo image:  www.designtime.online      

Sideboard Vignette Showcasing the Poinsettias

A few simple pieces from around the house. Poinsettias for pops of color completes a  beautiful Christmas vignette.  Add some lights to give ambiance at night.  There is plenty of battery-operated strings of lights to choose from.  I loved the little round bulbs and the candy cane striped cord.

photo image:  www.designtime.online

Gather things from around your home to help you decorate for Christmas.  This gives your home a more unique look.  For carriers think vases, ceramic dishes, wine coolers. Anything that can hold Christmas decorations.  A few Christmas bulbs in a pretty bowl is always lovely. Repeat your decorations in different areas to keep a cohesive look.   Don’t despair if you are still not decorated for Christmas. You can still decorate your tree and home on a weekend.