![2021](https://photos.smugmug.com/Seasons/Winter/Its-beginning-to-look-a-lot/i-23X3jQg/0/483a7eed/M/IMG_5020-M.jpg)
I hadn't planned to decorate the house this year. We can't really have a tree because that would be too dangerous for Lizard, and I decided back in February I wasn't going to bother with lights on the house anymore.
![halloween light (and full moon)](https://photos.smugmug.com/Night-Vision/Moon-Madness/i-vn3KPk9/0/601d2d43/M/DLA55520a-M.jpg)
I had put up purple and orange spider lights for Halloween in 2020. I put up blue lights for Christmas. In January 2021, I took down the blue lights and put up red and purple lights for Valentine's Day. I was looking for shamrock lights a week after Valentine's Day when the homeowner's association sent a nastygram informing me it was beyond time to take down my Christmas lights.
![valentine lights](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-GP2qk46/0/18262aa1/M/i-GP2qk46-M.jpg)
I was so angry, I decided not to put up any more lights at all. I told myself I didn't need to be spending money on green lights anyway.
![Pun Intended Snowflake](https://photos.smugmug.com/Fun-Stuff/SnowMon/i-5rW4G8q/0/95332cb4/M/flake413b-M.jpg)
Last weekend, I decided I want another tree like what I did last year. I'd bought a small cut tree and set it up in the backyard hoping I could get a Christmas card photo through my window when wildlife visited, preferably in the snow.
![2020 Christmas tree](https://photos.smugmug.com/Fun-Stuff/Challenges/Oh-Christmas-Card-Oh-Christmas-Card/i-X4PzzGC/0/9ffd3682/M/563-M.jpg)
I'd hoped to get a blue jay after I saw one in my backyard for the first time ever. I read up on how to attract blue jays, and then I kept my little Christmas photo studio stocked with unsalted peanuts.
![runner-up](https://photos.smugmug.com/Fun-Stuff/Challenges/Oh-Christmas-Card-Oh-Christmas-Card/i-CHGbCS5/0/d8e00db5/M/DSCN4266-M.jpg)
The squirrel gave it his best shot.
![pig](https://photos.smugmug.com/Fun-Stuff/Challenges/Oh-Christmas-Card-Oh-Christmas-Card/i-8t8k94M/0/adfa4515/M/IMG_1819_HEIC-M.jpg)
Ultimately, the raccoon won the Christmas card contest.
![close second](https://photos.smugmug.com/Fun-Stuff/Challenges/Oh-Christmas-Card-Oh-Christmas-Card/i-4LFtxqC/0/ca6f8021/M/DSCN4600-M.jpg)
I had so much fun stalking the blue jays this year, I decided I HAVE to have a permanent tree in which birds might nest. I've been hoping for nearly two years now to put in a bunch of evergreens in barrel planters when I finish the terracing I'm doing in the backyard in an attempt to prevent the basement from flooding.
![inquisitive](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-36MjMVG/0/a57c36c0/M/i-36MjMVG-M.jpg)
First, I checked out the nursery. I found the perfect little Charlie Brown tree but nearly choked when I looked at the three-digit price tag. My heart sank. I didn't want another cut tree. I wanted a live tree that could serve more than just one month.
![mouthful](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-6hQ3JLZ/0/d983b152/M/i-6hQ3JLZ-M.jpg)
I checked the grocery stores. I checked the home improvement store where I've bought most of my landscaping supplies. Everyone had small trees. But all were cut. Finally, on a whim, I checked a home improvement store in the metro area. And I scored a double-digit tree. I love it so much, I might return next weekend and get another for the backyard. Because I wound up putting this one in the house!!!
![2021 Christmas tree](https://photos.smugmug.com/Seasons/Winter/Its-beginning-to-look-a-lot/i-BpFwxRv/0/de43ba2f/M/IMG_4655-M.jpg)
The tree skirt I designed had arrived in the mail, and I don't think I want to stick it outside where the squirrel can have his way with it. I had to rearrange Christmas cacti and find a place for the amaryllises, which got to come up out of the basement last weekend, but I think I've found the perfect way to have a tree in the house without making things difficult for Lizard!
![2021 Christmas tree](https://photos.smugmug.com/Seasons/Winter/Its-beginning-to-look-a-lot/i-vs2F6H8/0/d6b885bb/M/IMG_4662-M.jpg)
And oh, how I LOVE this new tree skirt!!!
![my new tree skirt](https://photos.smugmug.com/Seasons/Winter/Its-beginning-to-look-a-lot/i-842PZ6S/0/a7dfd668/M/IMG_4658-M.jpg)
So now we have a tree in the house for the first time since my rosemary tree back in 2017.
![bushy rosemary Christmas tree](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-bLgZgnv/0/5eba92ea/M/i-bLgZgnv-M.jpg)
We'll have amaryllis blooms soon, too, I hope.
![amaryllis](https://photos.smugmug.com/Flowers/My-Garden-Four-Seasons/i-NwZ54nk/0/a9e35af6/M/IMG_5029-M.jpg)
The hyacinth bulbs I bought earlier in the year are beginning to make an appearance, too.
![hyacinth](https://photos.smugmug.com/Flowers/My-Garden-Four-Seasons/i-sHw6GMg/0/f21ac03f/M/IMG_5024-M.jpg)
I dug up about 200 volunteer grape hyacinth bulbs in the backyard during the Thanksgiving break, and I had so many, I put a few in a pot and more in between the hyacinth bulbs. Now we're in a race to see which will bloom first.
![hyacinth and grape hyacinth race](https://photos.smugmug.com/Flowers/My-Garden-Four-Seasons/i-B6wsZJx/0/67a5d960/M/IMG_5025-M.jpg)
All this has left me feeling rather festive. So, last night, I put out the Christmas lights. I decided it's my house. I pay my power bill. And I'm not going to let the HOA steal my holiday joy.
![lit](https://photos.smugmug.com/Seasons/Winter/Its-beginning-to-look-a-lot/i-TsVRLxS/1/fe73135b/M/IMG_2076_HEIC-M.jpg)
My nativity comes out every year. This year, I'm focusing a bit more on the centerpiece. I love all my Christmas decorations, and I love the way they make me feel. But there is a reason for this season, and I'm not going to let anything stop me from celebrating this year.
![the reason for the season](https://photos.smugmug.com/Seasons/Winter/Its-beginning-to-look-a-lot/i-BnCqfZN/0/de080176/M/IMG_1076-M.jpg)
It's all very lovely. I especially like the outdoor critters with the cute little tree. They posed just right for you.
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