Seasonal Touches

The holidays are going to be pretty low key for us this year for fairly obvious reasons but I still wanted to add a few festive additions wherever I could. Most of my 'pretty' decorations are in storage back in Calgary and it didn't make much sense to purchase a whole new set for our one year in TO so I embraced simplicity and tried to be creative wherever possible.

Our Christmas tree was literally brought in from the balcony. I was a little concerned I would 'shock' it with the drastic temperature change but with frequent watering and a watchful eye it has been holding up pretty well. Fingers crossed it lasts.

We bought a string of twinkling lights for the balcony and another small set of indoor lights which I wrapped around the tree branches. I just love the warm glow they create and hope the neighbours don't find them too annoying.

I wasn't even planning on decorating the tree but then came across a really good promotion at the Bay -- an entire box of silver, pewter and bronze ornaments for $20. I hung some on the tree, used some as accents for gifts and distributed the rest in various glass vases around the condo.

Plenty of ornaments to go around. I especially like the different shapes and textures that add some depth and dimension to an otherwise basic arrangement.

Gift wrapping was kept to a minimum. I bought some kraft paper and scrounged up a few ribbons that I had previously purchased for other various occasions. Apart from a few runaway sparkles scattered on the floor I think it turned out pretty well.

I also added some copper wire lights to a bunch of branches we have clustered near another window. They're really versatile, flexible and can be wrapped around pretty much anything. I may leave these up for a while as they add a little extra sparkle when looking out at the city lights.

We've got a few other festive additions (creamy white poinsettia adorning our dining room table and some lovely Christmas cards we received in the mail) but unfortunately it was getting too dark to photograph them properly. Perhaps another day!

I just love the way a home feels during this time of year and didn't want to let the fact that we're only here for one year discourage me from decorating for the holidays. I know we're probably going to be very busy with other distractions soon but it's still nice to acknowledge the season and participate wherever possible. Plus, who knows if we'll ever get a chance to celebrate in a downtown condo again?