The Pencil Tree

The pencil tree. 

This year's Christmas tree is just perfect for our apartment. It's slim size still allows for me to open and close our patio door while it fits snugly in the corner.  At first I considered using a small table top tree that we had at the farm, but I knew I would be limited in the number of ornaments I could hang.  

Last year in our attempts to downsize we cut down our own tree, and decorated it with homemade ornaments. Although, that fit well into where we were at this time last year, I knew this year I wanted to be able to decorate in a more traditional manner. 

Needless to say, I was happy to be reunited with all my favorite ornaments that I have collected over the years.  I personally prefer an artificial tree, especially a pre-lit one over a real tree. I know that many people love the smell of pine, but unfortunately my sense of smell is not the best, and a real tree means daily watering, and vacuuming up pine needles. 

Decorating the apartment took very little time, and I was happy to display my Willow Tree navity scene sans a few farm animals on the decorative ledge in my dining room. Unfortunately there is no fireplace to hang the stocking from, but that won't keep them from being filled and delivered on Christmas Day. 

We also purchased a wreath for the door, and a little countdown to Christmas snowman with exchangeable numbers. On the patio railing we affixed three Christmas bells for a festive touch, and they look really nice. 

Even if you live in a smaller space, you can still pull out some of your favorites, and enjoy that holiday feel without too much effort. I'm enjoying viewing my little pencil tree each night while sipping on a cup of tea, and am looking forward to Christmas this year.