Its been a crazy time – getting back to my daily practicing schedule – after a great week last week of lots of work, took Sat off to listen to the Opera (MET – IDOMENEO – beautifully done and also the first broadcast of the season) and do chores, etc which is a great way to listen – its the left brain, right brain thing – and then babysat my nephew W. – such a cutie pie – he loves to play with his trucks and had created an imaginary airport on the rug in the living room where he was building a new runway and fixing various trucks.  We played for awhile and then had a good bubble bath  (he let me wash his face without ANY complaints – a FIRST), teeth brushing, bedtime and singtime and then he was out like a light!  I love my times with W – he is a VERY bright, intelligent child – as he should be with two great parents and a loving doting aunt (that would be me) influencing him!  He is almost three (jan) and his mom (my sister) is expecting their second son the first week of Jan so we are gearing up for that big event! 

Then Sunday spent the afternoon dealing with how to decorate the apt – i was too unorganised last year (had moved the day of Katrina and then had surgery in sept) so didn’t even know where the decorations were!  But this year finds me settled in and all boxes arranged and organized – but the problem is WHERE to put a Christmas tree! 

First here are the results of my afternoon stringing (taping) lights to the insides of the windows (there are no outside plugs)

And the wreaths I decorated.  (from things found in my boxes – wreaths are fresh balsam).

And the dilemma about a tree – here is the Music Room (be the front room on the street) First, looking into the room from the hallway

This is from the other corner behind the piano

And another view from the piano .

So, its either ON the piano or I move one of the chairs – but the room is only about 12 x 12 so a tree would take up pretty much too much circumference – so … and i don’t really have any place to put either chair if I moved one of them.

i have been thinking of other ways to decorate.  As you can see I have hung some lights along the wall of bookcases.  Its amazing that I am even thinking of decorating at all – i havent in – gosh, at least 10 years – can it be – yeah well, lugging a tree by foot thru the streets of Park Slope and up three flights of stairs and then back down etc… really didnt appeal many years and well, some years I didnt really celebrate Christmas.

But this year, I guess feeling settled, I want to do something – my sister’s family is Jewish so I will do Hannukah with her family this Friday (!) which is fun as W is starting to understand ceremony and tradition – he is like a little sponge soaking up everything!  And this is the first time ever I have a place that feels like a little house and not an apt (even though it is really its one of four in a fourplex).   So anyway… I have the urge to pull out all my ornaments – i collected for many years– some really gorgeous ones – and am looking forward to seeing them.  But the dilemma of how to display them – I came up with a few ideas – string some wire on the bookshelves and hang them – but I wouldn’t really be able to get to much on the shelves.  The other idea is an Ornament Tree Stand. 

Here is one I have found on the web.

Of course there are the CATS to think of – i wonder how I could weigh the stand down so they wouldn’t tip it over – maybe take some bags of peas etc and drape them over the base and put a little fabric for a tree skirt over it?

And it would have to be on the piano – but maybe it would look ok?  At least it would be reusable.  will sleep on it.