A Tartan Christmas

I was standing in Target last week looking at the Christmas lights (because more lights are always better) when two young ladies came up and spent a good 5 minutes talking about how much they hated Christmas lights.  While the concept of walking over to the lights section to have a lengthy conversation about how much you hate them is slightly perplexing, even more perplexing to me was the idea that anyone can hate Christmas lights.  Actually hate them?  What is this world we live in?

I do not hate Christmas lights.  In fact, I walked out of Target with even more lights.  I'd already put up my tree but good ole Pinterest told me that it's fun to mix big lights with small lights.  Pinterest was right...I love them.  Brooklyn loves them too.  (Any chance someone has an idea about what could be causing the straight edge on the light bokeh on the right side?)

You know what else I love?

Plaid.  Tartan.  Whatever you want to call it, I love it, love it, love it.  I own more plaid skirts than anyone out of high school should wear.  I firmly believe you can never have enough plaid scarves and  have had an undying love for Burberry since the very first time I laid eyes on their check pattern. Yes, I heart me some plaid. 

My very first Christmas tree as an independent adult was decorated with plaid.  It was a 4 foot mini-tree with red bead garland and big fat Stewart plaid bows all over it.  Many, many, many, years later, I still use that tree in my bedroom. 

My living room tree however, has seen quite a changes.  I generally stick with red and white ornaments and find I can pick up a couple of boxes of colored balls and new garland and voila, new tree.  Remember the red and aqua tree?  All it took was some aqua ribbon to hang ornaments, two boxes  of aqua balls and aqua tulle for the prezzies.  Switching out the colored balls are definitely an easy and affordable way to transform a tree from year to year.

This year I ditched the aqua, picked up new stockings and some new ribbon and it was back to plaid.  I have to say, it feels like coming home.  

Another thing I love are red phone booths--there's something so quintessentially English about them. When I saw this lantern at Hobby Lobby a couple of months ago, I immediately envisioned it with a tiny Christmas wreath on the outside and a glowing candle inside.  Apparently, I can think about Christmas throughout the entire year. This is what Dickens meant right?

These plaid and burlap stockings from Ballard Designs are another mid-year find.  I think I ordered them way back in July and had to wait until September for them to come in but it was so worth it. It stung a little bit to see they are half price now.  There's nothing like a little summer stocking purchase to get your mind started on Christmas.

On a side note, sometimes I'm not sure how to handle all of the cuteness from this one.  

Does the lopsided "Laugh" ornament bother you?  Yeah, me too.  It's fixed. 

Hate Christmas lights?!?  Ebenezer Scrooge hated Christmas but even he was converted.   A fully lit Christmas tree,  a little Charles Dickens, a cup of Scottish breakfast tea and shortbread... happiness indeed. 

Of course, peppermint hot chocolate is always an acceptable alternative to tea.   

Let's not kid ourselves though...while tea and hot chocolate do a good job of warming you up, nothing warms you up faster than a little adult drink.   And nothing pairs more perfectly with a whole lot of Scottish tartan than a little bit of Scottish single malt.  In a Scottish stag glass.  I may have taken it over the top a bit here.  Aye.