I spent yesterday greening the house for Christmas. Usually the girls help me with the annual decorating, but this year The Deer Hunter helped me go around the holler and gather cuttings. We enjoyed our outing even though one of the holler dogs, a beagle, kept treeing us 🙂
I spread all the things we found out on the kitchen table and got to creating. I made two arrangements for the living room, a swag that goes over the entry to the living room and two wreaths—one for the front porch and one for the kitchen door. I thoroughly enjoyed myself!
Granny always brought greenery into the house during Christmastime. She learned the tradition from her mother in the same way that I’ve learned it from her and hopefully my girls have learned from me.
A few Christmases back Granny told me a story about her and her sister using holly for decorations when they were girls.
Granny said “I remember one time Geneaieve and I decorated the whole house with pieces of holly. It was after we’d moved in with Grandpa and we were great big girls. We went to the cemetery and gathered the holly. Someone went with us and shot mistletoe out of those big oak trees for us so we had that too. I can’t remember if it was George, Lucky, James, or Woodrow. Whoever it was that had a gun handy I guess. We hung the holly over all the doorways and on every nail we found on the wall. I don’t remember why there was so many nails, but there was a lot. ”
I ask Granny what their mother thought about the holly she said “Oh she liked it. She liked anything us kids did.”
Granny always liked anything us kids did too. And I certainly have always liked anything my girls do around the house.
Last night’s video: Epic Fail at Making Christmas Mints & Talking to Granny on the Phone.
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So perdy!
I remember shooting Mistletoe out of the trees with a 22 Rifle. o that was alit of fun. I go and hang it up in the house. we would kidd daddy when he would walk under it and say you gotta kiss me. (he wouldn’t). I love that story of granny. I love Christmas stories.
One year my mom and dad went into our favorite woods ( on Alma Hill) and gathered a large amount of ground pine (which we later found out was illegal). Mom and dad made beautiful wreaths to send to both my sister and I, who were living in Colorado. I guess the box my parents sent to my sister was just a little too small. my sister’s wreath ended up being somewhat square when she removed it from the box. she hung it up on her door that way, took a picture of it, and sent the picture to my parents. We all got a good laugh out of the square wreath. My parents are both gone now. It still makes me smile when I think about that wreath. ❤️
There is just nothing like decorating with fresh greenery at Christmas time. I remember mama always going outside and bringing in holly and other greenery for the house and my brother shooting us some mistletoe out of a tree. When I married, I still went to mama’s and got holly to decorate with and some years, if my brother was hunting, he would bring us some mistletoe. At the last house my in-laws lived in they had a pine tree with the huge pinecones, and we thoroughly enjoyed decorating with those. We also using greenery on our railings on the front porch. Lovely memories!!
Tipper, what’s “treeing?”
isn’t that where you get chased up a tree by a dog?
Cindy , that is what I always thought it was. Us southern boys stand around and brag (stretch the truth) about how good our coon dogs are at treeing the coons and possums.
Your bouquet is gorgeous. I want to go out and find some holly and make one. My son is allergic to pine, so I have to be careful what I bring in. We had a real tree for the first two years of his life before realizing the bronchitis was caused by this allergy—talk about mother’s guilt! My husband went shopping the other day and came home with a poinsettia for me—so sweet—and it greens up the house too. We had white porch posts from floor to ceiling on our house growing up. I remember going out and collecting ground pine and wrapping it around them—making them look like green striped candy canes—they looked so pretty. Mama used a wire coat hanger shaped into a circle, and somehow we wrapped the ground pine around it and made a wreath—Nice memories.
how blessed you are to live by the woods and can gather all the beautiful things that God created..
I’ve never heard the phrase “greening the house,” Tipper, but it just says it all. My mother always gathered greenery and brought it inside plus putting it all around the front door with those big old screw-in Christmas lights. We always had cedar trees and one of my funniest
memories is going with Mother down into the pasture to get a cedar tree to decorate. Daddy had a big bull that was almost his pet. He would carry a bale of hay on his shoulder down in the pasture for the bull and it would follow him like a dog – occasionally reaching out to grab a mouthful. Well, Mother and I had cut our tree and she had it slung onto her back as we walked back to the barn. I was carrying the axe. The bull seeing someone with something on their back naturally came to investigate which scared the behooey out of me. I made sure to keep Mother between me and the bull and I had a death-grip on that axe. I remember Mother laughing and tell me that if I hit Daddy’s pet bull with that axe that I’d be in more trouble than I could handle. I should have been carrying that tree but don’t think I was big enough to handle it at that time. I love my memories and appreciate you and all the folks who comment in helping me bring them to mind. Happy day to all. Myra
Myra, is behooey the same as number 2? I laughed when reading your comment and had to pick on you.
Morning, Tipper! It’s been fun watching you and Matt walking the woods lately getting your decorating items. You definitely have a talent for decorating! It’s been interesting seeing where you put them in your house. I hope Granny is doing well. God’s blessings on you, your family, and all your followers!
The evergreens of Christmas are about more that the cheer of color and woodsy smells. They are nice for themselves but the ‘evergreen’ represents the ‘evergreen’ hope brought to the world. Just as no cold or storm of winter steals the color of the evergreens, no trial or suffering of this life nor enemy of our soul can steal away that hope that will endure until we pass beyond the need for it. Anybody else here ever thought that the rainbow colors of rain drops sparkling on an evergreen is one of the prettiest Christmas trees ever?
Tipper, your arrangement of the greens and holly looks beautiful. What a great tradition the women of your family have passed down for generations. I have no doubt your girls will carry on those traditions of the greens for future generations to come.
Gathering greenery is such a wonderful tradition that I never heard of until I found Celebrating Appalachia. I lived around farming country. Where the crops were soy beans and field corn. We didn’t have lovely forests to glean from so hearing about this tradition was new to me. Just love it!
Beautiful traditions are hard to beat. Your container of grees is absolutely gorgeous & the holly really sets it off with a spash of color.
This is exactly what I will be doing today. I just love the smell of cedar, it brings back memories of Christmas.
Beautiful arrangement!
So beautiful! It is wonderful to see all of your lovely decorations! Merry Christmas!! And a very happy New Year!
I enjoy bringing the outdoors in. There is so much beauty to be found in nature. So good for the soul.
Beautiful decorations. I’m sure it makes you smile with many fun memories.
Beautiful decorations. I’m sure it makes you smile with many fun memories.
That arrangement and your kitchen Christmas tree are so beautiful!! You should have been a florist…..no wait……we wouldn’t know you then…….you are gifted in so many areas. Just beautiful. I love bringing the outside in and enjoying it. I love seeing Matt and you together and how he helps you.
Creating memories and sharing them with us. We just love y’all. Love and prayers to all of you and Granny and Little Mamas too.
“Oh she liked it! She liked anything us kids did!” I don’t think there’s a finer line than that one you wrote this morning! A mother should always think her kids did a fantastic job decorating, cooking, or anything may try! When a child is encouraged and loved, he or she will always remember that and prosper in all they try throughout their life! I am an encourager to young folks. It’s my mission here on earth. If you got no mom, hey I’m up for adoption!! One of my favorite lines is “you’re like a jet on the runway-you’re fixing to take off and just keep gaining altitude going higher and higher in all you attempt in this life! Get up there and try to stay up there even through the storms-remember that!” Mommy always said “you can catch more flies with honey than dookie.” Lol Gods blessings to you all here and Tipper, your decor looks festive, beautiful and is the very look and smell of CHRISTMAS! “Wunnaful, wunnaful” as Lawrence Welk used to say!
Sadie, I so enjoy reading your posts. I read everything after I get to work and get all the truck drivers on the road. I look forward to your posts. I sometimes laugh out loud in the office here all alone!! Keep on posting please, you start my day off right! Have a Merry Christmas.
As we near Christmas and carry on with our traditions I really like the greening of the house though I always called it just making decorating with nature or real I love the smell and the coziness of bringing the outdoors inside during the bleak winter thanks for sharing your traditions to give some folks new ideas or just to remember the old ones
I hope we soon find out how granny’s doctors appointment went and how the girls are doing with the early stages of pregnancy I pray for all and also that Corey and Austin get the house she didn’t say which aunt and uncles house and they will be closer to you wouldn’t that be a blessing
Oh, I remember why there were nails everywhere! In the days when a three room house had eight people living in it. Three rooms with zero closets. None! Dressers? One! For bedsheets and stuff. Where did everything else go? On a peg or nail on the wall. I’ve even heard people talking of having to hang the little kids on the wall when there was no room in a bed. I am 99% sure that was a joke but you never know. Nobody had (or maybe got) to sleep hanging on the wall at my house anyway.
Failing making MINT…are you kidding? You take on a lot that I wouldn’t have even tried without your instructions. My Husband and I have so enjoyed everything you and your family has either reminded us of or what you have taught us. We are so proud of your having reached as many viewers as you have and hope that we have maybe played a part as I tell so many….well, let me tell you about the ‘you tuber we watch called….Blind Pig. Before I finish with the Acorn, they are already saying….WHAT?.. All we can say, is looking forward to your story reading or telling, keep on keepin’ on. We so appreciate you guys. Lastly, for today, Praying for Granny and you guys. Stay warm and well…God Bless.
I have always liked holly, there was once two large holly trees on my neighbors land. One had the red berries and the other one didn’t have berries. I have been told that holy trees are similar to male and female, the male tree will not have the berries. The tree with the berries has now died. I would get the holly and shoot mistletoe out of trees to use in the house along with our cedar tree. Isn’t mistletoe berries suppose to be dangerous according to today’s experts? Another thing I have never heard of hurting anyone.
This year a neighbor who farms has painted a back tractor tire green and tied a large red bow and some red ornament balls to it and made large wreath from it and has it in his front yard. I think it is pretty.
Yeah Ive heard that they are posionous too. But I think mistletoe berries are poisonous only if you eat them. As long as you aren’t eating them, I think you would be fine. Which probably explains why we’ve never seen anyone hurt by mistletoe.
The berries are bad for you only if you eat them, or so I’m told. Randy, don’t put them on your corn flakes.
Shoot Gene, I don’t eat cornflakes, I eat grits hopefully along with sausage or Country ham, not deli ham and some eggs and biscuits, not toast. A working man would starve to death eating cornflakes. Cornflakes are for people that sit behind a desk.
Shooting holly out of the tree to decorate ? Love the stories and comments. Priceless!
No Amanda, you shoot mistletoe out of trees and just break off twigs or limbs of holly. You can reach holly from the ground, mistletoe will be in the top of trees.
There’s nothing prettier than fresh greenery for Christmas decorating—inside or outside!!!
I love hearing about the family traditions. It just amazes me when I see families that have such special traditions. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any growing up. My dad drank and so usually there was fighting going on. When I got grown, I told myself I would start new traditions and show my family a new way to live…a Christian way to live.
You have given me some ideas to do with my girls. They are adults now, but aren’t married, so I’ve got some time still.
Our loved ones are never truly gone when they leave such great memories with us.
That’s sweet.
I love taking to the woods and gathering greens. My late husband and I would go and gather together. Very fond memories