Every year we decorate our tree with a zillion beautifully glistening little white lights that we control with a dimmer. (Not sure how Matt does that last part but the tree can go from subtle to blinding with the flick of a switch.) We generally stick to monochromatic gold and silver bulbs that amplify the sparkling of the lights creating a soothing, peaceful, elegant look. A few strategically placed red tartan ribbons complete the look.
However, with our upstairs tree (yes we do multiple trees) we went with huge C9 multi colored bulbs that are straight out of the 1950’s! To take it even further into the ridiculous, Matt found these bubbling lights that are straight out of the Christmas Story.
There is something comforting about colored lights for those of us of a certain generation. It reminds us of the trees our parents decorated that were dripping with silver tinsel and weighted down with handmade ornaments and candy canes. Somewhere along the way, it became uncool to use colored lights or mismatched ornaments made of clay, wood, and pinecones.
So, while we didn’t quite have the gall to use the colored lights on our downstairs tree, if you amble up to the third floor of our Hartford brownstone, you will find the brightest, most colorful tree of all the land shining proudly through the windows for all the city to see.
Now, I’m wondering, which tree will Santa put the presents under???
