the firefly express

Are you a human living in an elf-sized house? If you are, you might be finding it difficult to decorate for the holidays. At my house, nearly every surface is already occupied by a necessary item like a toaster, or an equally necessary item like my Playmobil sink full of Playmobil hedgehogs, so where to put my hundreds of holiday knick-knacks when the season requires?

This year, I've cleared my mantel and just put as many decorations as I could fit there, instead of placing bits and pieces of holiday cheer throughout the room, which might go unnoticed due to the dearth of non-seasonal clutter. Our mantel is great and we're lucky to have it, but it's above a ruse fireplace which is actually home to a hideous, immovable heater box. So just pretend there's a roaring fire beneath my display. I used red and green books to create height, and our fake tree is the perfect size.

If you don't have room for a real tree but can't survive without that fresh tree smell, I suggest getting a swag (available at Trader Joe's this year!) to hang on the inside of your door, or go to your local tree lot and ask if they have any free branch clippings. Sometimes you have to pay, but you can put the branches on a windowsill or mantel. You can even rest twinkle lights within the branches.

Heed my words: don't let anything stop you from decorating this year!