Bathroom Garlands

I love to decorate for Christmas.

But I prefer to do it very slowly. 

The halls of most American yuletide-loving homes are fully decked by the close of Thanksgiving weekend, but that's when I'm just beginning my process. Armed with bits of paper, tree branches, fishing line, assorted garlands, and twinkle lights, I expect to spread the job out over the next few weeks.

Here, in day-to-day installments, is the story of how my house is getting ready for Christmas.

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When  it comes to the question of decorating bathrooms for Christmas, I am pretty sure that the world divides neatly into two distinct camps.

Some people are wildly pro-decoration and embrace the notion with gusto.

Others see that as completely nuts.

Guess which philosophy I embrace.

One twisted end in the middle of garland came loose, and hung down several unattractive inches. Rather than fix it, I grabbed a silver bauble off the tree and hung it on the loose end. The effect looks super Dr Seuss-ian to me, and now that's my favorite part. 

My days as a decker of the bathroom walls go back to a baby shower, held on a Saturday in December more than ten years ago, at the home of a friend of a friend. 

I don't really even remember who owned the home. But I recall perfectly that during the entire event, while my attention was supposed to be devoted to the blossoming mother and her soon-to-be-borne babe, I was distractedly obsessed with the home's decor.

Every space was a masterpiece of both the underlying design and the holiday up-dos. Before the party started, I literally went from room to room, drinking in every detail. 

And when I popped my head into the first floor bathroom, I was delighted beyond words to find multicolored lights and garlands enveloping the mirror in Christmas charm. So simple, so whimsical, so utterly unexpected, so fun. 

At that moment, I vowed to hold my bathrooms to the same adorable standard.

While I haven't hit that mark every year, I must say that when it comes to decorating a bathroom for the holidays, a little goes a long way. This year, I took two white snowflake-y garlands that I had on hand, twisted them together to make one long strand, then loop-de-looped them around at the top of the walls. 

I used the natural corners and edges of the objects in the room to support the garland wherever possible, and added in a few Command hooks on the blank stretches of wall. I made a point to be as random and irregular as possible, because haphazard is always charming. Just ask Dr Seuss.

This project cost me zero dollars and about five minutes of time, but every time I walk by this little room, I see that sparkly garland and smile to myself. This is proof positive, my friends, that bathrooms are most definitely deserving of holiday cheer.