Just a few pictures my friend took of the library done up for Christmas. It was a team effort. A handful of parents donated, bought, and decorated. I didn’t realize the tree my friend bought for the library was a table top tree! I love it, and I plan to keep it up year round and make it a holiday tree. I thinking making the ornaments with the students (or just Mikey and Nico) would be a fun, provided I find something quick, inexpensive, and practical for a K-8 library. These paper heart ornaments for Valentine’s Day are just the ticket.
Now, the trick is to figure out the months or holidays that come with decorations. Easter, obviously. But the rest of it is all new to me. I’ve never been one for holiday decorating, but the kids…they’ve put a pink blush on my formerly black heart. The other day I found myself looking at Washi tape. Me! Washi tape! What’s next, whistling?
St Patrick’s Day, All Saint’s Day, May Altar, Shrove Tuesday. I’m sure I can think of more.
I was thinking for May of doing all roses for Mary. That would be pretty, and I would love to make those paper roses with the kids.
It all looks mighty festive and cozy, just the place I’d want to be!
Thank you! :)
True confession time:
Thought I was embracing a simple, minimalist approach to holiday decorating this year. I’m not a huge fan of it–the getting it out, the putting it away, the aesthetics of it. We have a tree, and I brought in some evergreens and candles. Tasteful and simple.
This weekend one child looked around our (I thought) decorated living room and asked, “When are we going to decorate for Christmas?” When told that, well, we already had, she just said, “Oh.” Then asked if she could put some garland and lights up.
I spent yesterday getting out the stuff that means Christmas to our kids. And you know what? It does feel more festive and more like Christmas and it made me happy, too. Embrace the washi tape!
Haha! That has to sting. I know, because the same thing happened to me last year. Lesson learned.
I especially like the garlands and the small trees on the table. It looks great!
Those trees are from The 99 Cent Store!
For MLK day, you could hang fragments of the ‘I have a dream’ text on the tree: likewise Lincoln and the Gettysburg address…
So many possibilities! I need my own holiday tree…..
What a great idea!!
I’m not sure how you’d coordinate this, but for the beginning of school (since September is kind of holiday-light), it’d be so sweet to have the kids donate small school supplies that could be nestled in the branches and then in October (when you’re ready to drape the tree in fake cobwebs or whatever, though obviously no witch hats, I went to Catholic school, I know what’s forbidden), you could box them up and donate them to one of the many organizations that collects supplies for areas that need them. Starting the school year off with a giving tree sounds fun to me! (And school supplies are dirt cheap that time of year.)
That is such a great idea. I need to think about this some more.
Valentine’s Day, then St. Patrick, takes you to Easter/Spring and then Summer themed as they get ready to finish up.
This is what I was thinking. Wasn’t sure if I should toss in Presidents Day with Valentines.
Down here (Louisiana) many people take down the christmas ornaments in January and put up the Mardi Gras tree to last through the Carnival Season.
Love that little church!
Thank you! That was mine, and I donated it. I bought it a few years ago at Marshalls. You know me–no place fancy. Hah!
Looks very nice but oh that cute little church!!!! :)
Thanks! See above. :)
That looks like the BEST place to cuddle up with a book :) Love it!
I would love to get some sofas in there!
You guys have me so curious about Catholic schools in the US. I went to Catholic schools for all my K-12 schooling in Canada and all this stuff about forbidden books and no witches at halloween is what we always associated with the evangelical fundamentalists. What about fairy tales like Hansel and Gretel? Are those allowed?
And Jules, the library looks magical!
Thank you! The kids liked it, so that made me happy. Of course Snoopy was their favorite. :)
We have witches and stuff like that at Halloween. Did I say we didn’t? I must have misspoke. Our school policy is to keep costumes non-scary because since it’s a K-8 school, the little ones get too scared. We’ve had haunted houses in the past, for example. Plenty of ghosts and the like there. :)
Our principal doesn’t like books about vampires, werewolves, and other paranormal creatures the way they are written about now. But we have Dracula, Hansel and Gretel, plenty of folklore, mythology, etc. and other similar stories. The classics are fine, and even some contemporary stuff might get in now and then. I think it’s more an issue of, for example, whether Bella is a good female role model in Twilight. The book I’m reading–the one I did the giveaway on and have to pick a winner! Yikes! Forgot!–is about a serial killer and the occult. It’s rated for 14 and up even on Barnes and Noble.
Ah, this is my fault for starting this misinformation then. At my Catholic grade school, we were not allowed to dress up as either witches or devils for Halloween. I feel like the rule was if you did, you would be sent home to change, but I cannot ever remember that coming up, so I’m not sure it was ever a problem. I just assumed this was at all Catholic schools, heh!
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