Front Porch in December

It was the month of December that got me started on projects to decorate the front porch.  I enjoyed it so much that I made it a point to make the porch just as welcoming the other eleven months of the year.   But December started it all and this month’s decorations always make me smile.

I leave a light strand on the front porch for most of the year.  It’s plugged into a light-sensitive timer so that when the sun sets, the lights come on.  On a practical level, it ensures that the porch is lit when we come home in the darkness.  For this December, the lights are old-fashioned Christmas lights, the sort I remember from my youth.  T has warned me that the “Let it Snow” flag courts trouble, but a little snow in December is a good thing.

The table is cheerful with greenery and the sorts of seasonal primitives that I especially enjoy.

Elsewhere on the porch there are happy reminders of the holiday season.   Greenery, packages, and red ribbons always make me smile.

The Parent’s Association at school sells wreaths as a fundraiser and the smell of evergreen greets us when we come home and open the door.  That’s one of my favorite parts of the Christmas season.

December always finds me aware of the shortening of daylight hours.  Candles, twinkling lights, and the traditions of the season are my remedy for the darkness; beacons of the cozy comforts of home. That’s happy!