Teeny, Tiny Secondhand Treasures: Our $5 Christmas Tree

Small in stature, but quite festive!

I'm not going to lie. This year, I've found it really difficult to get into the Christmas spirit. I'm not being a Scrooge, or at least I'm not trying to be one. You can just chalk it up to poor timing I guess. As the the temperatures in the Philadelphia area are fluctuating between 40-70 degree temperatures, my body is responding in a chaotic fashion. I'm just beginning to feel better following a nasty bout of Bronchitis. But I'm still contending with the muscle spasms and nerve pain from the Fibromyalgia, all the while averaging 3-4 hours of sleep a night. In short, my mind might want to fa-la-la-la-la right up to the 25th of December. But my body is saying bah humbug.

But I'm trying to keep spirits bright. All of the gifts have been purchased---and most of them have been wrapped. I even decided on getting a tree, despite the tight budget from lost time at work when I was sick. During one of my infamous Target trips---an ordeal which my boyfriend, James, can attest is an aimless cart filling of everything from jars of olives and cleaning products, to socks and craft supplies---I found just what I needed. A perfectly sized tree for two people, with no kids, and just a little money to spend. 

At first glance the tree was far too skinny, and rather limp looking. But that was until I realized the branches were bendable. Perfect! And just look at the rustic burlap-wrapped base. 

Who doesn't love garland?

Finding the perfect ornaments was crucial. I got lucky in finding a roll of slender gold colored garland at Five Below, which was the perfect size to wrap around our little Charlie Brown tree. 

And at first I tried using the smallest of the standard-sized ornaments that I could find. But it just wasn't right. So imagine my surprise and delight when I found an unopened box of vintage gift box ornaments at the thrift! Not only are they in perfect proportion to our tree, but the gold ribbon on the gift wrap matches the gold garland I already had. Score!

Vintage gift ornaments = adorable. 

Tree: $3, Target.

Garland: $1, Five Below

Vintage Gift Ornaments: $1, Goodwill 

So what if I spent more on the poinsettia for the kitchen wall cutout than the tree? I'm trying to be festive damn it!

I can't wait until Christmas Eve, when James and I will leave our gifts for each other under the tree. And by "under the tree," I mean we will literally stack the gifts on the dining room table and put the tree on top. Technically, that's under the tree, right?