UPDATE : The luminaries arrived and with my hubby having a day off from work yesterday, I asked if he would set them up. Driving home after dark, I was excited to see the lights glowing. As I neared the house, I saw the glow...of... a huge puffy Santa anchored in my front yard! (And no luminaries.) Hubby and the kids sat smiling proudly at their day's work. (They clearly had not read my earlier post of detesting all things inflatable.) Apparently Santa was half price for $18 from The Home Depot.

Since it's the season of peace & joy, we compromised. Puffy Santa is now waving from our balcony. Hubby did put up the luminaries and they are beautiful.

K.V.W.

When it comes to decorating the outside of my house for Christmas, I don't go the lit-reindeer-or-inflatable-snowglobe route. I don't even like colored lights. Call me boring, but I prefer the sophisticated look of simple white lights.
In past years we've done white lights on our three palm trees in the front yard. But it always seemed like an incomplete project; like we ran out or forgot to do the other trees. And we never seem to have the time or inclination to do more.
My most recent holiday purchase will solve that: Luminaries, not the old-fashioned paper kind, but sturdy ones that feature the glow of electric lights. I bought enough to place along the boundary wall that circles the house. Find them at flicluminaries.com. A set of 12 electric ones in brown or white is $39.95.
-- K.V.W.