Christmas Light Post Makeover & My Nativity Scene

Merry Christmas Eve, Eve!

I have 2 sweet DIY Christmas project stories for you today, and then I will be signing off to celebrate Christmas with my family!

First up, is this cute “Christmas Light Post Makeover”.  My Dad texted me a photo of this rather dated old light post last Summer, and I wondered where in the heck he would find such a thing?

Here’s how it looked before…

What the what?  I asked him about it and he said I could have it if I wanted it.  You see…he was walking down the hall in my parent’s retirement community in Buffalo and a neighbor had put this out in the hall with a sign on it that said “FREE”.  Well, my Dad hopped on that sleigh ride right away and grabbed that sucker and took it home to see if it worked.  Indeed it did, and he figured I would find a way to make it look pretty.

Well, he was spot on.  Look at her now:

I hopped on that sleigh ride with my co-pilot Dad, and I brought this thing through Canada and back home with me to Michigan.  It sat in our garage until a of couple weeks ago when I got busy cleaning her up.

It really was quite simple, but turned out so pretty!

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After a little dusting, I painted it white and it only took about 2 1/2 coats.  The last 1/2 a coat was mainly on the top lantern area.

After it dried, I wrapped the thick red ribbon around it and secured it with tiny nails.  Then I tied the big bow on top.

Lastly, I added a vintage light bulb like this one: VINTAGE BULB.  What a difference those light bulbs make.

It really was such an easy little makeover.  What makes me love it even more, is that my Dad and I partnered up on this one.  I now have it displayed in our hall, but I have had fun moving it around.

Thanks, Dad…we did good!

Wait..there’s more~

I promised 2 DIY Christmas projects, so I shall deliver..

This beautiful “Vintage Nativity Scene” is also very special to me and I actually had nothing to do with it.   My brother, Bobby, made this in ceramic class in 1975.

I was 10 years younger than Bobby, so I wasn’t old enough to go to the ceramic class yet, but I remember him bringing home the beautiful pieces he had painted.  I look at it now and am amazed at how perfect his painting actually was.  Look at all of those details, and shadings…

As most of you know, my brother passed away at the age of 35.  I inherited his nativity set that my Mom would proudly display on her cedar chest every Christmas.  It’s a tradition I honor.  Each year, I have my kiddos unwrap each delicate piece, kiss Jesus, and then set up the scene.  We do the same when it comes time to wrap them back up for safe keeping.

Here you can see Bobby’s initials engraved in the bottom.

From my family to yours…Merry Christmas!