Hello, Porch Friend,
Welcome to Front Porch Appeal! December has already arrived and it feels a bit surreal to us. How can we be near the end of 2023 already?
We know many of you have beautiful snow where you live! Last year in Nashville, we had a white Christmas. It was the first time in the years we've lived here.
What's your favorite part about December? For us, it's probably honoring traditions like baking Dave's grandma's sugar cookie recipe or making a beautiful salmon ball. We also love playing Christmas carols - Dave on the uke and me on the piano. And, for nearly 40 years we have sent out handmade Christmas cards.
But more importantly and truly the reason Christmas is so special is honoring its true meaning. That's what truly counts, always.
Will you be home for the holidays? Or traveling to a, warm, beachy location? Or maybe visiting family?
No matter your plans, we wish you a cozy, safe and healthy month.
May you enjoy our topics for this month!
Holidays: Understanding and Love
Whether your holidays are joy-filled and blessed, or overshadowed with sadness or health issues, we are thinking of you. Please know that you're not alone. So many people experience difficult feelings this time of the year.
Dave and I hope there's something in the holiday season that speaks to your heart, puts a bit of zip in your step and lifts your spirits.
Sending holiday love from the two of us to your heart.
Winter Tips for Your Porch
Taking care of your porch during the winter is important for longevity and, of course, for your safety.
Keep these things in mind:
Regularly remove snow from your porch to prevent heavy loads and potential damage. Avoid metal shovels that can scratch your porch floor. A snow blower is ideal.
Be careful with salt and other de-icing agents; they can damage your concrete. It's no fun learning in the spring that your salting damaged the surface of your porch floor or driveway.
Speaking of de-icing, be especially careful of slipping on ice!
Consider applying non-slip materials to the surface or using salt alternatives that are safe for the porch material.
While it might be too late this season, waterproofing helps protect against moisture damage.
Consider storing your furniture and other accessories indoors, away from the harsh winter weather. Using covers is another alternative.
Keep
gutters and downspouts clear of debris to ensure proper drainage. This helps prevent ice dams, which can damage your porch and roof.
A Few of Our
Favorite Christmas Porches
The following four photos were taken by our son, Tom, who, along with his wife, Heidi, operate Painted Bench Photography. They specialize in personal branding photography.
One of our all-time favorites
Do you like it, too? This is simple, yet so inviting and classical! We love the contrast of the white twinkly lights with the bright crimson poinsettia plants on the porch.
Fanciful and fun
Let the imagination soar!
This Christmas porch beckons our imagination. That Santa is very enchanting!
What a gorgeous wrap-around porch
We enjoyed making the wall art - Believe!
Snowflake wall art for this year's porch
Do you see the new wall art we created for our Christmas porch?
We painted the board a gradient blue, then we added some snow with a paint pen.
Dave attached various sizes of sparkly snowflakes to the board. Some stand out (with the use of dowels) and others are flush to the board. Dave hung up a very small flood light in our porch ceiling to illuminate the wall art - and that makes a beautiful difference.
Go right here for more Christmas decorating ideas for your porch.
Now we just need a light blanket of snow!
Dave put lights in our porch garden. A light (very light!) blanket of snow would certainly make this scene extra special.
Who knows? Last year we had a white Christmas in Nashville.
Look for the Best
Even if the holidays are coming faster than we want...
let's rejoice in everything good.
Do You Send Cards for the Holidays?
My (Mary's) Christmas card bundle on Etsy
The two of us are quite sentimental about sending cards - we send out many cards throughout the year - for birthdays, holidays, anniversaries and sometimes for simply keeping touch.
My Etsy shop has a Christmas card bundle, if you enjoy sending cards like we do. The bundle is pictured above - three digital cards that you can print from home. I painted each of them bright and happy.
I'd love to you to take a look at them! They are easy to download and print. Then you can start writing your cards today.
I'd greatly appreciate you visiting my shop and perhaps giving it a like! Thank you!
From Our Treasured Sponsors
Oh to sit here and enjoy a porch like this!
Look at the railing panels - branches!
Perfect for this setting
Our friends at The Porch Store offer beautiful railing panels for your porch, walkways, widows walks, and more. Isn't the black railing panel above just perfect for this porch? "Wow" is all we can say.
Please visit our fine sponsor, The Porch Store, to see their railing panels and a bunch more.
Just to show you another wonderful way that
The Porch Store railing panels can be used
They ship nationwide!
Instant Charm with This...
Beautiful photo courtesy of VintageWoodworks.com
Use exterior house trim to add immense charm to your porch this fall. It is a relatively inexpensive way to add curb appeal and give your porch and home a new, beautiful and polished look.
We are super proud of our sponsor, Vintage Woodworks, a leader in handcrafted house trim since 1978. They can assist you in choosing just the right design options for your home.
Screen Doors Connect the
Inside to the Outdoors
There's nothing quite like having a screen door to bring in those crisp cool breezes to pour over our homes.
As a kid, I remember running out of the house to play and hearing the 'slap' of our ole screen door against the frame. Screen doors allow you to open your house to the outdoors extending your home, if only visually.
Fast forward to today, where screen doors, especially these high quality aluminum screen doors, have come so far. All those little irritants like sagging screens and corrosion have all been figured out by our fine sponsor, PCA Products.
Whether you are replacing an existing screen door or installing a new one on your home or screened porch, selecting a high-quality door that lasts a very long time is well worth the investment.
It's worth your time to see the quality of a PCA Products aluminum screen door today and open
your home to fall.
Till Next Time...
Can you imagine yourself here?
Thank you for joining us this month.
We appreciate you.
We all live busy lives, so thank you for being in our porch family! We appreciate you.
May you enjoy this hectic, holiday-busy month of December and notice the blessings that are always available to us.
See you on the porch.
Our best always,
Mary and Dave
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