We had an arctic blast with single digit temperatures and snow last week that kept me indoors and inspired me to do some winter nesting.
I was packing up and organizing the Christmas ornaments while I was housebound with our 7″ of snow last weekend, and I was sorting all the bird ornaments that normally flock to my Potting Shed in December.
I always feel a little blue after the tree comes down and I miss the soft glow of the twinkling lights after Christmas.
After removing all the Christmas red and packing up Santa and his reindeer for another year, I decided a winter tree might be a cheery solution for the month of January.
I added an assortment of sparkly snowflakes and icy branches from my Christmas decorations. . .
The sparkling silver leaves were from my New Year’s Countdown Tree last year.
I always pick up a bird ornament or two to add to my collection every year. This Titmouse flew home with me when I found him on sale after Christmas.
I managed to capture a photo of a Titmouse dining at a Bird Seed Cottage during the snow last weekend.
I’ve added a few owls over the years, this one helped me celebrate with a Happy Owl-idays table.
I had some pheasant feathers with my floral stash that I used on my Welcome Fall Wreath that I added to the tree. Harvested dried hydrangea blooms and frosted pine cone sprays provide some filler and texture.
The birds are happy to do some winter nesting on the tree before having to migrate to the attic for another year!
Snowflakes add a little sparkle for a gray and dreary month. . .
Whooooo thinks a tree in January is a crazy idea. . .?
I admit to being a little stir crazy after being housebound for four days last week :)
I’ve never had a tree up past the first week in January before but I like the soft glow and sparkle it provides for winter and since it’s artificial I don’t have to worry about it drying out and becoming a fire hazard.
This little Black-capped Chickadee flew south for the winter permanently as a gift from Lynn at Happier Than a Pig In Mud, several years ago, thanks again Lynn :)
Our snow has melted and we’re back in the 60s and 70s this weekend but I’m sure Mother Nature has more winter weather in store.
Hope you’re staying warm and cozy in your nest ♥
Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures! Have a great weekend!😎🌴
What a gorgeous collection of bird ornaments. I love them all!
What a most gorgeous Winter Tree!! It brings back memories of years ago when i was working. The tree in the office (a real one) was so beautiful that we decorated it in January with all things white for winter using medical supplies and paper snowflakes…it then became a Valentine tree with many employees placing a handmade Valentine on it…March came the Shamrocks…April came Easter….and then we sadly had to end it as it became so dry…but that tree lasted for 5 months!….Here’s to embracing Winter and enjoying the beautiful birds!
I am very tempted to adopt the idea of a semipermanent tree to decorate. We have just done a snowbird migration and I already miss our Christmas decorated trees. As I also love birds ( thanks to this blog I now use them for luncheon decor) I am heading to a local after Christmas Sale to see what I can find, then off to a garden center for a nice tree!
Thank you everyone, this is all a lot of fun. Mary is an inspiration, as are so many of her followers.
That is so stunning! I like it better than a red and green tree. Perfect for January viewing.
This is a great idea! I have a tree I decorate with birds and bird houses each year. I thought about keeping it up for a little longer but I caved and put everything away. I just heard a big winter storm is headed for the south again. This is going to be an unusual year for everyone.
Mary, these beautiful photos of your shiny, sparkly tree were here to greet me this morning, and I thank you for that! It’s just the thing to ward off those “January Blues”. Hope your day is bright and cheerful…you’ve already started mine off that way!
It’s been a “Wild Winter” and we’re leaving the tree up until after our dinner party on February 4. The owls will show up on our table and we’ll enjoy the twinkling of the lights on the tree where the rest of the wildlife is hanging out :-) Thank you for starting my day with this winter cheer!
Absolutely gorgeous! What a neat way to extend the sparkle and light a little longer. I love it.
so pretty….I am thinking of adding some birds to our gold tree too, thanks for idea!
I love all the bird ornaments!! Perfect for this crazy weather we’re having!! Thanks for sharing !!! The tree is beautiful!!!
Lovely and sparkly, a winter tree is so creative. I purchased an owl painting to hang in my living room after Christmas – those owl ornaments are calling my name!
Such gorgeous ornaments! I love finding others who hate to see the Christmas sparkle go away. It’s such a special time of year.
I love this winter tree Mary, and all your feathered friend ornaments and owls happily nesting! I bought an artificial pencil tree on sale in December and put it in the dining room. We enjoyed it so much that when we took our real tree down, I moved it into the foyer so we could enjoy the lights for a while. Silver and sparkle make January so much brighter! One snowbound weekend was enough for me, bring on the 70s!
Jenna
I love your winter nesting tree….what a wonderful idea for the winter!! You’ve inspired me to look for bird ornaments! Thanks for sharing…..
Thank you, Mary. I also miss the glow of the lights when the big tree comes down. I do this on a smaller scale with branches and snowflakes. Really helps the winter blues.
Love it all!!!
What a lovely idea to keep the glow
of the holidays. All of your bird ornaments are amazing. I am tempted to do a bird only tree in the next Christmas season, but that would involve buying a lot of bird ornaments! I am probably running late to catch anything good leftover from this past season.
I LOVE the idea of extending the “twinkling” season. Always makes me so sad to take down my decorations! Your tree and home are beautiful! I enjoy your blog. Thank you.
I, too, enjoy the holiday season and decorating for it so much that it is difficult for me to put my decorations away. My solution is that I put out all of my snowmen that I’ve collected over the years. They replace my Santas and Nativity sets on the mantle and in tablescapes throughout the house. I usually leave these up until mid-February. Your birds are delightful!
Ok, you’ve convinced me too! I’m going to begin to look for a slim tree and natural looking ornaments. Love the dried hydrangea added too. Thank you for the happy inspiration.
Winter beauty here on my computer this morning, thanks to you. Fabulous winter tree! Love all the beautiful birds, wearing their finest plumage with pride. Another one of your wonderful creations, Mary. Folks down here (Louisiana) use their trees as Mardi Gras trees…all cleverly decorated….extending the “tree seasons” in any way they can. Many thanks for sharing…
Thanks for sharing. Your tree is so Beautiful! I Love birds!
Love the idea and each and every bird ornament!
Absolute gorgeous, as always. We didn’t have an artificial tree so it had to come down right after New Year’s but I did leave up all of the lights on the windows this year. It hasn’t snowed (after all this is Southern California) but it has rained and rained and it’s going to rain some more. I agree with you. The twinkling lights make me very happy. I just love all of the beautiful birds you have on your tree. Lovely, lovely, lovely. Thanks for sharing.
Just a stunning tree. I had no idea you could find such beautiful bird ornaments. I’m going to have to keep my eye open for some of my own.
Mary your winter tree is just gorgeous. I love your beautiful bird ornaments, I have a few birds and nests on my Christmas tree but yours make me want to go shopping. My daughter did something similar last year by keeping their tree up through February. She and her children also did a winter theme and then decorated it with hearts for Valentines.
I so love your tree!!! I thought of leaving the tree in my dining room up – at least for a few more weeks. After I took off all of the decorations I was left with an alpine looking tree with pinecone garland and lights that were wrapped around the tree. It was simple but so pretty. I thought of adding snowflakes, birds and nests – and then I decided not to. Now after seeing yours – I wish I had :o( You always bring a smile and tons of inspiration to my day!! Thank you!!!!
Mary, once again, beautiful pics! Isn’t a Winter Tree fun! For many years after Christmas Season has passed I have decorated a few rooms with Winter snowman and birds. I leave my Twig tree up and my birds and winter branches stay on. I take my beautiful 30″ homemade Santa Claus that my mother-in-law made (using clothing and material from the dresses from her, grandma’s and my Wedding, Beautiful is all I can say!) Anyway, I put Santa Claus away and out comes a 24″ Snowman that my husband bought for me several years back on a trip away. January becomes a cheerful month throughout those long Winter days!
Keeping up an artificial tree with a different theme is such a wonderful idea. It’s a great way to drive the winter blues out the door. I have kept my 3 lanterns decorated with twinkle lights, fake snow, trees, etc.
Your Winter Nesting Tree is amazing. I always miss the twinkle and sparkle after Christmas. I’ve even been known to not take the tree down until President’s Day!!! I love this idea and those birds!! Beautiful.
I am so glad I’m not the only one who has a winter tree. I too want to extend the lights and warmth of Christmas decor into January so it’s not so stark and cold and I’ve always decorated with snowflakes and winter animals in January just to extend the warmth and festivity a little longer and while I prepare for Valentines Day. I have to confess, snowflakes sometimes linger into Valentines as well :) I love what you have done!!
Not crazy at all! I love the idea of a winter tree twinkling on these cold winter evening. Perfect idea to chase away winter blues. I had a friend who once kept her tree up till Valentine’s Day. A little much perhaps! ;-)
All your feathery friends look very comfy. You have a lovely collection.
Wow! That is truly gorgeous. In the past, we kept our tree up until February, but now that we yearly celebrate Burns Night in late January, it typically comes down the second week of the new year. Side note: I would love to see what you would come up with for Burns Night inspiration!
Beautiful as usual Mary. Your blog is such a delight…and it’s nice to see a glimpse of your home….would love to see more!!!
Pure whimsey…what a great collection & a beautiful way to display & enjoy them all, Mary! Great idea!
Oh, what a great idea. I put my tree up the weekend of Thansgiving and take it down the weekend after Epiphany. I love my tree, the lights and all the Christmas decorations also, and it is always so dreary after we take all the decorations down. We used to have a bed and breakfast that we bought from the original owners and was already named and had a history. I often wanted to rename it the Christmas House and leave my decorations up all year. Will remember the winter tree for next year as I start to collect things to go on it.
Winter Tree works for me. I will start collecting birds too. Thank you for the inspiration!
I love, love, love this idea!! And those glittery ornaments just flew me away!!! franki
Mary, your winter tree is beautiful and I love your collection of birds!
I just took my tree down a couple days ago. Wish I seen this post sooner! I love this idea and will save it for next year!
What a sweet tree! I love the shiny bird ornaments.
what great idea!!! Love it Mary
Lovely! I have a woodland tree in the kitchen that I prepare in the fall and leave up until the end of January.
Oh, not at all crazy. I always leave my trees up decorated wintry…it helps get through the indoor winter months for me. Twinkling lights is like crystal on chandeliers and like candles burning for warmth. I do natural and bling on my trees. I also keep everything on mantles, oil paintings, mirrors, and Chandy’s until March. Then I am really ready to store and bring out the Spring. I love your tree with the birds! Enjoy Winter indoors with the birds and Hot Chocalate in hand…& magazines!
This is a BRILLIANT idea! And it’s another reason I need to consider switching to or acquiring a faux tree. Thanks for sharing 🐦
You know I love this!!! Your tree is beautiful Mary and perfect for January/Feb. Love all the birds and the color scheme is great. The little chickadee found a good home indeed-enjoy:@)
I always put up a snowman tree after Christmas. It is a small tabletop tree with white lights, snowflake ornaments and snowmen. It makes it easier to go from the bright lights of Christmas to the darker days of January. Love adding the birds – nice touch!
Late checking email today but what a wonderful surprise!! A beautiful, beautiful tree..since I love birds soooo much too..this is absolutely my favorite tree!!! You are very lucky to have those beautiful decorations…thanks for sharing!!! 🦉🦅🐝🕊🌲
OH! I was so happy to see the last picture of the who;e tree!!! This is a wonderful idea. I don’t have things to replace the Christmas ornaments etc. on our tree to keep it up. It has taken me all week to get Christmas away and today I spent several hours starting to clean yp one of the storage areas that became a DISASTER over Christmas. I am organizing and purging at the same time. I love, love your nesting tree. It is wonderful. Joe has a small “critter” tree as I call it downstairs and we just got that out away today. It isn’t lit though. For some reason he doesn’t want lights on it?? Have a beautiful weekend. We are in for a “wintery mix” after it being 63 yesterday. Crazy weather.
~Mary~
Your winter tree is beautiful indeed !!! Some people are such in a hurry for the seasons to come and go, so enjoy your tree as long as you wish ! I remember my dear mom leaving her tree up into Feb. one year, she said she just loved the lights on in the evening.:) and her favorite was collecting owls too.
Have a cozy weekend !
xx
Paula
IN
The winter bird tree is beautiful. Thanks for sharing and giving me ideas.
Not crazy at all Mary. I’ve done a winter tree for years with just the white light and various crystals and snowflakes through the month of January. In Michigan the winter months are L O N G and dreary, so I had to do something to keep the cheer going. Then a couple of years ago I added a medium size tree that fits in the corner of my dining room which opens up to the living room and I decorated it in white lights and bird ornaments with dried hydrangea for filler. It stays up all year. Feb, a few hearts and for Spring I add a couple of spring ornaments, watering cans, chicks, etc., for Memorial Day through Labor Day, it gets decorated in dollar store American flags in between the branches, for fall peasant feathers and pretty colored leaves and then back to winter, just the birds. It is so much fun and actually, this year was the only tree I had up as it’s been very hectic with running for the speech therapy appointments for hubby since his stroke. I mostly have cardinals, but will now have yo keep my eye out for chickadees and the titmouse -0wls were cute too! Great minds think alike, (lol)!!
The tree is beautiful and it will certainly brightens up the winter days. I also have a woodland tree and in past years have kept it up though January. You have inspired me to do so next year. Wishing you and yours a most blessed 2017.
I think you have the right idea to add some happiness to January, Mary. Your birds nesting in the tree, along with sparkling snowflakes, and feathers looks absolutely stunning. I have a friend that keeps her tree up year round in her dining room, and decorates it for each holiday.
Happy weekend, Mary! xo
You are extremely talented. This tree is stunning.
Such a lovely way to extend the twinkle of the holidays!
Your tree is absolutely stunning…
This Winter Nesting Tree is a perfect way to continue enjoying a tree! Your bird ornaments are so sweet and of course I love the returning owls. I was torn over taking my own beautiful tree down, but the needles were falling too much to think of leaving it up. I’ve never had an artificial tree, although there are obviously benefits. Thank-you for sharing this delightful post. P.S. My 3 yr. old Grandson, Benjamin and I made the edible birdhouses. He had so much fun and although they are not as picturesque as yours, we both are pleased with our efforts! The birds and squirrels are impressed too!
I’ve always loved all your bird ornaments. Your nesting tree is very pretty. Nice to continue to enjoy the sparkle.
Love this tree, I am always a fan of animal/bird/nature inspired trees. Now that I am older I will be putting up whatever decor makes me smile and feel good. A valentine tree is coming next week. Last week we had a foot (!) of snow and I did a lovely snowflake table in the kitchen. I like the idea above of a snowman/snowflake smaller counter tree to go with. Maybe I will do a Fourth of July tree too! Flowers, butterflies and dragonflies in August :) :):) You are truly an artist with your tables and I am very fond of the potting shed too. Wish I had your energy.
Mary, This is a wonderful way to “feather” your nest in the dark days of winter! I keep my tree up until it starts looking too sad and I hear needles falling when I walk into the room–not smart but I don’t like to see it go. Silver and white takes over, with my snowflakes in the windows and snowmen for decor. I love your bird collection and they look quite content in the warmth of your home. Linda