It’s All About... Deckin’ The Halls

[December 17th, 2008]

Admit it: For the majority of the year, you’ve been bitch-slapping your inner Martha Stewart into submission. But y’all, it’s halfway through December. Dig out the tinsel and the glue gun and let that interior decorator out of the closet! This is the time when you’re allowed to do things like wrap a flammable tree with electrically questionable lighting and wear sweaters that look like a jingle horse puked all over it. Embrace it, already! Kids, it’s time to get decked.

Portland’s own Original Living Christmas Tree Company will rent you a big, potted evergreen—and then, when you’re done, they’ll set it free in the wild. That is, replant it. We won’t talk about how environmentally friendly this is, because you should know by now, but we will say this idea is totally rad. Living Christmas tree. $80 (including delivery and pick-up). 501-0087, livingchristmastrees.org.

Give the gift of weird this year. In her spare time, Manor’s Lillian Kingery fills delicate glass orbs with floating babies, dinosaurs, ninjas and animals to create the most adorably creepy ornaments in town. Glass ornaments. $10-$20. Manor, 907 NW 23rd Ave., 954-2900.

Those paper snowflakes your kid made are cute, but ugly. Kinda like E.T. We love us some modern, ceramic ones by Shoshona Snow. Black-and-white ceramic snowflakes. $14 and $16. Tilde, 7919 SE 13th Ave., 234-9600, tildeshop.com.

Wrapping gifts is always the last task on the list. Chances are, it’s done late at night, while drunk, on little sleep and even less Scotch tape. Skip the pain and bring yer prezzies to Paper Source or its neighbor, In the Bag. Both shops will wrap ’em up all nice for you with very pretty paper. Small silver glitter box. $11.50. Red-and-silver winterberries wrapping paper. $7.95. Paper Source, 638 NW 23rd Ave., 226-8000, paper-source.com. Wrapping service $4 per present plus supplies. Elum wrapping paper. $3.50 per sheet. Red ribbon. $1.50 per yard. In the Bag, 708 NW 23rd Ave., 223-3262. Wrapping service free with a $5 minimum purchase of supplies.

Sick of the whole candelabra-menorah thing? This is cool: “Democratic” industrial designer Karim Rashid designed this blue silicone menorah. It’s simple. It’s elegant. It’s an objet d’art. Morph Menorah. $65. Menorah candles. $14.95. Moulé, 1225 NW Everett St., 227-8530, moulestores.com.