DECORATING OUR CHRISTMAS TREE WITH MAKEUP SPONGES | Ep 213 

I like the simplicity of your videos. Not trying to be anything you are not, and working with what you have. Very relatable.

I love Carlos idea of grating Parmesan cheese until eternity! I also love the lemon tree that gives wire.🤣

That is what we call "A Charlie Brown" Christmas tree. Just branches with no leaves. So cute.

Nicki, I think the bigger the house, the more junk we collect. I love your homemade decorations, especially the makeup sponge. What a great idea . I sometimes think we forget what Christmas is about. The birth of Jesus. It's become too commercialised. Spending time with family and friends is what really makes Christmas. Thank you for a lovely Wednesday surprise vlogmas.

love the sketch of Hollie behind the cute christmas tree....no messy tree...no pine needles dropping !! I like that tree !!

I appreciate you taking time to make these vlogmas videos! I love them so much!

I started laughing when they opened the “tree” 😂

9:21 Carlo wiping stove area was AWESOME!! 😁👏👏👏🙌🙌🙌😍😍🤩🤩 Thank you. 🌲

Less is more, and the sponges can be re-used as Easter eggs!

Nicky your idea of Christmas is what Chritmas is all about. Family and time together. Thoroughly enjoyed your previous 1st vlogmas video.

What I really appreciate about you Nicki is that you don’t feel compelled to possess a lot of stuff! I am attempting to forego acquiring more stuff now, and be more conscious of our environment. If I need something I now look first to ‘already loved’. Your tree is perfection! Don’t change it!

Love how cute the tree looks after decorating it. Christmas doesn’t have to be full of lots of decorations. It’s about spending time with your family and celebrating Jesus’ birth. I love seeing your family work together. Carlo is so loving towards you. Happy Christmas 🎄

When I was younger and had no space or money for a tree, I used to use a little tree-shaped potted rosemary plant. Rosemary branches are great for holiday decorations, plus you can break off pieces to use for cooking… bay is great holiday decoration for the same reason! 😂 Just add a big red ribbon to tie branches together and you’re done!

Hello beautiful family! Just wanted to say that your cat is so adorable. I know she's blind.Her eyes look like a beautiful lagoon. Much ❤️

Mum was an illustarot/Dad a photographer. One year she sat for days and made carol singers out of white styrofoam balls...all from felts, sequins, and fabric trimmings. Each different. I consider them treasures. Cheers those make up blenders have found their true purpose!

No worries Nicki, I think no matter how large or small your home is there always has be some shifting about to fit the Christmas tree. Love those twiggy light trees, it looks lovely. Merry Christmas

Wonderful to see I am not the only Christmas minimalist in the world! We live in an RV, so our tree is less than a foot tall, made of metal and has permanent jingle balls and Star.

No joke, it's beautiful. Came out perfect. And that's exactly where I would have put it too.

Aw that was an adorable video. Thank you all! Love from Toronto 🇨🇦💜😊🎅🎄🕎

I think the tree and the Christmas decorations turned out really cute! As we get older, less is better when decorating for Christmas, especially when the kids are grow and gone. It's also less work putting everything away after Christmas! Thanks for the laughs and sharing your Vlogmas, Nicki! It was fun! ✨🎄💖

Simply perfect! Given a choice, I'd pick family and food over bobbles and glitter any day.

Hi Nicki. No need to decorate if you do not feel like it. You are always AUTHENTIC! 😊

What a lovely surprise video! What an adorable Christmas tree! The homemade decorations are so sweet! Thank you! Love from Miami ❤️🌞

You would never believe all our decorations….three trees for starters. Loved you having to decide where to put the tree. Enjoy.

Your tree is really sweet…its perfect for your space because you can see the wall behind it, making it look less cumbersom than a fuller tree! Bless you all and I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!! 🎄☃️🎁🥂🙏🏻🌍☮️

You are so good at showing how beautiful keeping things simple can be 🫶♥️☀️

That lentil pasta looks delicious!

Nikki as I’ve gotten older it seems I don’t wanna mess with a lot of the Christmas decorations. I love love love your little tree. That’s exactly what I would want. Thanks for your Vlog looking forward to the rest of them.

Bless Nicki....never has there EVER been less Christmas enthusiastic person in the World! 😂😂😂 Just stick to your guns and don’t bother decorating. And throw away all the Xms things 💪🏼

i'm surprised you've never been camping. you do all the other outdoor activities - love seeing you being active and enjoying your surroundings

I also love how you went into the countryside and collected foliage to spray gold. What better to decorate with than lovely branches etc. Xxxxxxx

The tree is perfect!

I like your decoration. 🥰So cute video. The best part is a kiss at the end. 💖💖💖 Send you virtual hug from Serbia🤩

Also, the tree reflects Nicki’s enthusiasm or the lack of it 😂😂😂😂

I like your tree, especially when it is lit up. We have scaled down our tree this year. A four foot one, that stands on a small table. It is pre-lit and came with red berries on it and pine cones. Perfect for our small house too.

Good day 😌, Finally it has stopped snowing & the sunshine is bouncing off the snowdrifts. It is really and beautifully White. And it is brutally cold , - 24° C. Recently I met a young man who was from Oahu , Hawaii. I wanted to hear his reaction to a new experience a Canadian winter. He was amazed at how ridiculously cold, cold can be. No surprise. There are so many beautiful displays of evergreens decked out in lights in the snow. The darkest time of the year is so compensated with Christmas festive displays. Your one pot pasta lunch looks yummy. I'm very fond of wreaths. The one on the door looks lovely against the turquoise. Your wire Christmas tree is a perfect hanger for displaying all your original tree decorations. It is enough for the space you have. The road conditions are extremely icy. As yet we have not found our fresh Evergreen . I do have a backup plan. It is affectionately known as the broomstick in the corner. It's my choice - no needles to drop and clean up! I like artificial trees. However they lack that endearing fragrance! Really must get things done or it will soon be gone and the New year begun! Thanks for the visit!

I love how the dogs never cease to play fight. Don't have anything to do? Attack!! 😁

At least it’s up! Mission completed. Charlie Brown would be very proud😂😂

Your Positano Diaries cookbook is the most beautiful book in my collection. It looks absolutely gorgeous on my iPad. I can't wait to make some of the recipes, but in the meantime it is a delight to read. Thank you for creating this.

Aw the tree was really cute! Oh well you know if you need more room you can do what a lot of people do in tiny spaces put everything on the wall on shelves and get some of your floor space back kitty's bed excluded of course. Also have you thought of incorporating the outside patio area and front door indoors by putting clear plastic see through tarping around the posts and entryway in winter? That way you could put the plants outside for the winter and could even eat outside most of the winter if you put in a propane heater stand it will be TOASTY. Bonus is you can have a flap on any entry point so you could even have the mules still use the area to bring your pellets up as the plastic can be just pulled back to the outdoors again. So theoretically you can use the space in front of those sliding doors too! :D Then in summer take it down. You can velcro tie them up too. We use them a lot in California cause god forbid it drop down to 50 degrees without a heater outside. Your plants will love you too! Just a thought here is an example of how they are made and you can make them yourself as the materials are not expensive nor is putting them up which is just sweat equity and Carlo is so very talented too. thortarp.com/applications/porch-enclosures/ The ones in the link are expensive but you can see how they are made and what they are made with so can just buy the material. Again just a thought to solve your space issues and increase your floorprint while bringing the outside in.😊

I love your tree!! The decorations are so adorable! Not going to England this year for the holidays? Carlo is so sweet. I wish all men were as loving as he is! That is the secret to a happy marriage! ❤❤❤

The tree is perfect-O ! It showcases the beauty and special stories behind each little ornament. Joyeaux Noel!

Yeah...sometimes it’s tiring to decorate-nice to enjoy other people doing it, thanks! 🎄🎉

Your video reminded me of my childhood when my Mum would get a branch off the gumtree and spray it white and wind some tinsel round it and a couple of bits of foliage. It was hung over the fireplace and then we would sing round the piano with Mum plunking on the keys. Lots of laughter and merriment. Simple fun and happy times in the 1950's. Golden memories for me at 72 of Australian Xmas. Merry Xmas to you all and love from Sally and Jack my dog in Oz 🎄🎁💞

Love how frugal you are and so careful not extravagant like other RU-vidrs that are so boastful love humble people alot of RU-vidrs are out for the free gifts it can be quite excessive as to how much they receive not real to me at all thank you Nicky for keeping it real lov the tree

I love your Christmas tree, it looks beautiful! Your house is super cozy, no matter how small. I loved seeing itty bitty Kitty and also the dogs 😻🥰🌻

when my kiddos were young we painted fancy shaped jars then used silver and gold relief pens to draw stars and xmas trees on, add some tealights and they made a lovely fetive impact. I still use them today.

The tree is lovely and the ornaments are personal and so special. 💗🎄

Oh I love your little Christmas tree. When I was a child, we always had the little boxes of Tarrone with the beautiful Italian pictures on them and we would poke a Christmas hanger through the box and hang them on the tree. It was always a treat to eat them later. Another easy decoration is to get nice soft ribbon and wrap your sofa pillows to look like presents. Just criss cross and make a bow. Take care and be safe. Ciao 👩‍🌾

Love your tree. Lovely to see the animals involved 😂❤Thanks for sharing 😍😘

🎄 You did it… It looks, great… I bet at night… with lights on… Beautiful. Makes it look cozy on the sofa… In the holiday spirit 🎉 Like to see the small tree, you mentioned in town… How some are decorated. Thank you for sharing… Looking forward, in seeing how the holiday’s, decorations in Positano ❤ Best wishes

What fun, its perfect. Just enough decorations to make it look "Merry". You will get lots of compliments 😊

My Christmas tree arrives on the 24 chopped down by a neighbor. With 3 cats it’s life is limited and the fragile decorations are long gone...but it’s my tradition. Thank u for sharing yours.

I have to say never have I seen a Christmas tree like this before. Good for you. You did a good job!!!!!

I love all the cheese Carlo put on his pasta! I do the exact same thing. Love cheese! 👍

your tree is cute - - yes like Charlie Brown Tree - little ornaments are the best - just right for the size of your living space. Thank you for sharing with us -

Nicki, I just loved this vlog .. such a lovely mid-week surprise !! Each of your little decorations has a special history and that’s what matters .. your tree is absolutely perfect - small and full of love ❤️ Merry Christmas xx

Love your channel and you and family. Thank you for your hard work over the year to make us videos.

I absolutely love the make up sponges decor. That's so cute and very festive. 💙💚💜🤍❤️🫶🫶🫶🎉🎉🎉🎄🌲🎄🌲🌴🌴☺️☺️

Loved the tree infact the whole process of you searching things in your attic ,the sponge decorations and the ones you stitched are so beautiful. ❤️

Love your little tree! I am the same. I am alone and don't spend money on decorations so I can buy presents for.people I love. I need to get one like yours. I hope you have a loving and peaceful Christmas!❤❤

I love your Christmas tree and your quirky decorations. Thank you for giving us vlogmas🌲⛄💗xx

I've seen potted plants & cactus used in place of Christmas trees. Sometimes you just have to make do with what you've got. Thanks for the vlogmas videos.

That tree turns out beautifully as a Christmas tree. I use to go all out when our daughter was a little one. And if we hosted Christmas dinner, even more so. Our daughter is 32 now and we live states away from our family so we have scaled way back. We have a small 4 foot tree that we put on an end table. It’s so lovely. Just enough Christmas lights for the evening. I bet Skye absolutely loves those felt ornaments you made. ♥

That tree is adorable 😊 I know what you mean when you don't have much space, I have a pencil tree, which looks like a real tree and is perfect! Thank you Nicki and Skye for sharing your decorating tree video. Much love to everyone 🤗❤😘

As long as I have lights and get just tree branches and out in a bucket or vase all good. Get the happy and scent . Add mini bulbs, cookie cutters, angels and set.

I agree with your observations about Christmas decorations: I have gone through different phases in life, but have not decorated a lot for the last 20 years--it has given me a great deal of space to focus on the 'reason for the season' and try to focus on my prayer life and connection to the Christ child...so, I have no issues with non-decoration--go out and focus on the important things in life...dts/usa

I was thinking that depending on what's on the Christmas tree it could go outside the kitchen near your long table, perhaps. Leave room in the house and add some festive colour near the table! I love all the decorations, there are some lovely coloured ones. The Tree is all set, the wreath is on the front gate and all you need now is the presents under the tree.

Nicki you would just be overwhelmed at my house I had a friend come over Thanksgiving she said it looked like xmas in every room she told me it was beautiful we put up six trees even in the kitchen and decorate outside . It takes a lot of work so consider yourself lucky it takes two weeks to decorate .

You've inspired me to decorate. I'm not good at it either but all that is important is a little effort and some family love.

We have family ornaments for the Christmas tree and then we decorate with greenery and things we can get fresh each year, mostly, so that we do not accumulate yet more things requiring storage and maintenance in some form. I've read that some folks with mansions have an entire gift-wrapping room, as though they were Harrod's. LOL. I guess if you're wealthy, but that would not get enough use in my view to warrant taking away living space, areas that could be used by people to even play games regularly or with frequent guests. And we make the most of the season: we decorate for the beginning of Advent (usually right after our Thanksgiving holiday), put the tree up on Christmas Eve (technically the liturgical start of Christmas), and do not take things down until after Epiphany (Jan. 6th) & Little Christmas (Eastern Orthodox XMas on Jan. 7th). So we get a lot of enjoyment out of this particular festival of lights as the season darkens into winter. If you don't have lights attached to the perimeter of the house, itself, can you place the tree on the table outside the kitchen window, so it can be seen at a distance or if you are outside enjoying the patio and from inside the house without requiring you find a new position for it since the kitchen renovation changed that room around from last season? It's the best to have decorations for the tree that people have made for you or you have made that have some meaning and connection to the people and events of your lives.

Ok. Your wonderful video has inspired me to finish writing the Christmas cards. Play a little holiday music to complete the festive look in your decorated home. 🎄🌴🌊♥️

Its all those memories attached with each little decoration that warms your heart and makes you smile. And those very memories like a warm hug are what is so very important.

Nicki perfect spot for the Christmas tree!! It's just for Christmas so it won't take up that space for long. I love the decorations how nice the tree looks the tree is really cute 🥰. Also the picture of Hollie girl is very nice I never noticed it there before. TY all for sharing 🤗❤️

Brilliant! A real touch of Christmas cheer, just what we need Nicki and Carlo!!

Such a fun time watching your family put up your unique christmas tree

Your videos put a smile on my face....truly! Thanks for sharing☺☺

Binge watching after Christmas! That leafless tree is quite cute.

Can you recommend other vlogs about life in Italy? I’m keen to watch more like yours! ❤

That was hysterical! The most gawd awful Christmas Tree I've ever seen...LOL!!!! As for a late lunch, for me, thick lentil soup with a large dollop of Dry Sack Sherry in it, hold the noodles, followed by a game of shut eye. That really was funny. I'm waiting for Carlo's masterpiece. Un abbraccio forte a tutti!

Love the simplicity of this. Bella!

😂👍🎄We don‘t have a lot of Christmas decoration too. Some nice old peaces from our families we take every year.

I so very much enjoyed your retrospective Christmas 2021! It was perfect to show it again! So beautiful and meaningful for us far away in CA! Thank you! Being from the East Coast USA, I have to work to get my New England Christmas in CA. So, please understand when I suggest that you source some green evergreens from the woods to attach with wire to your present Christmas tree! I believe the British, New England, Italian Christmas style brings so much warmth! Merry Christmas! Patricia

Adorable little tree!!🥰

Super cute, and easy decorating! Truly a win win!

When you live in such a beautiful place, I wouldn't feel the need to "decorate". But nicely done, for what materials you have! 🌲

Such a pretty Christmas tree that's the perfect spot for it too ...love the gingerbread angel......lovely vlog thank you 🇨🇦

Have you considered putting the tree outside your kitchen window in the patio. Would look lovely all lit up against the night sky, when you sit out there having hot cocoa or a drink.

Maybe you can turn the swimming pool into a giant wreath, with sticks all around the edges, big lemons as baubles, and lights. Then set up a nativity scene in the old chicken house.

I always like your videos no matter how long or how short they are. I love your Christmas time video, thank you for sharing. When you were in that little storage space, I suddenly got an idea or a vision to have a shelve there and that will give you extra space for all your stuff, but you know more what you to deal with in that space. Anyway, love your Christmas decorations.

I feel your pain of a small space. We live in a small house in the mountains here in Georgia, USA. We have no place for a regular tree so ours sits on the dining room table. You do what you can. Love your decorations. Merry Christmas!

I love your little tree! And the ornaments each have a story! Merry Christmas 🎄🎁

Buon Natale from California! Hey less is more and many of us are not going overboard anymore either. I have my Charlie Brown 3-foot tall tree on a table in corner of room and a wreath on the door...that's it! Grazie as always to you and your family.⛄🌲🇮🇹🇺🇲

That is so Charlie Brown tree, so cute! Lovely decorations too, especially the sponges lol….adorable! I always said we overdo it in the states, huge trees and so many decorations, good thing I only have a mini schnauzer and she’s not interested in the tree, but it is a natural tree and we have to water it everyday and she loves to drink the water from the base of the tree,lovely video as always Nicki!

I just bought something from the Christmas Market in Glasgow that would be perfect for an Almalfi coast Christmas tree. It was little bags of dried lemon and orange slices, small dried peppers and cinnamon sticks. I got them to mix with greenery and pinecones and place on a platter surrounding candles, but add strings and they would make lovely tree decorations. They smell very festive.There must be similar in Positano shops. Plenty of lemons around - you could dry out some slices

I like the christmas tree! 🎄 Simplicity is the way to go! Ok time to checkout your video 👋 Have a good day Nicki, Carlo, & Skye & Nicolo.

Your Charlie Brown tree looks very festive with that eclectic selection of ornaments and the sweet angel at the top. I have a seven foot faux tree that is chock full of red, gold and white ornaments but every year I see spaces that the picks didn't fill so I make more ornaments - just finishing three white and gold ones made out of old CDs. Fortunately I have a huge garage with a big shelf below the rafters so there is storage space but I bet there will come a time soon where I admit my age and how tired the decorating makes me and I will want to forget about it all.

Dear Nicki Love the Christmas tree and decorations. The ceramic ornaments are beautiful, those are the ones I prefer too and have a few I've collected over the years that add mementos to our family. Enjoy the holidays with your family and make new happy memories.😊🎄

When I saw you in the attic my first thought was "pending head injury" haha. Those sponge decorations are actually very nice!

Love the tree and Carlo s enthusiastic use of parmigiana . lol i am the same . I love your home Nicki it is so cosy looking. Thank you for this lovely surprise of vlogmas x