As a matter of fact decorating your chicken coop is TOO a thing as you're soon going to find out. But don't worry, if you don't have a coop all of this can be applied to a shed, backyard or garage too.
Surprise! It's one month until Christmas! I know. It happens every year. Nothing ... nothing ... nothing ... hmm ... Christmas is coming in the sort of far off, can't be bothered to think about it, distant future.
BAM!! CHRISTMAS IS HERE OUT OF NOWHERE! WHO COULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING?
What's next? UFOs? Parachute Pants? Easter? God only knows what's lurking around the corner.
If you're one of those people who thinks "A month??? Christmas is still AGESSSSSS away, you crackpot! Feel free to let me know when Christmas is *actually* close. Snort.", then I'd like to introduce you to Maureen.
Maureen thought a month was a long time until Christmas too. Ages! So she scoffed at people who were already getting ready for Christmas and forgot about it until 2 days before the big event. Out the door Maureen flew in a panic not knowing where to head or what to do first.
As it turns out it didn't matter because before she even made it out of her driveway Maureen fainted from the stress of it all and couldn't be revived by smelling salts until well past Valentine's day; worse than that, while in her coma-like stress state no one plucked Maureen's one chin hair and by the time she woke it was 3 feet long.
The end.
I'm sorry to tell you such a scary story but I want you to have a relaxing Christmas so I want to make sure you don't leave things until the last minute. I haven't yet decorated my coop for the season but I'll be adding something to it this week like I have in seasons past. I will not be waiting until 2 days before Christmas.
Here is everything that's good about classic Christmas decorations with the added sparkle of genuine chicken poop. Backyard chickens are always cute, but it takes a certain something to make what's essentially a litter a box, shine.
Yes. Garland can make anything, ANYTHING look fantastic - even chicken poop.
Ditto for bows. And this is coming from a very unbow person. I don't even like them on my running shoe laces.
Throw a sprig of greenery or a burlap bow on anything utilitarian outside like feed buckets. If you don't have a chicken coop add it to a shovel or broom handle by the door.
In the coop photo at the top of this post, all the decorating is done outside of the chicken coop, around the gates, framing the coop.
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We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.
Below, the actual coop is decorated with lights, garland and swags which is the direct view I have from my dining room window.
Obviously you don't want anything flammable or harmful to the chickens going onto your coop. My chickens showed no interested in eating this pine garland. They were interested in the apple on the ground.
If you have a chicken coop (shed or other outbuilding) that you can see from your house why WOULDN'T you decorate it?
In the case of a chicken coop it's something you walk up to and see every day. And chances are you see your shed out of one of your house windows too so LIGHT it up. Put garland on it, a wreath, twinkle lights and bows.
This year you might not be seeing a lot of other people's homes. You might not have family around. You might not go to parties or dinners or restaurants and it might make you sad.
The very least you can do for yourself is give yourself a pretty, cozy, comforting view that you can look at the entire month of December donned in flannel, watching Netflix and drinking hot buttered rums while quietly laughing at Maureen.
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Kat - the other 1
The rosemary is luckily evergreen here and some have gotten huge! So I decorate them as my outdoor Christmas trees! I do hope to get some solar light strands eventually, for now just some solar stakes here and there. Sometimes one or more of them even light up! Lol.
I already put up the ornaments last week. :D
(DollarTree plastic ornaments that I wrapped tie wraps on then use the other end to secure to the branches. Weather proof! Ish.)
We can see them from the back bay window in the kitchen.
I thought about putting the ornaments on the two big bushes flanking the front porch for the neighbors to enjoy, & we wouldn't see from inside.... yeah... nope. Lol!
Lauri
Wonderful! Lucky chickens! Also, I'd love to know more about your fence.....
Karen
Hi Lauri. You can see a little bit more of it here ... https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/super-genius-invisible-gate-latch/ ~ karen!
Vikki
Hey!! your chickens' house looks better than my house! Guess I better get going! Those are great ideas.
Mary W
Merry Christmas, chickens! Love the inclusion and think lighted coops are a MUST. I happen to know that chickens really love twinkle lights.
lisamc
My coop is a shed placed out back where it isn't really seen from the road. I used to hang grapeviney wreaths, burlap etc. Then it occurred to me, since only we can see it (well, mostly) I've started decorating it with "tastefully" questionable inherited ornaments and lights--a toned down Snoopy's doghouse.
Well, maybe not so toned down as the years are going by.
Our house decorations are always subdued, with mostly natural greens, nativity and many small white lights, so it makes us crack up to see those large colorful , bulbs click on. Silly maybe, but.....
We call it "Mullet " decor--business up front, party in the back.
Karen
Snoopy's doghouse is a perfect reference, lol! ~ karen
Robin Snyder
What a lovely Christmas chicken coop. I am curious - what brand of coop is this? It appears to be prefabricated.
Karen
Hi Robin! It's not a prefabricated coop. I built it from the ground up myself. :) https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/thecoop ~ karen!
Leslie
Oh Robin Robin Robin - you must be new here...
Erin Stayton
😂 that made me lol
MaryJo Boyle
Just forwarded this post to our two daughters with chickens. 😎
judy
blanket...great, but getting all those trees in the barrel was the real work of art! how many times did the barrel tip and they all fall on your toe! great job!
Anemone
There is just something so warm about the way you decorated. I love it all. That chalkboard art is way too cool. I want to sit on your chair. Your logs and garlands are perfect.
nancy
oh my!!! headed to Ikea later this morning!
yea I barely like Christmas so this decor works for me. so beautiful.
but.......I don't mean to complain but I don't see a lighted orb anywhere? Last year mine inspired (kept the ground warm) for a huge recurrent bout of purple petunias. It was so interesting to see them coming up out of the snow. It did snow quite a bit... Ok, even if it is Seattle......I had petunias blooming in March. So shut up, it was snow for weeks, about 2 weeks. Kinda interfered with the orbness. But it was all good.
Karen
LOL. No orbs this year Nancy. I change things up and I've had the orbs for many years now. So they're retired for the time being. ~ karen!
Nancyeileen
As always, LUV it!
You're a true inspiration.
Lovely to see the chickens enjoying the Christmas season, too!
Merry Christmas, Karen!
Pax et bonum!
Bonnie
Bah, Humbug! I don't get into Christmas. I wish we could have it no more than every other year. I would think of moving to a country that doesn't celebrate Christmas, but I don't think there are any. I was in Beijing a couple of years ago in December, and they had Christmas decorations everywhere! I asked about it and was told that they don't really understand it or know what it is about, but they have gotten into the commercial aspects and kitsch. But, I know that even if I did find such a place, they would probably have some other equally irritating holiday.
BUT... your decorations are very pretty, and I agree with Lauren that the lettering is tres cool.
Deb
I, too, was gasping at that blanket, although here in the Pacific Northwest, we refer to all of them as Pendleton blankets...doesn't matter who actually makes them. I'm definitely in the spirit, but have yet to decorate anything at all as I'm sewing sewing sewing. Everything is simply lovely.
Bols
Karen,
I have to say that your house and back yard are far more impressive than 99% of the home featured in Style At Home and/or in The Canadian House and Home.
Sinking 60 into a kitchen renovation does not inspire me - but you and your house always do.
All the photos in this post are charming but the very first one doubly so. I just love seeing the chickies behind the "dowel gate" (is there official name for it)? - I bet you whip it up using you left hand only when you had 20 minutes to spare.
Your blog and Apartment Therapy are my most favourite sites on the internet and even though I don't comment often, I look almost every day.
Thank you for all the joy and inspiration that you provide and best wishes of Merry Christmas (and plentiful postings) in 2012 from Kitchener.
Karen
Thanks Bols! You know I was featured in Style at Home, right? ;) Never Canadian House and Home though. Or The Ladies home Journal. Or even Backyard Poultry. Hmm. Glad to inspire! Don't think for a minute when I start making millions that I won't be doing a kitchen renovation myself. I will. I'll probably just do it myself. ~ karen
Bols
Hi Karen,
Of course I know your house was in Style At Home. That's one of the issues that I hang on to (in order to get the piles of magines under control, I give old issues [or those that I feel are uninspiring] to one of the girls working in our cafeteria. She is young and as a kitchen help, she probably buy magazines so I gladly pass on what I am done with]). But the issue with your house is not going anywhere!
Karen
Hah! Fingers crossed for Dwell. That's the next one I'd like to be in. My coop at least. :) ~ karen
Jeanette
With all those beautiful decorations you probably get double the eggs from the girls... (Eggnog?!)