Decor

I hate to disappoint, but I must confess that I did not decorate for Christmas this year. At least not in the sense that I always do. I have to blame this on The Burgh Baby's Mom. It's that fun Christmas meme that she tagged me with. It reminded me that sometimes I have to cut back and focus on what's important. I just don't have the time or energy this year to put into the all-out transformation of the house. I've learned from experience that if I force myself to decorate, I'll dread it even more next year. But if I take a year off I'll be gung ho to go all out when the holidays roll around again.

The year our second was born, my in-laws took us all to California for the holidays. We would be gone over Christmas and back just after the first of the year. We had Christmas here with my family before we left, and a celebration with just our little family so that we didn't have to drag gifts across the nation along with the luggage. My in-laws had just removed some shrubs from their house and I took one of the taller, Christmas tree shaped ones and put it in a 5-gallon bucket with gravel to help it stand. I made popcorn strands and paper chain garland. My daughter helped by making handprints cut of paper and sprinkled with glitter. We had all sorts of homemade goodness on that shrub. And right before we left to catch the plane we set it out on the curb for the trash collector. I remember that year as being low key, and oh-so-fun.

So this year I decorated minimally. I did the tree with my large, shiny balls. But in my cheapness I didn't get enough and they're scattered randomly. But that's okay since the only other decorations I added this year are the sentimental ones.

I have to put these snowflakes out every year because my husband's grandmother made them for me. She crocheted some for every granddaughter in the family. (And trust me, it's a lot. I dont' care to count right now.) I loved mine so much that they inspired me to ask Gram to teach me how to crochet. She nearly teared up. She has 9 children and tons of grandchildren. Even many, many great-grandchildren. Not a single one of them ever asked her to teach them to crochet. Gram passed away a few years ago. I hang her ornaments without fail every year.


My in-laws got the kids Hallmark collectible ornaments every year and those are must-hangs as well. They each have a first year through 5th year, and then the series ends so they get fun ornaments that are meaningful. Here's one of the first year ones:

And this is one with meaning they got for Luke last year. He was the shepherd in the Christmas play.


And we have ornaments from our years in Alaska. These are the most tacky things on the face of the earth, but they have meaning.


We also got this from Alaska and I love it. Who knows where the star went, but it's a wood puzzle. It's cut from one piece of wood. Amazing. And beautiful. Each color is a puzzle piece that will slip out.


It just wouldn't be Christmas without the Disney stockings. The year we went to CA, we hit Disney. NEVER GO TO DISNEY OVER THE HOLIDAYS. The insanity is like nothing I can explain. The crowds are horrid. The one redeeming quality about being there at the holidays is the after Christmas sale they have. Everything is on clearance and we came home with lots of Disney goodness. Including a stocking for everyone. Our family has grown since then and we were forced to buy the other stockings at the Disney Store, but we all have a different plushie. Here is my daughter's, direct from Disney, CA.


And that's Christmas at our house this year. Here's the living room, in all it's undecorated goodness. (You'll notice Micah's dish and cup in front of the TV? That's the only place he'll eat.)