"It's beginning to look a lot like Chistmas..."

It's really a shame that the warm glow of twinkle lights doesn't show up at all in photos. I think my home is much more cozy than the pictures let on, but I thought I'd post anyway, because I know my mom will shed tears of joy and say, "well done young Jedi" when she sees all my trees. There are four.

I made this advent calendar with Lynda when I was waiting to go into labor with Reese. She was born the next day, and I remember the anticipation I felt waiting for my newborn every single time I see it. Reese and Quincy love putting the little ornaments on the tree and counting the days until Christmas.
The Almond Box replica that was made as a decoy gift in 2005. The likeness is uncanny. At our house, it sits out for display at Christmastime to remind us of the importance of family togetherness, keeping traditions alive, and how good it feels to be the favorite ;).
Reese's tree-colored lights (to Aaron's delight), gold bows, and traditional ornaments. There's a present for Aaron in the big box the tree is sitting on. Shhhh... :)
This nativity set was mine as a little girl. I think my Great Aunt Irene gave it to me. I can remember spending HOURS at the piano (it's home was the same place on our piano) rearranging the people. I was so sad to hear that baby Jesus disappeared the year I left for college. We thought for sure that it was behind the piano in the living room, but when my parent's moved, Baby Jesus was not found. It's very possible that my nephew ate him, or that it was swallowed up by the red/gold/fuchsia shag carpet we had in that room. I bought some modeling clay a few weeks ago and I'm going to try to make a baby just like the one that belonged to the set. The girls have had fun playing with it this year. Mom, I want the other nativity set, too!

All of my photos have been swapped out with holiday pictures from Christmas' past. My favorite is this one of Reese biting 1 year old Quincy between takes on a family photo.

Oh yeah...the chairs are done!

I scored the enormous ornaments at the Associate's store for 50 cents - $1 each.
Maybe next year I'll build a mantle over our fireplace. The white and gray stone and grout are just awful, but I because we use the fireplace so often, I don't want to mess with a wood facade, and I haven't come up with any other options to update it that are affordable. I guess I could tile it.

my "grown up" tree. Yes, I was a good mom and I let the girls help hang all the red balls. Yes, I went back and rearranged them after they went to bed. Don't judge me, they each got a tree of their OWN to decorate that I did not touch (as much as I would like to).

Reese and Aaron are absolutely disgusted that I have no star or angel on top.

Santa's helper asleep on the sofa.

see the gold thingie to the left of our wedding pictures? That's for Christmas cards. So far, we've only received one. Get on it people, so it looks like we have more friends!


Quincy's tree: traditional ornaments, purple stars, and gold bows that she stole from Reese's tree. The stockings to the left will soon be replaced with homemade ones.
Jingle bells, red berries, and gingerbread men on the kitchen tree.
Ho Ho Ho!
The elves have more work to do.

"Gosh Oh Gee, How Happy I'd Be If I Could Only Whistle"

(I'm having trouble downloading pictures from my camera, but I have MANY...hopefully I'll figure it out soon)

Isn't it funny how particular we can be about holiday traditions? We are such funny creatures...don't want to do anything that might change the feel, or take away some of the magic.

For example, I want the tree up until the day after Thanksgiving, and I want it DOWN the day after Christmas...for sure by New Years. I hate leftover Christmas decorations. So...there's the predicament...can't start too early, CAN'T drag it past the 25th. We finally have a pretty good system going to ease Christmas in, without suffocating the Day of Thanks and Giving.

Before our first Christmas, my mom bought us An Old English Christmas from a holiday boutique. She knew we would love it and we do. So much, that it has sort of become the only "pre-holiday holiday music" we will listen to before Thanksgiving. This is the 8th November it will make me very very happy. I highly recommend it to anyone...but especially anyone who loves an acoustic guitar and a viola.
I LOVE it, LOVE it, LOVE it. It makes me happy all November, year after year.

But, I require more than 25 days a year to perfect my "chestnuts roasting".

Then, like magic,
last week... HE came.
He's finally here.

The music echoed down the hall, through the cracked bedroom door, and onto my bed, where I lay wallowing in the sick bay.
He is magic.
Enough magic to bring a very sick meg out of the bat cave, to join her man in dancing with 2 little ballerinas in jammies in the living room

...and teach them all the choreography (perfected since 6th grade, thank you very much) to "Buon Natale".
He's magic.
Nat, baby....you've haven't been around for awhile. I'm so glad you found us,
and now that you're here...

Christmas is here.

..and it's here to stay.
...even though it's only Nov 10th.