I”ll go ahead and say it again…I’m a bad blogger. I get easily carried away in all the things going on around me and before I know it weeks have passed. I’m working on a schedule to remedy that in the new year, we’ll see how it goes.
So here’s a hodge-podge of what’s been going on.
Mike got my mantle done and put up! I love it. It’s a piece of cedar that he worked on to give it a hand-hewn look.

New Mantle
We’ve been loving the fireplace. We’ve spent many evenings curled up in front of it since it’s decided to turn cold in the South.

Fireplace
Christmas really crept up on me this year, and I’m still playing catch up. Being the first year in the new house, I was excited, and intimidated, with the Christmas decorating, so in keeping with my usual way of handling that, I didn’t get much done at all. Maybe next year.
I did get wreaths on the front windows. We did get a tree up, although it’s not what we planned. We’ve always had a real tree. When Mike and I married, he brought an artificial tree with him, but it’s been in the attic for years (I didn’t remember we had it actually). Since my son Adam turned 13 years old, he and I have had a tradition of going out and getting a real tree each year. He cuts it down, we get hot chocolate (in recent years that changed to coffee) and then we take the tree home, where he and Mike get it in the stand, ready for Courtney and I to decorate while we listen to our favorite Christmas cds.
This year we broke tradition. Our new house is many miles from where we usually go tree hunting, so we decided to look in our new area. We waited until two weeks after Thanksgiving, so we were already very late and rushed. We couldn’t find anything to our liking, so Mike suggested that for this year we bring out the artificial tree and use it, and plan better next year. So we did. It’s pretty. BUT, it’s tiny. It’s six feet tall, and in this giant great room, it needs to be about 15 feet tall. Next year.

Little Christmas Tree
I have many, many Dept 56 North Pole Village pieces, but we haven’t figured out how to display them here, so that will be next year too. I did manage one little table.

I collect Santas, so I put some of them on the mantle. Planned to get greenery from our pines to weave amongst them…still haven’t done that (yes, I know what day it is).

Half-decorated mantle
Today is Christmas Eve, and Mike and I are lounging around in front of the fire napping, snacking, listening to the wind howling outside and waiting for the ‘Christmas Story’ marathon to start tonight. We’ll make cookies this afternoon to deliver to our two neighbors on our little road.
Adam will come tomorrow and hang out in front of the fire, exchange gifts and watch the movie marathon with us. Our traditional Christmas lunch is potato soup, so there will be a big pot of that, as well as too many snacks to last throughout the day. Courtney is going to Birmingham with a friend, so if we don’t see her tonight, it will be the weekend. That’s the thing about your kids being grown up, it doesn’t always work the way you would like on holidays, but she will be with people that she cares about and will have a great time, and we’ll catch up.
We’ll go to dad’s on Saturday, where my siblings will join us and dad will have turkey and dressing, ham and too much other stuff. My contribution is his favorite dessert…coconut cake.
So as I close this post, I want to wish you all the very merriest and happiest of Christmases for those of you that celebrate tomorrow, and a wonderful day off for those that don’t. I’ll leave you with some of my favorite ornaments.

Little Adam

Little Courtney

Home made angel

Little angel made by Jackie

Crochet star made by friend's grandmother

Antique store find about 25 years ago

One of my favorite Santas

Maui 2006 Festival of Canoes ornament

I do love a Santa ornament

Luke 2:11
The angel said unto them …. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
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