Christmas is Here! December Twenty-second

 Hmm, I've really fallen behind on posting this month. Oh well, I'll offer my standard excuse lately... it's 2020! haha

We normally have our Family Christmas the weekend before Christmas. This allows our kids' families to spend Christmas with the in-laws. Cuts down on lots of stress for them (I hope). 

This year, however, our son and his family from KS are flying in on Christmas Eve Day so we're having Family Christmas on Christmas Eve. A first for us.

I'm so blessed that we'll all be together during the holiday season. We're all healthy. Everyone who wants to work has work. Indeed, the only adults who have had to work from home during this time are the ones who work at schools. Everyone else has continued to go to work every day. As I said, so blessed.

Today I'm sharing a photo of our main Christmas tree. It stands in the Family Room. This is the tree we put the presents around. It is 9-feet tall and the lights blink between colored and clear. I love this tree. Unfortunately, it's branches are beginning to break. It's very difficult to decorate with drooping branches. Also, I'm so short that no matter what (unless I bring in an actual ladder) I can't decorate the top foot or so of it from my tallest step stool. Time to downsize. {{sigh}}

Thunder setting up the Christmas train

Ready for Family Christmas

Christmas is Here! December Seventeenth

 

I actually decorate every room in my house. At least in a small way. This is our laundry room. I love decorating this counter because then I don't pile stuff on it. From Thanksgiving through Christmas it looks clean and festive. The rest of the year it is a drop spot for anything and everything that doesn't have a home, or that we're too lazy to put away.

The HoHoHo sign is a new addition this year. I either bought it at Rod Works or At Home. Not sure which. The Santa/Reindeer candles to the right are a gift from Dan's sister years ago. She sent them as a reminder of candles they had when they were growing up. I had those exact same candles in my house too as a child.

The carolers to the left are also candles that Melissa sent. Both Dan and I remember the carolers as having black robes in our homes. The Merry Christmas sign is new from Hobby Lobby. The Rocking Horse Santa is a music box. I'm not sure how long we've had it, but the kids were young when we bought it, so at least 20 years.

Christmas is Here! December Fifteenth

 

This is the bookcase that I use for my year round Christmas Corner. When December arrives, I remove the Christmas Corner decor and place it around the house replacing it here with another "scene". When Christmas is over, I will choose the items that I want to leave up all year and create the new Christmas Corner. This bookcase sits right outside of my bedroom door and I enjoy passing by it several times each day and catching a glimpse of Christmas!

Christmas is Here! December Thirteenth

The annual cookie exchange today was a huge success!! 

I wanted to try to make special packaging for my cookies. I found some holiday cellophane I had bought from Current, Inc years ago and used it to make a tower of goodies. I found the mailbox at the top at Dollar Tree in September and used it to hold candy. The mail flag is up with each family's name written on it for easy handout.

The granddaughters made ornaments using glass balls and paint. The ladies each received a unique candle. We shared food and then divided up the goodies.

A good time was had by all!

Christmas is Here! December Twelfth

 The women in our family have (try to have) an annual Cookie Exchange. We started out by bringing all of our ingredients to one house and baking together. Then we divided everything up and had goodies to last the rest of the season.

Last year we changed things up. We included the grandgirls and did our baking ahead of time. We brought our baked goods to exchange, the little girls did a craft and it was awesome.

We're following that model this year. Tomorrow is our Cookie Exchange. I've been baking all week and am so excited! I have an idea for packaging my baked goods, which I will share with you tomorrow after the event.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with an idea of what I'm taking:

Mini M&M cookies

Peanut Clusters, Caramel Clusters, Cashew Clusters

Peanut Butter Fudge

Peanut Butter Balls

Chocolate Crinkles

Sugar Cookies

Grinch Cookies

Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups (pictured below)

Christmas is Here! December Eleventh

 Two more weeks!

Christmas is Here! December Tenth

 

I have decorated the niche in the hallway in similar fashion the past few years. I enjoy heading down the hall toward the bedrooms and seeing the snowflakes shimmering in the "air"!

Unfortunately, the silver tree was damaged when I took it out of the tub this year. The plastic feet had warped in the heat. I guess I'll have to come up with a new display next year!

Christmas is Here! December Ninth

 This year has been a total bust when it comes to my cross-stitching goals. I started out great, but then when the grandkids came home from school in March and stayed home until October... well, my stitching came to a screeching halt.

I did manage to finish a stocking for my youngest grandchild...

I'm just thrilled that I got it done before her 2nd Christmas!

Now it's on to planning next year's stitching goals. Hope I can meet some of them at least! haha

Christmas is Here! December Eighth

 Today I'm sharing some new decor. I found these white enamel bells at Hobby Lobby this summer when the Christmas decor was first being stocked. I also found this vintage felt-type banner. I wasn't sure what I would do with them, but they reflected the decor style change I was looking to make for this year.

I tried placing them in a few spots in the house, but settled on the French Doors leading to the backyard. The wreaths are "live" from Costco. The red bells are a purchase from three years ago at Hobby Lobby. The poinsettia garland is old as dirt, who knows where I got it.

It's such a simple bit of decor, but I get compliments on it from everyone who comes into my house. Sometimes (usually) less really is more!

Christmas is Here! December Seventh

 One of the casualties of Christmas 2020 is our Christmas Village. I haven't put it up this year because I have to place to put it.

I love the Village. I don't like storing it. And I've never found a good place to display it in the seven years we've lived in this house.

I've tried many options:

2013: Our first year in the house. We set up a folding table, 

covered it with a sheet and stuck it in our empty front room.

2015: I set a few selected pieces on flat surfaces around the house.

2016: We had purchased a dining table with two long benches.

I set them up in the entryway and the Village found a new home.

This worked for a few years until the Village grew too large to fit on the benches.

2019: The Village was divided into two rooms. 

At that, we still couldn't put all of the buildings out. 

I really enjoy the Village. I just can't figure out where to put it. 

This year with many of our trees needing to be replaced I think I'm discovering the joy of many small trees instead of fewer large trees. I'm looking at rooms with a new eye and imagining a 3-ft or 4-ft tree for next year. 

Since we already know our 9-ft Main Tree is on its last year and will be replaced with a 7.5-ft tree, maybe I can set up the Village in the Family Room where the Main Tree usually goes.

Stay tuned for next year! In the meantime, I'm enjoying this year... even though the Village is MIA.

Christmas is Here! December Sixth

 You may remember I shared a newly purchased "Birch Tree" earlier this week. It was the 4-ft tall tree. I also bought a 3-ft tall tree. It is in the office on my craft desk. It has a Peanuts theme. I plan to leave it up year around. Several years ago Hallmark ran a Peanuts series that featured a new ornament each month. I bought that, but have never had a good place to display it. It has roamed around the house, never quite at home. 

Now they have a home! I place them on the tree along with the few Peanuts ornaments I own and am pleased with the result.

Thank you for visiting! Hope your Christmas season is joyful.

Christmas is Here! December Fifth

 Another tree that I enjoy showcasing each year had serious issues. A few years ago when I unpacked my purple Grammy Tree, the feet of the stand had melted and become deformed while stored in the box in the garage over our hot summer. I really wanted the Grammy Tree to be purple, as it's my favorite color, and managed to get the tree to stand for a two more years. But, I knew it was time to let it go.

Walmart to the rescue. I purchased a silver 3-ft tree for $16. Yes, it's exactly like the silver tree I'm using for the Snow Tree this year.

It's not purple, but it is so sparkly with the lights on.

New Grammy Tree

Hallmark Thimble Nativity from decades ago.

New ornament this year: Hallmark Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

Another new Hallmark ornament for 2020

The Grammy Tree is decorated with ornaments purchased the birth year of each of my seven Grands. I also have ornaments that reflect my hobbies and interests. Plus ornaments celebrating the fact that I am a Grammy!

This is one of my favorite trees and I enjoy displaying it each year.

Christmas is Here! December Fourth

Three Weeks to Go!

 

Christmas is Here! December Third

 I'm not sure how a tree can be in working condition when you pack it away after Christmas only to find that it is no longer working when you unpack it the next year. But, it happens. And it happened to me this year. I packed away my white "Snow Tree" only to unpack it this year with none of the lights working. I don't spend a lot of money on trees (except for the Main Tree) so if I can get three to four years out of them I'm satisfied. The problem is that (at least here in the Phoenix area in 2020) the tree inventory at the stores is pretty well depleted at this time. 

Fortunately I found a tree at Walmart for $16 that works. Actually, I bought two of them, but I'll save that story for later.

This is a little silver tree decorated with snowmen and snow related ornaments. It sits in our front window. Our front room currently serves as the Library, Train Room and Kids' TV room. No new ornaments for this tree this year. I'm not sure if that's because I wasn't inspired or just didn't see anything I liked.

I love the acrylic Nativity, though. Especially the Palm Tree which looks like have the yards in our neighborhood! haha

Christmas is Here! December Second

As you enter my home, you're met by a new addition to this year's decor. 

Hobby Lobby had these "Birch" trees and I just fell in love with them. I bought this 4-ft. tall tree to put the Hallmark Window Ornaments on. I've been collecting them since 2006 and now have 14 of them. They used to go on our main tree, but I'm enjoying being able to see them all together.

This is the 2020 Ornament:

I placed a little "Welcome" vignette at the bottom of the stand.

Hmm, obviously I need to move the hanging extra cords down to the bottom. This tree is so bright and that's one of the things I like about it. I should have room for a few more years of Window ornaments if Hallmark continues to make them.

Christmas is Here! December First

 Oh my, I am so ready for the Christmas Season. I mean I'm emotionally ready, I'm not actually organizationally ready. 

But, it is what it is and I will continue to work at it. I hope I'm done by Saturday. That's my goal.

Do you ever drop and break ornaments when you're decorating for Christmas? I do. Every year I drop at lest one ornament. As I was decorating my last little tree I dropped two ornaments.

As you can see, I dropped two mini glass balls. I always feel terrible when I break an ornament. Although I have to admit I feel less terrible when it's not an heirloom or Hallmark ornament. 

As I stood there looking at the debris, I realized that in the big picture of life, this is nothing. It's certainly nothing in 2020. And for some reason in that moment I was flooded with gratefulness.

I'm grateful that I have a home to decorate. I'm grateful that our family has not been directly affected by the Coronavirus. I'm grateful that all of the adults in our family were able to keep going to work every single day during this difficult time. I'm grateful that our family lives close together (except the son in KS) and we see each other at least once a week. I'm so grateful.

So I'll get out the dust pan, sweep this up and move on to the Main Tree. Hopefully, I won't drop any more ornaments. But if I do, I'll sweep it up and keep going.

I'm eager to read all of your Christmas Blog Posts. They inspire me every year!

Christmas Countdown: 7 Weeks

Christmas Countdown: 8 Weeks

Christmas Countdown: 9 Weeks

Christmas Time's a'Comin'

 Oh boy! Only two months to go until Christmas Day! 

Have you been working toward a stress-free Christmas? I have. If ever we needed less stress this is the year. I've finished shopping for several people in my family. I have prepared my Family Christmas menu and my Christmas Day menu. I've wrapped all the gifts I've purchased to this point. And I'm finished with stocking stuffers for half the family.

This year has been chaotic at my house. My daughter and her two kids moved in on February 1st. She's having a house built and should get the keys on November 10th. We knew they would be living here for several months, but we had no idea that the virus was coming.

The kids school closed down March 13th and we began the awful, horrible, ridiculous, stressful, inadequate process of distance learning. It was really a joke for the rest of that school year. We survived Grammy's Summer Camp with virtually no activities. Thank goodness we have a swimming pool. Then began distance learning for the new school year. It is somewhat improved, but still incredibly stressful. My daughter works for a company that contracts with DCS, and is responsible for 150+ kids living in 18 group homes. She was working 12+ hour days for several months so the kids schooling fell to me. I felt (and feel) so inadequate.

Plus our house is stuffed to the brim with our stuff, their stuff, the stuff she's buying for the new house. I joke that I live in a warehouse.

Now Christmas is coming. The photo above shows my storage option this year for purchased/wrapped gifts. It's not great, but it works! 

I wish I could start decorating on November 1st, but with so much stuff in the house, there's no way. She will start moving on November 13th and I hope to start decorating with a vengeance that weekend!

I have managed to make and freeze 18 dozen Peanut clusters, 10 dozen Cashew clusters, and two Pistachio Bread loaves, so I feel good about that.

Hope you're making progress on having a stress-free Holiday Season!

Christmas Countdown: 10 Weeks

Christmas Countdown: 11 Weeks

Christmas Countdown: 12 Weeks

Christmas Countdown: 13 Weeks

Christmas Countdown: 14 Weeks

Christmas Countdown: 15 Weeks

Christmas Countdown: 17 Weeks

Christmas Time's a'Comin'

 Time is flyin' by! I have "Fall Fever", a serious case of it and began decorating the house for Fall this week. Even though the temps are hovering around 115 degrees.

And you know what comes after Fall... Christmas!

I'm busy buying and wrapping gifts. This year I'm using gift boxes and gift bags for all of the presents. This past weekend I managed to wrap gifts and fill stockings with stuffers.

This year I'm using a new method for the stocking. In the past I used gift sacks and put each person's stuffers in their sack, filling the stockings the night before Family Christmas. It worked... for a while. But the past few years as the Grands got older I often bought stuffers that were too large for the stockings. 

So this year, I'm using the Hallmark bags like the one below. I have one bag per family. I put the stuffers in the stockings and then set them in the bag for their family. So far, so good! I discovered yesterday that I'm done with one grandchild using this method. All of the stockings are slightly different sizes, but I use a number limit on stocking stuffers (based on the age of the recipient.) The adults get the same amount, but the one year old gets less than the 11 year old.

I had to laugh yesterday when we Skyped with our family in KS. I could see that my DIL had started decorating for Fall. I commented on it and she said "yes, I just NEED a change". I completely agree with her. I can't control much about my life right now, but I CAN control my environment!

Christmas Countdown: 18 Weeks

Christmas Countdown: 19 Weeks

Christmas in July Day Thirty One ~ 21 Weeks to go!