By The Chimney with Care...

What does company visiting at Thanksgiving mean in my world? Someone to get the Christmas decorations out of my garage, of course! :) Since I don't have a honey of my own, when my dad comes to town he gets the list of honey-dos that accumulate in his absence. This visit: retrieve decorations.

This lovely little tree is one that I got a few years ago as a throw-away from mom's interior design store. The base of the vase was broken, and dad (being the honey-doer that he is) super glued it together for me to use in my home. He also super glued his fingers together and I learned some new swear words from him when it happened, so it was an educational experience for all of us. :)

My friend Nicole sends me a new ornament for the tree every year and it has really filled out quite nicely. The cute little plates are from Nicole's mom, Clarita, and they make a nice little addition to the festive display. Clarita's full name is Clarita Culpepper, which really adds nothing to this story other than the fact that I think it's fun to say her name out loud. (It takes very little to entertain me.)

This little tree is my easiest decoration every year because rather than taking everything off and redecorating it, I just put a garbage bag over it and put it on a shelf in the garage. Remove the bag and, Voila! Instant Christmas!

This year, though, I get TWO trees! :) This one is sitting on top of Riley's kennel in my red room (where I spend most of my time). This was my Thanksgiving surprise when mom and dad came to visit and I'm loving it. I'm starting to wonder why the soft glow of a Christmas tree isn't encouraged year-round, but I've decided I may start a tradition and declare this a red-room tree and never put it away. I don't think Riley will care one way or the other and all of my friends pretty much know I'm nutty already, so I shouldn't get too many complaints.

These are my snow babies... I'm not really the "collector" type, but when my friend's daughter Alex was little (she's the one who wanted to be sick like me when she grew up) I would give her a snow baby every year for Christmas and they started returning the gesture in kind. Before I knew it I had a little wonderland. I couldn't fit any more on my piano if I tried, but it's one of my favorite little decorative additions over the holidays. And for the record, I don't make Dawn dust the top of the piano this time of year... no one deserves that kind of knick knack torture.

And this display is my actual all-time favorite decoration. I love the Willow Tree figurines and three of my friends (Susie, Meg and Jenny) got this for me one time as a surprise when I came home from a long hospital stay (I've told you I have the nicest friends ever). I love it because it's from them, and because the nativity scene was always my favorite thing when I was a little girl. That little baby Jesus was taken out of his manger and re-swaddled more than any real live baby would ever need in a lifetime. We eventually got a new one when Joseph lost a nose and the donkey was missing half of its body... but I kind of wish we still had that Jesus in the manger. Just sentimental, I guess.

And this is the one stocking, hung by the chimney with care.

The stocking reads, "The Boss." I don't think any further explanation is really necessary.