Finally Decorating the Tree

We decorated our tree about two weeks later than usual. December seemed to be even more front-loaded than usual this year. Am I the only one who thinks people think they need to plan something early before people get "busy" only to find that everyone has planned their stuff early...so then we are all REALLY busy...then it slows down approaching Christmas? Maybe in the US, people need to do that because people travel for Christmas, but here, people rarely travel for Christmas. It seems that if they want to go home, they want to do it in the summer when they don't have to rush right back. Anyway, just an observation.



It was a lovely afternoon with the family.



We watched "A Christmas Story" while we worked.

Gorgeous. Coree doesn't like my patriotic twist. She says the streamers should be red, white and green because those are the colors of Christmas. She says there's no blue in Christmas. I tell her the tree is green...that's green enough. If I put red, white and green streamers up, people would think I was going for a Mexican theme. In Japan. On a US military base. People would talk.
(Love ja, MEH-hee-ko...Feliz Navidad!)


I get super-sentimental over Christmas ornaments, anyway, but this year, particularly so. I swear, I remember who gave us each and every ornament, and I always think of the giver (or the occasion I bought it for, if I bought it) when I hang them on the tree.



I had forgotten I'd be unwrapping this one. It's simple enough, but this one is very special. April made it for us with her older daughter years ago. I love to unwrap it every year, and I always think of her...but this year it was another reminder that she's gone. I'm especially glad I have this reminder of her now, though...it will be treasured...just like the ornaments Cliff's grandma gave us over the years.



Here's another that made me weepy. I knew I'd be opening this one, though...



And then this one...which seems especially fitting now, with its halo and wings.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!