Our Quirky Christmas

Well it is finally Christmas eve, and after all the little children suffer through attend Christmas eve services and dinners with their families, hopefully when they go to bed they will feel confident in the amount of good behavior they have exhibited throughout the past year.  Enough goodness, at least, so that their Christmas morning hopes and dreams come true.

We are ready here.  Christmas will come whether we are ready or not.  The story of the birth of the baby Jesus will be retold in countless homes and places of worship throughout the world.  We will wish blessings on our friends and family.  We will enjoy food and fellowship with those we love.

Here then are a few looks at some of the Christmas decor around our home.  Our decorations are simple but meaningful to us.

This little tree is only about 15 inches high but has been in the family quite a while.  We had it for several years before daughter Sarah took it back to college with her at the end of her first semester.  This little tree gave her tiny dorm room a festive feel, and helped her get through her final exams, knowing soon she'd be home for Christmas with the family.

After she graduated, son Caleb used the same little tree in his college rooms for the next five years.  Perhaps the grandchildren will want to borrow it someday to use when they go to college.

I've noticed quite a phenomenon during the past month involving this "Elf on a Shelf" tradition.  My understanding is that the elf keeps his eye on the children, watching to be sure they are behaving.  Some creative people move the elf every night to a different vantage point after their children have gone to bed.  Others stage their elves in a series of comical positions and situations.

We don't have an Elf on the Shelf, we just have a little snowman.  Up there, watching us:

I suppose it's good to recycle, repurpose, and reuse, so I saved these pine cones and berries from a floral bouquet daughter Sarah received following her recent surgery.  They made these plain white presents look simple and elegant.

Here is the bouquet that provided the package decorations:

Here are some Christmas presents wrapped a la Martha Stewart style.  Actually, I was a little lazy and didn't want to go find the ribbons and bows, so I just made the bows out of paper scraps.  

The angel that sits atop our Christmas tree could be nearly 25 years old.  It was made by one of our daughters at a girls club meeting many years ago.  We cannot bear to get rid of it, and so year after year, it finds its way back to the top of our tree.

A closer look shows the angel is cradling a pickle.  Typically we hide the pickle in the tree, and the grandkids see who can find it first.  I wonder if they will think to look up there.

Son Caleb hung this sprig of "mistletoe" in the doorway.  I wonder if he plans to stand under there and make use of it?  

Our well-loved manger scene is carefully arranged up on the fireplace mantel.  

One recent day I looked up there and noticed this additional tiny stocking.  I suppose son Caleb added it for his puppy Sheila.

And speaking of Sheila, she loves our tree decorations.  She particularly likes this bird ornament.  She especially likes its feathers.  Well, let me be honest here - she just likes eating its feathers.

And here's one last look at our amazing candy cabin.  Oh, Sheila had a lick-fest with the tootsie roll logs the other day too.  Stinker.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!