It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Welcome to the Christmas season! It's officially here...even though an awful lot of the world started decorating and celebrating long before Thanksgiving. Most years I'm not in favor of that, but this year my attitude is "what the heck!" It's been a tough, depressing year. We can all use a little Christmas magic and joy right about now.

You all know we were expecting to celebrate Thanksgiving alone due to Covid restrictions and waiting on results of our daughter and son-in-law's Covid tests. We were so thankful they came back negative! We made dinner and ate together, but Tim wasn't feeling well. It went downhill from there. The poor guy had another kidney stone and was miserable. He even ended up in the ER around midnight on Friday. He thinks he passed it at this point and is feeling a lot better today, but the long weekend was kind of shot.

Anyway, I don't have much to tell since we mostly just sat at home. So, I'm going to share some pictures of the time and lots of our decorations.  Click on any of them to see them full size. Enjoy!

First up are a couple of photos from Thanksgiving, starting with Leah in her cute holiday outfit...that she would not, no way, no how, allow me to get a good shot of.

Next up is Colton with the old-fashioned cap gun his daddy bought him. All I could think of is the movie A Christmas Story. He was ready to take on Black Bart. 

Leah enjoying a snuggle with Pappy.

Moving on to the decorations. This is my kitchen window. The valance is one of the ones my mom has made me for every season and holiday. The arrangement on the window sill was made by a friend and the Santa is painted on a rock!

This is the island all decked out in the curtains my mom sewed to hide the open storage shelves. I have Christmas, fall, and summer ones. 

This adorable stoneware snowman holds a votive candle and was a $2.99 Goodwill find.

My prized ceramic tree with red bulbs and green birds. I bought it at a garage sale for $2.

A simple little scene on the console under the TV. I love how the fairy lights on the little tree twinkle.

My Charlie Brown Christmas tree and a new garage sale find, the Hallmark musical Snoopy and Woodstock. Snoopy plays several songs from A Charlie Brown Christmas.

I always loved playing with our nativity set when I was a little girl and I wanted my grandchildren to be able to do the same. So I was tickled when Fisher Price came out with a Little People Nativity. Our older grandchildren played with it and asked questions...which was my semi-sneaky way of being able to talk to them about Jesus, something not normally allowed since their parents do not believe.

Two large Santa's in my Santa collection. The hunter Santa looks so much like a friend of ours that it's freaky.

Some more of my Santa collection. I inherited my aunt's Santa's and have kept adding to it. Our son refers to the Santa in the yellow rain slicker as the Gorton's Fisherman Santa. LOL

On the next shelf down is my prized Irish Santa, a couple of vintage Santa's (the one on the far left holds a list of names that includes many that were people in my family), a collection of snowmen, and an ornament set from Hallmark.

This little snowman is a particular favorite. Have you ever seen a snowman with ears before?

This set of Hallmark ornaments was another Goodwill find that I picked up for a song. I thought it was too cute to spread out on the tree.

The Smoker and the little treasure boxes were all my aunt's. The soldier music box was mine when I was a little girl.

This cute moose hangs off the floor lamp and was a 99 cent find at Goodwill.

Some of my more modern Santa's. The one in the middle is taking a selfie!

This side of the shelf includes a Santa with a manger and a pajama-clad Santa.

Here is the whole tree. It's got a red, white, and woodland theme going on. My tree topper is a snowy owl. I didn't put all the ornaments on it this year because...little hands. It still looks pretty to me, though. Colton seems to agree.

Leah is just filled with wonder this year and it's so fun to experience it all through her eyes.

That's it for the tour. Tim has another cord or two to run to finish the outside decorations. When he finishes I'll try to get a good shot or two to share. 

Have a blessed week!