Deck the Halls... and Windows

This year, the Smith kids pretty much get all of the credit for getting the "halls" decked. Mr. Smith and I assisted, too, but it was mainly Millie Girl who was crackin' the whip in order to get the Christmas decorating chore checked off of the to-do list. I probably shouldn't refer to decorating as a chore, but I think you know what I mean -- right? The project took nearly a week to complete, and the end results are holly, jolly indeed.

The indoor Christmas decorating was compounded by the fact that we are in the midst of a home improvement project. (Thanks, Markkkk and Mr. Smith!) We decked the windows in the family room and kitchen with wood trim, a total of eleven windows, so the sawdust has been flying.

I am growing quite weary of filling nail holes, sanding, caulking, priming, and sanding some more. There is a fine layer of dust EVERYWHERE! Even the dust is getting dusty. And my index finger is calloused from smoothing the bead of caulk, but we are almost ready for paint. This is fussy work at its finest. And it cannot be rushed. The prep work is the most important step in the process, but it has taken what seems like forever to complete.

Aside from all of this decorating and home improving, we also had a weekend of Nutcracker thrown in there for good measure. It's been busy 'round these parts.

Men at work...

Although the project is not yet completed, I figure that I can give you a sneak peek of the progress.

Back to the CHRISTmas decorations:

What a delightful daughter!

Although you cannot see 'em, there are two big, brown Maine Coons sacked out under our tree. Our feline friends are responsible for decorating the tree skirt with globs of fur, so they are helpers, too. I am not sure what it is about Christmas trees, whether they are real of artificial, but cats seems to love to hide beneath the branches. At least B&J don't climb the tree or knock ornaments off -- well, they haven't done that yet. There's still time.

Festive festoons

We've been told by someone that the lighted swags look like a capital letter "M".  Hmmmm... if so, I guess it stands for Merry Christmas. Or sMith? Or Mele Kalikimaka? Or it'll take Much Money to pay the electric bill?

Thanks to Millie Girl for taking this photo with her phone -- good work!

The backyard even has a jolly feel to it.

 The stocking are hung... with care, of course.

Up on the rooftop -- LEDs glow!

We have lost count how many years we have been outfitting the family car with festive lights. I believe the first year was when we were living in Tulsa, in 1995. That was w-a-y back when there were only TWO lil' Smithlings.

I managed to find this old photo of the Explorer sleigh. Despite the road grime, the '92 Black Beauty was definitely stylin' with lights and red bows.

We started out using battery operated lights, but learned that the batteries died very quickly in the bitterly cold temperatures. The drive up I-44 from OK to IN was a lot merrier in a decked out rig, and the wee passengers in the vehicle seemed happier with the lights on. (On long road trips, happy is good, no matter what the cost.) We would stock up on more than enough D cells to make the round trip. We should have bought stock in the Energizer Bunny while we were at it. 

We then we advanced to 12V strands that plugged into the car's auxiliary power outlet. Those worked well, but one by one the bulbs burnt out and we couldn't find replacements. This year, we are using good ol' regular Christmas lights made in China that plug into a 12V DC to 110V AC power inverter. We get lots of smiles and waves from those we meet on the roads. Don't mind us, we're just out spreading holiday cheer as we roll merrily along. ;-)

The decorating may be completed, but there remains that little detail of shopping to attend to. And there are final exams for our student population, but it'll soon be time for FUN!

Let the reindeer games begin...