Who has been naughty? Who has been nice?
After at least one more shopping trip, I think we will be ready to celebrate our Savior's birth! Wait... then there's present wrapping, goodie baking, egg nog drinking, merry making, and "caroling, caroling in the snow" to squeeze in before the end of the holiday season. Why must we create such busy schedules for ourselves? Each year I try to simplify, and I'd like to think I'm getting better at doing the important stuff first.
So are decorations, Poinsettias, and holiday busyness really necessary in order to celebrate Christmas? Probably not. But it's tradition. And tradition is the glue that holds families together. At the Smith Haus, tradition dictates that we have to make Buckeyes and molasses spice cookies. And peanut butter fudge. So, maybe it's really sugar that's the glue; not tradition.
Our family attempts to keep Jesus at the center of the season, yet liberally sprinkle in the joy and cheer that colorful lights (or plain, clear ones), wreaths, the holly and the ivy, fudge, friends, family time, peace on Earth, goodwill toward men, etc... add to the festive celebration.
Wanna see how we have decked the halls?
Thanks to several jumbo packs of shatterproof ornaments from Costco, I was able to dress up the front door wreath and garland with glittery old-fashioned looking decorations.
I wanted our front entry to look like it came off the cover of Frontgate catalog, without the Frontgate price. Mission accomplished!
Our street is aglow with Christmas lights.
To change things up, we decided to hang the stockings (with care, of course) by the outdoor fireplace. Santa doesn't even need to use the chimney.
The old "Shiny Brite" ornaments in this basket are fragile, but I simply must display them every year. These vintage beauties likely date back to the 1940s and 1950s. A few of the decorations are from Mr. Smith's side of the family -- his grandma's and/or mom's ornaments. The majority of the oldies, but goodies, are treasures we acquired from cleaning out our first home. The original owner of our Spokane bungalow was a ninety-something-year-old gentleman, Mr. White. When Mr. W. passed away, his daughter quickly put the house on the market. Mr. White had lived there since the 1920s. The daughter didn't care to thoroughly clean things out. When we took ownership, we ended up with several pieces of furniture, an antique mirror, a few boxes of "Shiny Brite" ornaments, as well as a lot of junkyard worthy items.
One of the most unique ornaments is shaped like a tea pot -- short and stout. (You can see it in the lower left corner of the basket. While it is not my favorite, it is interesting looking.) As I was surfing the Web, I found an antique ornament just like it, selling for $10.
Its value? Priceless!
