Just a little Christmas fun.....

Just for the fun of it, I am going to post pictures of some of my Christmas fun....traditions, visits, and decorations.

Traditions

We have three traditions at Christmas that have stood the test of time........

1. Decorating the Christmas tree. This is a huge family time. Since I can remember, that night has been spent with lots of food, Christmas music, egg nog and lots of ornaments.  Most years, I have given all my kids a new ornament the night we decorate the tree.

2. After we have gone to church on Christmas Eve,we come home and eat something simple then open one gift. Sometime in early December we draw names between the six of us and that is the gift we open Christmas Eve. Then, we watch a Christmas movie.

3. We always open our gifts on Christmas morning. There is no exception to this rule. Santa comes in the middle of the night even when your kids are 24, 22, 19, and 16.

Here are some pics from our tree decorating party...

I served chili in mugs that I had painted with chalkboard paint, then written their names on.

I made them each a yarn ball ornament this year. I know my boys probably think it's weird but one day they will appreciate it. :)

Corbin

Ross

 

Christiana

 

Elise

All done!

And decorating the tree would not be complete without the use of our Christmas goblets filled with egg nog. I bought these glasses from Arby's in Cleveland, Tn when Elise was 2 years old. They have hung in there for 22 years. Amazing.

One other tradition that hasn't been around as long but is one of my personal favorites is the Jesse Tree. Several years ago I made ornaments to go with all the major Bible stories all the way to the birth of Christ. Since my kids are older, I usually end up doing this one by myself but I enjoy reading the stories and hanging the ornaments as part of a devotional time each day.

If you look close you can see the stories...I promise. Creation, Joseph's coat of many colors, Rahab's red cord, Passover, the burning bush, Jacob's ladder and so many more.

Visits

I felt so overly busy this year but one thing I really wanted to do was to have some "wiser" women over for coffee. I love women of all ages and usually if you take time to listen, you can learn a lot from those with a few more years of experience than yourself. It was sort of like a decade of gals. I'm in my forties, three ladies were in their 60's, one in her 70's, one in her 80's, and one in her 90's. We had tea and coffee in my ever loved china cups with molasses cake and whipped cream served on the china dessert plates. It was a true tea party. I asked all the ladies to share their favorite Christmas memory and to share one piece of advice they would give me about life. I loved every minute.

From left to right:

Rose, Jeanette, Myself, Linda, Sharon, Marilyn, Monie.

Decorations

I put out very few decortations this year. I decided to only put out the things I love and then I added some new decorations too.

This was one of my favorites because it was all old stuff I grouped together.

My friend Alicia and I made these this year. I love it but my husband thinks it leaves a lot to your imagination.

Sometimes simple is best. I made this pedastal from a plate and vase I bought at Salvation Army.

This is in my kitchen above my stove. Love, love, love this.

Picked up these adorable, vintage Christmas cards while in Bristol with Alicia then I turned them into garland. I wanted to stencil the piece of wood sitting on top of the piano but I never got it done. It is a piece of old siding from our house.

I love these Christmas geese. Found these at the Dollar Store about 5 years ago.

Whew! Didn't think this blog would turn out this long. Sorry if I bored you. Having your own blog is like being the editor of your own home magazine. Thanks for reading.

Love,

Robin