Getting Ready for Christmas!

Traditionally at my house I put all my trees (yes I said trees, I have 4 of them) up in my home and all the other decorations that go with the holiday up on Thanksgiving weekend.   I'm a collector.  One of the things I collect is Christmas ornaments.  I have quite a collection!  I have a Hallmark ball from 1973 to the present.  Well, actually I don't have a 2012 one yet.  It's on the list to complete my decorating.  I started with them when we celebrated our first Christmas in our new home.  They are all carefully kept in their original box and then carefully put into another box when they are not on the tree.  I also have a lot of ornaments that stand for something we did as a family or an individual.  I have a tennis racket (Jim played tennis), a ball glove (Barb played softball), a mailbox (Harry is a mailman), and a whole lot more of that kind of ornament, and then I also have different ornaments from different states.  My latest is from Hawaii that my sister brought me from their recent trip.  I have a lot of Cyclone ornaments (mostly hand painted on tin or wood) and some that date back to when I first got married.  I have been very fortunate that only one has ever been broken and we were able to replace it.  I have a JOY tree.  With a name like Joy your obviously can find all kinds of ornaments for your tree.  About 3 years ago my daughter gave me her 5 foot tree to do whatever (actually I think we were going to give it to Mike, but I kept it, and I'm glad I did.)  That tree is strictly JOY ornaments.  I have all sizes, colors and shapes.  But it's a cool tree!  I love it.  Normally by now it would be up and lit but I seem to have a bunch of light strings that don't want to work so . . . next weekend the JOY tree will be erected!!!  I also have two of the little 2 foot trees.  One goes in my craft room and is all silver and white and the other goes up in the kitchen and is just a traditional Christmas tree (only with little ornaments).  I do truly love Christmas.  

The beautiful thing about Christmas is that everyone seems to be so much more friendly.  People seem to care more.  Too bad it can't be that way the whole year.  I love the colors of Christmas!  My new tree has LED lights and they are so bright and beautiful!  When Christmas is over all the color leaves my living room.  So my tree usually doesn't come down until President's Day (I have a long weekend and it gives me a chance to get everything down at one time, plus I usually have some help from my daughter.)  Beth gives me a rough time about when my tree comes down, but it usually is pretty late in the season,.  One of these days I'll fool all of you and take it down over New Year's!!!

I also have a thing for snowmen!  The top of my entertainment center is full of snowmen . . . and there's even some leftover!  And yes, I still have one of those big entertainment centers!  When I get a new TV the center will disappear and then I'll have to find a different place for all the snowmen!!!  They don't melt so I can put them pretty much wherever I want!!!  There's lots of snowmen on the big tree in the living room.

I'm putting off finishing this little book because I have to drag some boxes downstairs to my storage closet and figure out what I'm going to eat.  I'm just lazy!  Plus the Broncos are playing right now too!  

Gifts are ready to be wrapped (that means bringing paper and ribbon upstairs too).  I wished I were done with my shopping, but that's also part of the Christmas experience at my house . . . shopping!  Christmas comes early this year at my house, we're celebrating on December 15th.  Hope I have everything bought by then!  

Peace.