Wrappin' Up Christmas

I thought I'd take a moment to wrap up our Christmas 2010 season. (ha ha Get it? Wrap it up?)

This had to be the most stress free Christmas I can remember in a long time. Oh, how wonderful it was to move at a slow pace and just enjoy the two days given to us to celebrate the season. My father-in-law was able to join us and I am so glad he did. Santa even left him a stuffed stocking that he thoroughly enjoyed.

We started a few new traditions that I hope we'll continue to do as the years progress. The Man read the Christmas Story on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day we decorated a cake The Man had baked for Jesus' birthday. We put candles on the cake (no, not 2010..more like 20), sang the song, and all of us blew out the candles. I kept Christmas Tea brewing in the crock pot for a few days and it was heavenly to sip on it throughout the day. (Just realized something...how many times can you legitimately use the word "Christmas" in one sentence or paragraph? I think I just set a record or something here.)

The kids were spoiled rotten and The Man and I totally justified it with two reasons. 1. Christmas last year was a madhouse and we wanted to make up for it. 2. They don't get stuff all year long in our house. Truly. You get a load at Christmas and a present or two for your birthday and the Easter Bunny leaves a goody basket, but that's it. Some times, in September, before Labor Day hits, they might get a little something. That doesn't happen every year, though.

I did manage to get sick on Christmas Day but it was manageable because I stayed right here in my home and wasn't out running here and there. Going to the doctor the following Monday proved me to have bronchitis. Apparently, I contracted a virus and it tore my throat up and settled in my lungs. The doctor advised me not to go visit my mother and grandmother until Thursday to make sure I was clear and full of antibiotics. That put a crimp in our visiting plans, but we readjusted and waited until I felt better so as not to pass the crud along to those who can't fight sickness all that well.

I was a little sad to put away our decorations this year. Now my house looks so bare, but it motivates me to really buckle down and see about decorating earnestly. I'm pretty sure this makes my husband sigh because that means I'll be shopping a tad more. I think I wear him out because I don't really impulse buy. I look and look and look and when I finally find that one thing I know needs to be in my home? I get it. For example, when I finally found the valances for my breakfast room, I got them. My living room window remains bare as I just haven't found exactly what I want to look at every single day. That naked window is really starting to bug me, though.

Hold up! This is supposed to wrap up Christmas, not talk about my decorating woes! I did take a few pictures of my decorating abilities and I suppose I shall share them with you. Now keep in mind, this is my first real bona fide attempt at decorating a mantle, making my own wreath, and such. I have waited so very long to have a mantle to decorate so you know I hated to dismantle it last week.

I'll be sharing some pictures now. I can't promise that they'll be in a good order because me and blogger have issues putting pictures on posts some times. I thought I'd narrate throughout instead of putting all my writing in one place. I hope you enjoy!

This would be the Fearless Two. Climbing the ladder to decorate the tree didn't phase them a bit. I admit to being a little jealous because I am skeered t'death of heights. Get me six inches off of the floor and my head gets all woozy. Side note: the past month has found my son loving to wear his Dad's tshirts. I don't know where this has come from, but as soon as he can, he's gone in our room to borrow one to wear at night.

Would you believe Paige takes after me in the fear of heights? I believe she was was one or two rungs off of the floor when she decided that maybe decorating up high wasn't her cup of tea.

My guys putting the tree together. See how my husband has a grip on my son's hand? That kid gives us a heart attack when the ladder is up. He will be at the top grinning before we can blink. Makes me toes hurt to see him way up there. Oh, and do you see those naked windows? Driving me crazy, man!

Dad turns his back and see what happens? Sweet Joseph and the baby lambs, it's hard to look at this picture knowing how high up he was.

I did the tree topper before they put the top section up on the tree. Normally, with the six foot tree, I would stand in a chair (woozy head and all) and decorate. No way was I climbing up 12 feet to do the topper. I thought it was on the large side....then they put it up and I realized it should have been FOUR TIMES larger than what it was. Live and learn and know what to do next time, I suppose. Also, I found myself gravitating towards white, silver, and red this year. I have no idea why, but everything I bought were mostly those colors.

Another picture with different lighting (will I EVER learn how to operate my camera??? I think not.) Lots of stuff going on here!

Waiting on me to start unwrapping ornaments for him to put on the tree. I also had to put this picture on here because he was just so stinkin' cute.

Soon as we got busy, you know Makenna headed to the kitchen to make the customary hot chocolate for us to sip on whilst we decorated and listened to Christmas music. She never lets us down!

I splurged and bought the 72 inch tree skirt (Lowe's) for the new big tree. This is what happens when the teenager gets hold of it. She is striking the pose for Christmas fashion. I think she's working it well.

Guess who found a new place to snooze? Oh, how that tree skirt is soft and a perfect place for a puppy to take a nap. Of course, this ended when presents started appearing underneath. She wasn't too thrilled about that happening.

Side view of my mantle. A lighted swag going over one edge. I took a decorating class and the instructor said to "think outside the box! Don't make everything in life symmetrical! Do something different!" So, I did. At first, it made me tilt my head because it wasn't even...then it grew on me and I really loved how it turned out. The poinsettias are clip-ons I found at Joanne's. The ornaments are el cheapos (maybe a buck or so a piece?) that I found here and there. The snow flake ornaments were bought last year after Christmas at Cracker Barrel. The red finials were also after Christmas at Cracker Barrel two years ago. This was the first time I got to use them. There is some silver disk garland found on vacation in Nebraska woven in the swag, along with a red berry garland. All glass is stuff I had around the house.

Front view of the mantle. My chair is across the room and I just loved sitting and looking at it during the day and evening. The vases on the table to the left are from Kirkland's and I leave them up year around. I had a few stems of red berries I just plopped in them and it looked good! So good, I left the berries in them when I put the other stuff away. Dontcha just love that magnolia picture? Yeah, I got that bad boy for Mother's Day a few years ago and I just love love love it.

There was a stocking for every breathing being in our home Christmas morning. I found plastic banister hooks at Lowe's and let me tell you, those things are awesome! They wrap around the railing and cause no trouble at all. For those of you out there who are remarking to yourselves, "Why, I would have hung garland from that gorgeous railing." God Bless you. I did think of that and consider it but Miss Hope has to take it one thing at a time. I fully intend to make that area awesome next year, but my decorating funds went towards purchasing the amazing tree this year and I'm perfectly okay with that.

Stupid camera wouldn't take a good night time picture so you can see how pretty it was all lit up. Loved the front porch and I'm standing on the porch at an angle with taking this picture. I have to decorate a little outside because I just dig riding around looking at how everyone else decorates their outside spaces.

This is The Tree. Oh, how I love that tree. Paige made the comment that she felt like Cindy Lou Who when she stood beside it. Heh heh. I know, right?!? I've always wanted a ginormous tree and with the huge open living room we have, I can finally have one. Oh yeah, I fully intend to enjoy that thing for a long time. (Please, Lord, keep my husband around because I can't climb the ladder to decorate it and he'll do it for me without complaining one little bit.)

This is the antique buffet in my dining room. The gold stuff in the pineapple vase were used for the tree topper in previous years. I hated to just keep it all in a container, so I just plopped it in the vase and thought, "Hey! Not bad!"

Here's my very first wreath I made all on my own!! That ribbon was a doozy to work with. It's a burlap material and very thick. I love it, though, and worked and worked until I finally got a bow made that I was good with. Since the ribbon was trimmed in gold, I used gold poinsettias and accents. I kept it on the simple side. I'm afraid the decorating instructor would be ashamed of me for keeping it traditional looking and not thinking outside the box. I'm pretty sure that the more I do stuff like this, the braver I'll get and more outside the box I'll venture. For now, this will do. I kept it on the inside of the front door. Who says you can't have a wreath on both sides of the door, huh?

I think that'll conclude Christmas 2010 for The Edge. It was an extremely blessed time for me and my family full of memories we'll treasure for a long time. I hope you had yourselves a good Christmas Season. Let's get this 2011 started, shall we?