Countdown to Christmas

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's time to get started on Christmas.

First came the outdoor decorations. Now that I look at this picture, I feel like I'm missing part of my menagerie. Where are my geese? Well, it's too late now. The weather is not conducive to me getting out again.

My newest addition is my giraffe. I think I got this a few years ago. I found him, new in the box. Part of him was broken, but with the help of small zip ties, he's standing outside with his buddies.

Putting ornaments in the tree was an idea I stole from a neighbor about 5 years ago and now just about everyone on my block has ornaments in their trees. My favorite is the neighbor who has a very small, almost dead, tree in their front yard. It has only one ornament on it and looks just like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree.

Then came the 20 trips up and down the stairs to put up my Christmas tree. I have two ways I decorate my tree - one kid proof and one not. Since Violet and Lincoln love to explore everything on the tree, I've opted for the stuffed animals instead of the expensive Hallmark ornaments. Each year for the past 30+ years, I've bought an ornament that says "Mom", "Daughter" and "Son". About 5 years ago, Hallmark started making a "Mother & Daughter" ornament. And with the addition of Violet and Lincoln, I have been collecting "Granddaughter" and "Grandson" ornaments. Notice these are positioned high on the tree so as not to be handled by small fingers. Now it's on to buying and wrapping Christmas gifts and planning Christmas dinner.