Decorating

We went out this afternoon to pick out a Christmas tree. Chris and I have always had an artificial tree but this year we decided to try something different.

Yes, that is Owen hobbling along.

Chris picked the perfect tree. Just looking on as it is being trimmed.They had a machine that they put the tree on that shook the daylights out of it. I suppose to get the loose needles and any bugs off of it???

Ahhh......classic.

Everyonewanted to

**help**

She loves her baby dolls and blankies.

All done.

I wish I could figure out how to use my camera in the dark so you could see how pretty the lights look twinkling. But alas, my camera is too advanced for me and when I try this is what I get.

Here is our basket of Christmas books, puzzles and a couple of boxes full of a little people nativity set and a santa and sleigh set.

These are always favorites of the boys to pull out each year. And as a side note, Eliza is terrified of this snowman to the left; not sure why but she turns her head to the side and backs away from it if one of us has it.

Most all of my Christmas decorations are hand me downs. The nativity and the Santa on the top shelf were my mothers, the candy house on the middle shelf - my mothers, the blue glass block at the bottom was given to Chris and I from Grandpa Lewis. He made us 2 or 3 more but they have broken over the years. The little Christmas tree in the middle was Chris's as a child (or at least I think as a child - I know it was his and not mine) and the cloth tree to the right was, you guessed it, my mothers. Ah, and the candy dish on the second shelf - my mothers. :-)

And these are a few of my favorite ornaments. My mother painted this one and the ones below in 1976, I think. Her name and date are inscribed on the backs of them. Shocking that they have stayed intact all these years.The brown bear is my favorite.