It has kind of crept up on me, where did autumn go to? Here we are, 8 days before the BIG day and my house looks like a Christmas shop!
For our first Christmas together I made my husband go out and buy a lovely big tree which I enjoyed decorating while he was at work. I even added a garland down the stairs with lights and ribbon and our home looked so lovely. But as Chuck is a mailman, he is very busy on the run up to the holiday and only has Christmas Day off, so I found myself looking at the decorations on my own quite a lot.
Subsequent years we did the same thing, and then one year I decided I no longer wanted the big tree, we sold it at our summer yard sale and the following Christmas bought a 3' white fibre optic tree. It was (and still is) very pretty, took no time to decorate or take down and I was very happy with that. It was perfect in my bedroom the Christmas I was on bed rest when I was expecting the boys and it was still great their first year. But for the twins second Christmas I wanted something bigger and better, I wanted to begin to create an exciting and special time for them each Christmas, so Chuck and I went out shopping and bought a 6' pre lit tree. It is so nice, and majestic and I love it, although the small white tree still goes up, in the opposite corner of the room!
One year I decided to buy some plaster houses from Michael's and sat and painted them so I could create a tiny village for my mantelpiece. It looked so nice and I was more than pleased with it. Then my in-laws came to visit and bought me an entire set of houses, complete with fir trees and figures, so my village grew. Two summers ago at my neighbor's yard sale, I bought some more houses to add to the village which is rapidly becoming a town!
I purchased lovely wire wrapped lights and hung them across the archway to our living room and entwined lights through the metal of the bakers rack! This year, my husband's parents sent me more Christmas things. We got icicle lights for outside, and a reindeer and sleigh. For inside the house we have a train set that goes round and round a village green, filled with people and a carousel. We have an ice skating pond, with skaters and a street lamp to light the entire scene. We have Santa and Mrs. Claus and various other figures that sing and dance their way into Christmas.
I have been told there is more to come, my living room is bedecked, lighted and so Christmassy you would think you were in the North Pole at Santa's workshop. I have penguin and snowmen candle holders, golden fir cones and wreaths a plenty. And now the twins are in preschool I have paper plate reindeer heads, ginger bread men with fluffy pompom noses and Christmas tree decorations every where I look. My tree is lop sided, with many decorations placed together on the lower branches. When the boys aren't looking I move the decorations around and spread them out higher up the tree, and when I am not looking the twins reach what they can and move them back down to the lower branches!
And this year, for the first time ever, Chuck actually has two weeks off over the Christmas and New Year holidays. I am so excited to have a real family Christmas this year, one where he doesn't have to rush back to work before the turkey is cold. I am planning to make cookies with the boys, bake a cake and make a traditional English trifle and mince pies. We'll have a huge turkey with all the trimmings and I already have plans for using the leftovers. The present shopping is all done, the cards are written and mailed so when the boys finish school this week, and Chuck finishes work we will all be able to relax and enjoy the holiday!
