"Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind." - Mary Ellen Chase

Ok, somehow Christmas feeling appeared in our house this weekend…

The tree was bought, lighted, and decorated. I was delighted to discover that my boys subscribe to the exact same tree-decorating theory that I do, namely, put every single ornament we can find on the tree. (Well, except I own at least four more crates of ornaments – but the boys don’t know that.)


I hung my Cinderella coach on top and have to manufacture a star or angel of some sort this week. Primo nixed putting Terzo on top of the tree because “we don’t want any holes in the baby.”

I hung up the sled door hanger and put out the sweat-sock snowman, who is missing an eye, but what the hey…it’s Christmas. The Grinch was inherited from my older brother who was given it by a psychotic, now-ex, fiancee. I used to display it in my cube at work, but now he lives at the house.




In our old neighborhood, one of the neighbors left a little ornament in our mailboxes the week before Christmas, from Santa. This reindeer was the last one we received before we moved.

Every year my mother-in-law buys us all wreaths. They are always pretty, and always the first decoration we have up. She’s much more organized than we are!

The tablecloth was my grandmother’s, and the gingerbread house was a very thoughtful gift from an old friend.

I picked up the sleigh yesterday while finishing up Christmas shopping for my niece and nephews. Joann Fabrics' Christmas stuff was all 70% off, and I needed something to put all our holiday cards in. I myself am not sending Christams cards this year, however, other than the email one, because I finally came to my senses about caring for a newborn AND taking and picking a photo, and ordering the photo card, and then addressing 60-plus cards.

Maybe I will manage to have a Merry Christmas after all.