The Tree Is Up!

Today, I finally felt good enough - and energetic enough - to put up the Christmas tree. I asked my boyfriend if he'd help me, and bless his heart, he did a terrific job. He put all the lights on the tree (he has a special technique and I just left him to it!) and helped me fluff the branches. Turned out I needed more lights, so off to the store we went.

I spent the rest of the evening decorating the living room, and I really love how it turned out. When I was a child, my mother had a Reader's Digest Christmas collection of records, and she gave it to me several years ago. See that vintage-looking stereo in the picture above? It has a record player. The sole reason I have that record player, and not just a cool vintage radio, is because of those Christmas records! It's just not Christmas without them!

And see that candle? I started collecting vintage Christmas decorations about 6 or 7 years ago, and I like to pair vintage with more modern pieces. My grandmother gave me several of her vintage Christmas decorations (like this candle!) before she passed, and I always incorporate them into my decorating. In addition, you can see the tree skirt she crocheted and also gifted it to me.  

I almost didn't put everything up this afternoon, but had a "f*&* it" moment and decided to just go for it. I'm so glad I did. 

However...I anticipate I will wake up in pain tomorrow because I overdid it. When will I learn? Sigh. Oh well.

Tonight, as a treat to myself, I ate some almond-bark covered pretzels (SO GOOD) and watched a classic Christmas movie, Remember the Night, with Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray. It's a warm-hearted, wonderful film. Surrounded by beautiful colored lights and my grandmother's vintage decorations, I felt at peace. 

I sorely needed it.

Overall, it was a Very Good Day. 

Christmas Unwrapped

I do believe I had the most relaxing Christmas ever yesterday. It was just my husband, me, and my daughter. Hubby made a nice dinner of turkey (which he slow-cooked and the meat literally fell off the bone!), mashed potatoes, stuffing, and apple pie for dessert. We opened presents and of course, I got some terrific gifts - lots of Snoopy stuff, Ian McEwan's Atonement, a scent diffuser, a special picture of my grandmother and I taken when I was little, and other assorted goodies. Since my brother just returned from his vacation yesterday, we're having Christmas tonight at my mom's house - so there will be a few more gifts to open.

For the rest of the day, we watched movies - I think four in all. I sat on the couch pretty much all day. And normally this would drive me nuts - I can't sit still that long - but yesterday, it was just fine. I missed my family back home, but at the same time, it was nice not to have to pile the kids into the car and drive for five hours. If I only had access to a private jet plane...

The cats didn't disturb the tree on Christmas Eve, bless their little hearts, but they must have figured the time had come to make a mess of it again last night. I woke up to ornaments on the floor, branches skewed, and ribbon falling off. They looked pretty pleased with themselves. I just sighed and ignored the mess for when I come home from work.

And how was your Christmas?

Christmas Is Near!

With only one more day until Christmas, it's a relief to have everything done. Last-minute shopping is finished, tree is repaired from the kitties' latest escapade, gifts wrapped, and a plate of sugar cookies sits on the table.

This afternoon, my daughter and I spent some time together wrapping gifts and putting together puzzles. (Oh yes, and eating sugar cookies.) We didn't get any snow or a storm of any kind over the weekend, but we'll still have a white Christmas as there is plenty of snow left on the ground.

And here's another cause for celebration - my grandmother has internet! I am so excited that she'll be able to read my blog and email me whenever she wants to. Hi, Grandma Lucy!!!

We'll be having butterball soup tomorrow night for Christmas Eve dinner, a family tradition ever since I can remember. And we'll open a few presents, but we'll save some for Christmas morning. After all, we still have a little one in the house who is waiting for Santa!

Four Days!

Is Christmas really only four days away? Wow. I honestly wonder where 2007 went.

I finished up some shopping last night, but I have just a few more items to get tonight with hubby, then we'll be done. I'm also buying groceries tonight since we have a nice winter storm warning for the weekend. No need to be stranded in my house without Diet Pepsi or chocolate!

I have a four-day weekend ahead of me and I plan to make the most of it. This will include:

1) Rearranging the Christmas tree that the kitties have mercilessly destroyed

2) Making homemade cherry cheesecake for Christmas dinner

3) Curling up on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa and watching an old movie or reading a book

4) Researching the novel and writing down ideas

6) Wrapping presents!

7) Keeping my daughter from finding the presents before I wrap them!

8) Relaxing and enjoying the Christmas spirit!

Christmas Check List

Christmas List of Things to Do:

Baked Christmas sugar cookies - check

Decorated house - check

Sent Christmas cards - check

Hosted holiday tea - postponed due to freak snowstorm

Attended Christmas play - check

Shopping - uh...half-check. I'm almost done. Hubby and I are going shopping tonight to finish up.

Consumed more Christmas goodies than allowed by current diet plan - CHECK.

What do you have left to do for the holidays?

Sugar Cookies and Christmas

Aren't these sugar cookies gorgeous? Well, they should be! After all, my seven-year-old daughter and I decorated them! :-)

I decided to make the sugar cookies last night and I only cheated a little - well, ok. I used store-bought dough and store-bought frosting. The only thing homemade about these is the love that went into each individual cookie. I rolled them out, cut out shapes (and decided that I really need to get some more cookie cutters!) and baked them, and my daughter helped me decorate.

The only SNAFU of the evening was the frosting. I had originally bought the reduced sugar whipped vanilla kind since I was trying to cut a few calories out. Unfortunately, that frosting tasted, well, really, really bad. And no way was I going to put that on my sugar cookies!

So off to the store I went and came back with some divine cream cheese frosting and red and green sprinkles. Calories, smalories! I've been eating very good the last few days and even cut back on calories so that I can have a cookie or two.

And as promised, here is a picture of my Christmas tree, although not looking its best since I've decided to wait until my holiday tea get-together on Saturday to straighten it up from the kitties adventures. Besides, if I fix it, it will just be torn apart again by morning. It's easier on me this way.

Snowmen and Santa and Reindeer, Oh My!

My daughter was sick yesterday, so I decided to tackle one of my painting projects. I'd already completed the snowman with the Christmas tree above a few weeks ago, but Monday night my daughter and I went to Hobby Lobby and picked out a few more decorations to paint. She wanted to do Santa with his reindeer and I picked out the door hanging with the snowmen, penguin, reindeer, and Santa.

After sleeping from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., (yup, she definitely didn't feel good!) she woke up, said she felt a little better, and asked me if she could paint. I thought it would be a nice, relaxing activity for her, one that wouldn't involve any running or jumping as she is wont to do after she's slept for so long!

I think they turned out pretty darn cute.

Do you have any Christmas crafts you're planning to do this year?