Come on over, it's...

NOT CHRISTMAS ANYMORE! I "shouted" that part, not because I'm glad that Christmas is over, but because apparently I didn't get the memo that the month of December f-l-i-e-s by way too fast. I started this post (again) back in December, but I just haven't had time to throw it up on the board, so to speak.

Anyway, it may be the 7th of January, but my house still looks like it's Christmas. Only maybe a little more picked up and cleaner, since I'm not spending every spare moment baking, shopping, wrapping gifts, or overnighting at the hospital. :)

So, let's say it was Christmas. I would say, "Please, come hang out with us!" And this is what you would get (plus some noisy little girls running around trying to impress you and woo you to their room):
A wreath is a "must have" for me each year. And it must be real too.
Somehow along the way, we've accumulated a grand collection of over sized snowman ornaments. Of course they don't match, but they cheerfully hang from most of the interior door knobs.
The buffet is my main Christmas display, housing the nativity scene and other "seasonal" exhibits, including this flashified little gal's face.
My grandpa made these nativity sets years ago, and since I am the oldest grandchild, I was lucky enough to get one too. He loves wood working and is always looking for a new, unique project. On first glance you might think this is a pretty simple nativity scene, but on second glance, you realize that it is a puzzle that is anything but simple! And even if it weren't a tricky puzzle, it would be up front and center since my grandpa made it and it is therefore very, very special to me.The stockings (our mismatched, home style collection that they are) are hung by the buffet with care. December wouldn't feel right without the window trim and the cabinets in the kitchen covered with the greetings of friends and family. Don't Christmas cards make your heart swell with joy???I can't leave out this guy. For some reason this thrift shop find has found a special place in my heart. Sometimes I light up it's rusty frame inside, sometimes on the front stoop.
Believe it or not, we've only had a Christmas tree four times in our 8 Christmases together. The other four times we were dissuaded by little terrorizing toddlers or laziness or the fact that we would be out of town too long. This year, however, the Christmas tree was a main priority. The girls were downright stoked to get out the decorations and make the tree "pretty". I'm sure all mothers out there understand the different kinds of pretty you experience when the kiddos decorate the tree...It was so fun to have ornaments made by Eva this year! She made this angel in preschool and a star of David also. I love getting out the ornaments from my childhood. I made this adorable little cookie sheet in preschool when I was four.We have a sizable collection of antique (or maybe vintage?) ornaments that my Grandma Knudtsen's deceased neighbor gave us (from her attic) as our wedding gift. It might have been an unusual gift (especially since I never met her), but I think old ornaments are super cool, so I happily place them on the tree each year. The girls each have several special ornaments. Here's Hope's "Welcome" ornament.And Esther's.And Eva's. It is noteworthy that Eva very strategically placed that shiny candy cane by her ornament. Let no one confuse who's candy cane that is, come January when we get to eat the candy canes!This is my favorite of the vintage ornaments. They are really fragile, so it seems we lose one each year. It will be interesting to see which ones actually make it for the long haul.

That's the end of our Christmas tour. Now, we'd finish our game of Scrabble or Wii Sports Resort, feed you some thing rich and fatty, and send you out the door. As you look back to wave goodbye, you'd notice these pretty luminaries lighting up the dark walkway.The End. And Merry Christmas!