A Little Splash of Christmas

I was excited to decorate for Christmas early this year.  I have several reasons…like we are traveling for the holidays, so I want to enjoy my own decorations.  We are trying to find a better apartment in preparation for the twins, so we may be moving by the 15th.  If I decorate now I can still feel like I had Christmas.  And we opted against a tree this year, so we had everything on hand that we needed!

On Saturday night I got down my little box of Christmas ornaments, and my artificial garland, and we set to work.  Well…Ben set to work.  I let him do it this year. {smile}

Nolan was very excited about the lights.  He loves to plug and unplug anything electric.  This keeps Mommy on her toes!  He was constantly watching Ben as he tested the lights, hung the garland, and adjusted things.  Then he wanted in on the action too!

  

  

Elaine was busy with the snowmen.  I have a lot of snowmen decorations that we get to leave out after Christmas is over.  She was only too happy to help with the ornaments!  She was a flurry of movement as she dug little hoemmade funky ornaments out of my tiny box and ran them over to Daddy.  Maybe next year we will attempt a tree and she can hang the ornaments herself.

Ben commented that most of our ornaments say “Andrea” on them.  When I got married, Mom gave me all of the ornaments that I had made in church and Sunday School through the years.  I’ve tried to add a few homemade ornaments each year, and we have been given a few.  But it’s true – many of them say “Andrea” on them!

  

Here’s what we finished with!

I will miss these bay windows when we move.  They are lovely!

The radiator functions as my “mantle” & I enjoy decorating it!

 
I think this was a Pinterest idea.  I stole it from someone for sure!  I snagged a couple of cheap candlesticks at the thrift store and painted them red.  Then I added a pickle jar and a canning jar, also with spray painted lids.  I hope to change the sparkly balls out with the seasons, since I have red in my living room.

I told you I like snowmen!

When we were first married we didn’t have much on our tree.  I wanted a star for the top.  So Ben made a cardboard star and covered it in foil.  It has been our “centerpiece” each year since then.  With everything that has been going on Israel recently, I felt even more “proud” to display my Star of David this year!

Nolan’s handprint from his first Christmas

 
Elaine’s footprint from her first Christmas, and this jolly Snowman Bell was Elaine’s choice to add to our collection this year!

I have just come across something called the “Jesse Tree” as a form of Advent.  With moving and everything else going on I may not start it this year.  My kids are still very young too.  We made a paper chain last year out of the different names for and prophesies of Christ.  Elaine was very lost.  But I definitely want to do something like this as a tradition in the coming years to teach my children to focus on Christ, and not gifts , during this season.