White Christmas Tree Revisited

Our Christmas tree this year was on the simple side. It was so refreshing to leave all the decorations in storage and only take out the white lights.  Our needle-less poplar, though not the stately birch I wanted, needed little tending other than the occasional reminder to the kids to leave the lights alone.  No watering, no needles on the floor every five minutes, and no sticky sappy fingers on the kids. There weren't even that many ornaments to take off-just a few homemade applesauce/cinnamon ornaments, jingle bells, and candy canes.  It was sweet, simple, and somehow matched the country Christmas image I had in my head. The lights twinkled just as bright, the candy canes hung just a nicely, and the magic of a Christmas tree was there even if the green wasn't.  I'll definitely do this again. Perhaps it will become our own unique Christmas tradition.

Our White Christmas...Tree that is

Being as it's the start of December and, thus, the Christmas season, decorating has been foremost on my mind these days. I've already conned myself into putting up white lights outside. Ostensibly, those lights are to provide light for the stairs but deep down I know the truth. I'm dreaming of paper chains, popcorn garlands, and candy canes. My recipe book 'magically' falls open to the recipe for sugar cookies even though I'm looking for meatloaf. So what's keeping me from getting things decorated? The fact that my house is in bits and pieces yet. I'm constantly moving piles/furniture/construction materials from here to there to make room for something else. There is precious little room in the house too, since we aren't able to use the bedroom yet. So my forlorn decorations will have to wait. However, this doesn't mean I haven't thought about decorating-especially The Tree. Since I have a monkey for a son and A is a human vacuum cleaner, I decided I didn't want to deal with needles falling from branches, watering a tree, or watching a tree topple over several times. Fake trees are out too since I don't want to store one til next year so my options were rapidly decreasing. Then I remembered an idea L had-why not use a birch tree instead of a spruce? The more I think about it, the more it sounds kind of cute-I'm thinking white lights, red bead garland, and candy canes as the main decorations. No needle mess to clean up, no watering, and it can be secured directly to our floor so I won't be hearing Timber! several times a day. Best of all, we have an overabundance of birch on our land but spruce, pine, and other such Christmas tree varieties are far and few between. Yes, I think I'm going to enjoy my white Christmas tree this year. No guarantees next year's tree will be white though.

The Stockings Were Hung

Not by the chimney but rather by the old cardboard fireplace that my parent's have set up every year that I can remember. It's getting a little more rickety and a little more faded but it only adds to the charm. So the fireplace is set up in a nook by the steps and the stockings were hung from nails on the stair treads. At home, our stockings are hung with care from a shelf or simply tossed on the back of the couch. Not a chimney in sight there either. Not having a chimney, however, has not prevented Saint Nick from finding my stocking. This year, as in all prior years, he found filled it with surprises. Mrs. Claus sent two pairs of cozy warm socks while her husband added the usual deodorant and toothpaste since hygiene has always been high on his list of priorities, a new audio book to help pass the several hour drive home tomorrow, and (best of all) a sample of the new laminate flooring that will (hopefully) soon cover the floor of our new addition. Santa was certainly generous this year.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year to everyone!

Wishing you all the best in this holiday season.

P.S. To those who sent us a card and didn't get one back (and a certain couple way up north who are patiently awaiting their Christmas gift) I will have them in the mail as soon as we get back from our holiday weekend vacation. If you still don't get one, I apologize and wish you a happy holiday season since I probably forgot to add your name to my Christmas card list...again... Maybe next year...

Christmas Eats

Can you believe it? I celebrated the holidays without attempting a single bit of traditional baking on my part, Santa came and left wool socks but no candy in my stocking, I ate very little sweets over the entire holiday weekend, and (surprisingly enough) it still felt like Christmas. I did make some yummy homeade eggnog but decreased the amount of sugar (could probably do so again) and used our milk so I didn't feel quite so bad about that indulgence. It's got me wondering... Can Christmas be celebrated without the cookies, bakery, and other sugary treats? I do like my Christmas cookies and was able to limit myself to just four this year, but I wish I had the willpower my hubby has. He hasn't eaten any goodies for the last two months! I will admit to having a sweet tooth and I always start the holiday season with good intentions but rarely manage to follow them. This year I did though, proving to myself that it can be done. I felt better too. None of that icky "I ate too much" feeling after Christmas Day Dinner. Is it just because I am pregnant that I am watching how much and what I eat? Or is it that I am finally changing eating habits for the better? I suppose I will have to wait and see if these good habits stick after the baby is born. (One thing I discovered over the weekend...A chilled clementine is sweeter and tastier than any cookie I tried.)

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Well, it's that time of year again... Valentine's Day. Full of hearts and pretty pinks and candy and flowers and etc. etc. My hubby doesn't believe in V-day. He thinks we should be celebrating love every day so what's the point of V-day? So, another year goes by without the mushy cards or roses or candy boxes. But in all reality, do I mind? Nope. Not one bit. I told him that I would make him bring any flowers he buys me back to the shop because they are so darn expensive at this time of year. I can't eat candy because I get sick from the sugar content. A mushy sentimental card would be nice but kind of a waste of money. Besides, he really does show me how much he loves me in other ways. So I don't care if I don't get more than a verbal valentine because it means alot just like that.

That aside, I do have to confess that each time I walk down those candy and card aisles in the store, I miss those elementary school days. You know, when everyone would bring those cute little cards with kitschy messages on them folded in half around a piece of candy? We used to make card holders and then hurriedly toss cards in them so we could eat the candy sooner. *Sigh* To be a kid again... Almost makes me want to buy the candy and cards. I said almost...