And it begins

Yes, it's too early (especially by Southern standards; it seems in my experience Southerners are more resistant to jumping the gun to decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving than Northerners are), but as my time during the week is so often not my own, and next Sunday is going to be totally taken up with helping decorate the church and then probably attending the community Thanksgiving service, I decided to get a start today.

I did things differently this year, mainly because doing the dance-type workout means I'm bouncing around early in the morning in very close vicinity to where I had been putting my tree. So I had to find an alternate location. (And this is a window into my mind: when I was overwhelmed and just kind of sad over the cross-country skiier situation and frustrated because Everything Changes Just When I'm Least Prepared For It To, I was actually thinking, snitfully, "Maybe I WON'T decorate this year" but of course that thought made me too sad).

I tried a couple different arrangements - my first idea was "tree in front of the fireplace, on the little coffee table I normally stand it on." But that made it too tall and it blocked my view of my ponies. So then I tried off the table - and moved the table out to my sewing room for the nonce. But that wasn't ideal either. I was thinking of just living with it, but then thought, "Why not put the table right at the window, and set the tree up there?" Years ago, before I had the piano, that was where the tree went, but I was afraid I'd not be able to see it well with the piano in the way. But then I decided no, it would be okay. So I got the little table back out and put the tree there. Two bonuses: it can be seen from my front window, and it's even farther from where I will be bouncing around during the workout, so it's even less likely for ornaments to fall off.

That solved another problem - I could move the larger coffee table and its decorations in front of the fireplace, and then I can easily sit on my sofa again.



In fact, I may just leave it there AFTER Christmas, and decorate it periodically. (If I can keep it from becoming a catchall for mail, like it usually does). That's a singing snowman. One of the sillier things I own but it makes me smile - the snowman sings Jingle Bells and the dog barks his part. And they both dance a little and shake to make their bells jingle. As I said, it's silly and some might find it tacky, but it makes me smile and it's fun to periodically make it go during the season. (I bought it, maybe 10 years ago, at the Hallmark).

And I tend to feel like, if you can't enjoy kitsch a little bit at Christmas, when CAN you enjoy it? 

And here's the tree. I also put the lighted garland that I had put up on the mantel previous years over the big window. This pleases me, and I confess I wish I had two shorter lengths of garland for the other windows (except I don't have a handy outlet, and it would be harder to put it up on those). Anyway, I like the garland where it is.



That photo's a little shaky, it was taken with the long-exposure night view.

Here's one taken to show the lights.



I'm going to put the tree decorations up maybe tomorrow night. I also have a few more "critters" to put out but most of the decorating is done....the Nativity set is up, I've got the bigger things (the Christmas-themed stuffed toys, the tree, the garland) out. I refreshed the batteries in my little window candles - they have built-in timers and will stay flickering from about 4:30 until about 10:30 in the evening.

I might still see if there's somewhere I could hang my older wreath, the one I used to put up on the door, here in the house. I see lots of decorating magazines where they hang wreaths up on a wall or in a window.

It makes me happy to do this; it reminds me that there's more to life than just work work work and grading and writing exams and all that.