Getting a Start on Christmas

After spending time blog reading - I follow some really crafty people with amazing flair for decorating - and then talking to my mom who is herself a pretty keen Christmas decorator, I was inspired to get a start myself. Not a big start mind you...  first things first, bundle up for the cold day outside (just above 0C) and then digging the branch cutters out of the garage. I prowled around the property looking for likely branches that I didn't mind cutting. Some spruce and some Manitoba maple. We have a few big iron urns at the front of the house so I turned two of these into "planters" for the boughs and branches. A red ribbon spruced them up a bit, but they are still missing something.

Then I found some lights and with Carm's help we got those strung over some trees near the front of the house. I think this is the first time since we've been in this house that we've done lights. We have big boxes of those giant old lights, and there is one big spruce tree in the front that would look great with those old retro lights. Maybe if the weather holds out.

After a quick salad and bowl of soup (so warming after being out in the cold), we headed over to $ama for some red ball decorations to add to the branches on the front deck - I think they'll look pretty.

Pleasures? Talking on the phone with my sister ; watching the end of the Wizard of Oz - I haven't seen that movie for ages and couldn't actually remember all of it - except for the red shoes of course - those I remembered ; getting busy and putting lights up ; seeing the lights light up when it started to get dark. I LOVE, love, love, love Christmas lights. There's a tree down the road that is all done up every year. The people leave the lights on all night so that when we'd leave for work in the dark winter mornings, there would be this beautiful tree. Every time I see it I smile and feel warm inside. ; doing recalls with Spike - if I do one recall, rewarded with a treat, as I walk on he stays in place and waits for me to do the next recall. He'll let me get pretty far away before he gives up, but I end up giving in and doing another recall practice (sucker), he runs as fast as he can to get to me (and the treat) but it always makes me smile. ; more Spike - watching him play with the new toy he just scored from $ama. He carried it around and kept it next to him on the sofa, at least for the first little while. He just loves stuffed toys - he has to have one to "kill" every night before supper, but he never destroys them.

Happiness is not a station to arrive at, but a manner of travelling

(Margaret Lee Runbeck)