And So It Begins

The day after Thanksgiving is our official beginning to the Advent Festivities. Because while we don't do an Advent Calendar (not yet, at least) Christmas is to us a month-long celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior! I love Christmas. It is a bitter-sweet holiday for many reasons. I love celebrating with my family and friends,  I love watching our children's excitement and remembering what it was like to be a kid. 

So last Friday we pulled out the Christmas decorations and put up the tree. 

One of our traditions is that our Christmas tree ornaments are all homemade, with the exception of a few nice ones given to us. Each year I make a new ornament. I don't put all of them up every year- that would be a little overwhelming! But we choose our favorites. This year I started early and crocheted delicate snowflakes to hang from the branches. They turned out beautifully, and I think I'll have to make more for next year.

Here are some of my favorite ones. 

Here are some of my favorites decorations from years past- all on the tree this year. 

The Ladies Dancing.....

The Lords a-leaping.....

I made these houses years ago, they are probably my all time favorites....

.

And the snowflakes....

My mom and Bill got the kids each a creche carved out of an Olive tree branch when they went to Israel. We didn't really have a nice place to display them so we nestled them in the tree branches. I think it looks beautiful! 

Now, here I sit, enjoying our tree with homemade fudge, a good book (appropriately, Ben-Hur) and a glass of good wine.... if only a contented sigh translated over the internet.....