Christmas Is A-Comin'

Sweet College Girl gasped when she walked into our home.

 I've been looking for an acceptable "skinny tree" for years.  I found this one on sale at Target.  Then I spent hours last weekend rearranging furniture and decorating it.

(The angel on top of the tree is not tipsy--bad camera angle.)

I also made some adjustments to our fireplace mantel.  I purchased the Welcome sign months (years) ago, planning to place it above the clock, only to discover there was not enough room.  Last weekend it occurred to me that I could just mount it on the front of the mantel. I love these pitchers so much that I just couldn't bring myself to replace them with Christmasy stuff, so the urns with winter branches will have to do--along with a teeny-tiny band of clay angels from Central America.

One of the things I love about putting up a Christmas tree is the collection of memories that accompany the ornaments.

 The fish came from China on my first visit there.  The ornament on the right was purchased in Gallup when I first lived there about 25 years ago.  And the snowman, finished in 1977, was my first attempt at counted cross-stitch, actually begun about five years earlier.  I remember asking myself at the time why I ever thought counted cross stitch would be fun.  Of course, the lesson was that one should not learn to do it by stitching a white snowman on 22-count hardinger.  By the time the ornament was finished, I'd stitched many, many other projects!

 These cloisonne ornaments are part of a set of three--I wish had had many more.

 And this sweet little bird nest has adorned trees for close to 30 years.  It was a gift from Mrs. Chandler when I lived in Cleveland, Tennessee.

 This little snow guy was just too heavy to hang on the tree, so he's standing nearby.  He looks like he's ready to give someone a hug! (The extra ornament hangers and light bulbs are in the porcelain box.)

Cozy corner for knitting and reading.  I may hide the cords with another basket or something.

Despite how laden the tree is, I actually couldn't find the box of ornaments we used last time, so these were picked out of several boxes.  I used to put up several trees--when I had a much bigger house.  This may be the only one we put up this year.

Reminder:  This is the time of year to buy remote switches that can be used year round.  I purchased two, but one won't connect properly, so I'm hoping they'll still have some when I try to exchange it.

I hope  your holiday preparations and activities are going well.

Happy quiltmaking, knitting, etc.,