Hurry!

Seems as if I am in the middle of a hundred different things and not doing a very good job at any of them. I am crafting, baking, doing wash and writing Christmas cards all at the same time. We have a pretty full calendar the next 2 weeks and then it is Christmas!!! All of a sudden that thought hit me and I am zipping around like a whirlwind.

With that in mind, let's check out the family room today before the next batch of cookies is done.

Believe it or not, I didn't put out all of my Santas this year but I just couldn't help myself - especially here in the family room. I use colored lights in this room because I think it gives a more whimsical feel and this is the room where we will gather on Christmas day and do our gift exchange, watch movies, play games, etc. It is the kids' room but, if truth be told, it is my favorite as well as it evokes a feeling of "home" and childhood.

If you have ever given us an ornament, look closely at the tree because it is there. Once again, I put every ornament we own on the tree. I spend a lot of time putting the lights and glass balls toward the inside of the tree and then the "memory" ornaments towards the front. I finish it off with all sorts of icicles but once I see my daughter's tree in Gainesville, I will be chastising myself for not using tinsel. I absolutely love the look of it and tell myself that I will remember to do that next year and, remember I do...once my tree is completely done.

The tinsel brings back so many childhood memories. I am old enough that I remember the tinsel when it was made from a thin aluminum and the pieces were cut with some sort of a press through many layers at once. Each piece of tinsel had to be painstakingly pulled apart and if you pulled too hard, it would break. And my mother was meticulous on how the pieces were hung. They had to be draped across the boughs just so - and one bough at a time. My brother and I would always start out with the best intentions but before you knew it, we were tossing on handfuls at a time and my mom would finally tell us we were done so she could undo our chaos and finish the tree the way she liked. We tried tinsel for many years after the new, improved stuff came out and I tried to painstakingly hang it now that I was the grown-up. But, we always had large dogs (lab & Goldens) and, no matter how the tree started out, one swipe of those powerful tails and all bets were off any way.

And so, that is our family room for this year. Our tree isn't quite as large around as usual but it is so fresh and full and drinking a quart of water every day, so hopefully it will be with us until New Year's day. But, there is much to do between now and then so I am off to do some of it. I'll be back with more. Stay tuned.