It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

 I am still not quite finished with the Christmas decor and packing up but I'm far enough along that we can begin our tour. Let me say, I'm not sure if it is my eyes, my camera or my total lack of photographic skills but these pictures leave something to be desired. I hope they are clear enough to give you a bit of a glimpse into Christmas 2024.

There are supposed to be lit lights on this tree but since I decorated, they have gone out. That makes a total of 4 strings of lights that I have thrown away this year...and they were all new last year! I'm not making a special trip but the next time I'm anywhere that has a set. I'll pick it up and get this glowing again.

I found some beautiful poinsettias at Lowes but no fresh wreaths so I went ahead with the faux wreath I found at Walmart. Again, if I happen upon a pretty fresh wreath I will get it because I do miss the scent but if not, I'm OK with this one.

This is where the new sign and the glass tree ended up. There are some timer lights in this arrangement that come on in the afternoon and make it extra special.

I love how this very old Santa music box pretty much mimics the Santa in the cross stitch that I did many years ago.

This is where the new shelf ended up and I love it but, that being said, I may have created a bit of a dilemma for myself. After it was hung, I realized that there is a big empty spot that bothered me and would need to be filled. That was a no-brainer for Christmas because I already had this framed vintage Santa but it might pose more of a problem for my other season/holiday decor. I guess I will have to be on the lookout for ideas to fill in the space starting in January. I could move the lamp to the middle but I'm not sure I will like that, so we shall see.. That can be an issue for the new year.

So that is the living room this year. I must say, I would not have been able to hang that shelf without my brother and sister-in-law. They came down for the weekend and helped me with that-which I definitely could NOT have done by myself-and a couple of other things as well. And then, they also took me downtown for our Light Up Ocala and dinner at Harry's. For whatever reason, I didn't take any pictures of downtown this time-although it gets prettier and prettier every year-but I DID take a picture of my entree at Harry's. We actually started with a favorite-their fried green tomatoes-and then when it came time to order dinner, I took a total 180 and ordered one of their seasonal specials. I almost never order anything other than my all-time favorites so this was very unlike me but I took a chance. I eat fish but only if it doesn't look. smell or taste like a fish so it's always a gamble. This time the gamble paid off. I had flounder in a white wine butter sauce served over lobster risotto with artichoke hearts and asparagus. This thing was absolutely delicious and worth every penny!

And then after dinner we headed out to the World Equestrian Center where we enjoyed all of the activities. The lights are beautiful but the most fun came from seeing all of the families with children and the smiles on all of those faces. It is definitely a happy place full of holiday magic!

Every year their head pastry chef does a gingerbread exhibit-this is this years". It was magnificent.

So that is it for today. Not sure when I'll be back because I have a pretty long to-do list waiting for me this week but, I have more to share so it won't be too long. Stay safe and stay tuned.