I did not have the time or energy to decorate the tree as elaborately as I usually do. This year I only hung the Christmas balls. It turned out to be understated and still quite lovely. Dale particularly liked it.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Christmas 2012 - Advent Calendar Before and After
Here are the before and after shots of the Advent calendar Mom made for Pete's family. I hope the kids enjoyed putting the pieces up as much as Sam, Pete, and I did when we were little.
Christmas 2012 - Christmas Day
Dale and I stopped by the house of our friend and neighbor Warren on Christmas morning. He hosted a light breakfast and we were able to meet his delightful parents. After that we enjoyed a very relaxing afternoon. It was very cold outside but the sun was shining brightly and it was lovely having snow on Christmas. Last year was a brown Christmas - the first in about six years. In the evening Mom came to dinner. We served beef stroganoff. Pete and Stephanie texted us to wish us a Merry Christmas. The above photo is what we texted back to them along with a Christmas greeting. What a beautiful Christmas it turned out to be.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
Christmas Eve 2012 - Mom's Christmas Tree
After dinner Dale and I went to Gethsemane for the late Christmas Eve service at which we both sang in the choir. Before we left Mom's I snapped this picture of her with her tree. She decorated it this year with many of the cross-stitch hearts she likes to make.
Christmas Eve 2012 - Fondue
Mom made the traditional cheese fondue for Christmas Eve dinner. We also had steaks, salad, and dessert. It was all absolutely delicious.
Christmas Eve 2012 - Decorating the Tree
This Advent/Christmas season has been a little different than others due to my not feeling I've had the time to get set up in the way I like to. I'm in a liscencesure program and in a class that just ended this past Friday and I've been busy as can be and finishing up a paper. I just didn't have the time or enegy to decorate in the way I usually do and that includes decorating the tree. I decided that this year I'd just decorate it with balls and not the other numerous blown glass decorations I have. I spent a fraction of the time decorating than I usually do and it actually looks great. I certainly don't want to be this basic every year, but this year it just feels right.
Christmas Eve 2012 - Setting Up the Tree
Here I am setting up the tree. A special thanks to Dale for putting up with me being such a ham for the camera.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Advent Calendar 12-12-12
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Snowman Collection
Yesterday I received the shipment for a recent online order. In addition to two Santas, the snowman seen in the very middle of the above display arrived. Christmas came a little early!
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Candles
Mom gave me this Scandinavian-style candelabra last year. It had been in her collection for a while and she decided to pass it along to me. I quite like it as it reminds me of my Swedish heritage on Mom's side of the family. Sadly, we don't know too much about that part of the family tree other than that Mom's grandmother was born in Sweden in 1890, came to the U.S. with her family in 1891, and died in Minnesota in the 1918 influenza epidemic.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Neighborhood Lights
Lights are starting to pop up all over the neighborhood. I'm seeing more everyday on my walks with Athena. The house shown here is just up the block from us and I like how simple and understated it looks. The following is from Wikipedia:
"The first known electrically illuminated Christmas tree was the creation of Edward H. Johnson, an associate of inventor Thomas Edison. While he was vice president of the Edison Electric Light Company...he had Christmas tree light bulbs especially made for him. He proudly displayed his Christmas tree, which was hand-wired with 80 red, white, and blue electric incandescent light bulbs the size of walnuts, on December 22, 1882 at his home on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Local newspapers ignored the story, seeing it as a publicity stunt. However, it was published by a Detroit newspaper reporter, and Johnson has become widely regarded as the Father of Electric Christmas Tree Lights. By 1900, businesses started stringing up Christmas lights behind their windows. Christmas lights were too expensive for the average person; as such, electric Christmas lights did not become the majority replacement for candles until 1930."
I began using energy saving LED lights on my trees for the past few years but I must say I miss the warmer glow of the incandescent bulbs.
"The first known electrically illuminated Christmas tree was the creation of Edward H. Johnson, an associate of inventor Thomas Edison. While he was vice president of the Edison Electric Light Company...he had Christmas tree light bulbs especially made for him. He proudly displayed his Christmas tree, which was hand-wired with 80 red, white, and blue electric incandescent light bulbs the size of walnuts, on December 22, 1882 at his home on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Local newspapers ignored the story, seeing it as a publicity stunt. However, it was published by a Detroit newspaper reporter, and Johnson has become widely regarded as the Father of Electric Christmas Tree Lights. By 1900, businesses started stringing up Christmas lights behind their windows. Christmas lights were too expensive for the average person; as such, electric Christmas lights did not become the majority replacement for candles until 1930."
I began using energy saving LED lights on my trees for the past few years but I must say I miss the warmer glow of the incandescent bulbs.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Advent Calendar - December 1
This is from the Advent calendar Mom made for Pete and his family. In the early 1970s, Mom made an advent calendar very similar to this one for our family. Sam, Pete, and I loved putting the pieces up as a way of counting down to Christmas. It helped to build the anticipation which was alway exciting to us. The original calendar went to Sam and his family. Mom worked on this new one over the past few years to give to Pete and his family.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Prep and Landing: Operation Secret Santa
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
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