So far, 2 Christmas Casualties

Thursday morning, aka Thanksgiving Day, Connor went over to the storage unit to get our Christmas tree and decorations. A full car and full trailer later, he brought back 85% of the decorations. We went back on Friday and got trees and several more boxes. I will be back again on Monday to see what's left!

We were heading out the door for our family gatherings. 2 stops for the day. We unloaded the trailer and filled up the front porch. Hansel and Gretel now looks like the Grizwalds/Clampetts.

As we were loading up the car for the day, I opened the back of his Yukon. I know better than to do this with my car. It is always full and something WILL fall out on you or it will break. Well, guess what? My most favorite Christmas decoration of my childhood was the first thing to fall out. I heard the crash and saw the bubble wrap and knew in that instant it was THE Santa. The one that as a child, I would go into the attic each year looking for. I would avoid everything else until I found that Santa.  I couldn't wait to put him on the mantel. He just looked like the sweetest Santa in the world and I knew that is what the real Santa Clause looked like.  Once he was on the mantel all the Christmas magic filled the house and the countdown could begin.

I cried. Real tears were streaming down my face. I was so upset that he was broken. I was also upset with myself that I had opened the back without looking. I wanted to blame in on the hubs, but how could I when I was the one that should have gotten it all myself. Then I would have known there was more back there. So, after assessing the damage and picking up every single shard of pottery, I can't give him up. My sister, Natalie, said I could cover it up with a hat. It was the whole hat that was broken. I don't know if it will look right. Maybe you have an idea?

After putting up 2 trees and covering one with lights, garland, sticks, and ornaments, I was fluffing the tree and off came a Radko angel. Ahhhhh, she already had a broken wing. I bought her when Emma was a baby. She shattered into many pieces. She got swept up and out the door. May she rest in peace.

It's too devastating to leave on a bad note. I will share this adorable snowman with his bokeh background to bring you happiness! He is a cutie!

I will get more pics up of Hansel and Gretel all aglow this week. I have several more runs to get more lights and I'm thinking I need real garland instead of the fake stuff this year. Which do you use? Real tree and garland or fake? 

It's the holidays! Time to celebrate!

How does it get so busy? Every year I say I'm going to be ahead of the game, right? It's just too hard. With all these things to distract me......Pinterest, Facebook, blogs, oh and that job I picked up! Geez. The first month I was a decorator, which was fabulous! I was in and out and working from home. Now, I'm officially full-time and I'm.worn.out!! If you aren't a fan of the Telegraph Facebook page, you should be. We are the coolest boutique ad agency in town! yeah! It's a super fun job...making commercials, designing logos, websites, getting creative with facebook pages..it's all the bomb.com.

I really need a week off BEFORE Christmas, though! Shopping done - nope. Decorating finished - nope. Kids parties at school planned - nope. Cookies and sweets baked - nope. Special touches (my favorite part) - nope. Going to Holiday parties like Alabama Chanin's Holiday Market tonight -  nope. I'm so sad. I wanted to go and I can't fit it in....I just have all that other stuff to do.....I could kinda get all that done in the four hours it takes to get to Florence and back! oh well....I get to go in May for a workshop. I just want to sit around and stitch, ya know?

I did get to go to a fun Cookie Swap last Sunday at the adorable Beth of Unskinny Boppys house. It was so much fun. Do you know she invited me and we have never met in real life! How cool is that? I think she has the magic touch on decorating skills and wanted to be her friend...so, we have been cyber friends for a while now! I also got to meet Lori from Click Workshops. Oh, there goes my Christmas list...it's all things photography now. I want a new D700, a Nikon 1, a new lense (any one will do) and a year's full of photography workshops with Click. Santa? Do you hear me? To make matters worse, I come in to work on Monday and Kevin and Isaiah decide they are going out to buy a camera! Green, I tell ya, I was green. They got the D5100 to shoot video and stills. For the love......I want to steal it and play with it all day! Oh, make that one more thing on the Christmas-I-haven't-gotten-to-it-yet-list. Pictures of the kids for Christmas cards - nope!

I guess that's why I decided to sit down and write out a blogpost. Make myself a list...maybe I will be held accountable....or the time will get here and it will have to get done, or else!

I do have some decorations up...here's my mantel - done!

Hope your Holidays are all in order and you are sitting at home baking cookies with your kids, listening to Christmas music by the fire...which, is not going to happen here...it's 70 degrees out! You've sent out your cards and are finished with all the crafts....probably working on next year's gift list! Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!