Deck the Halls!

If you came to our house, you'd think we're a little Christmas obsessed, (4 Christmas trees in one room?), but most of the decorations were ones I inherited when my mom downsized.  We do love to celebrate the holiday season, three of our family birthdays fall within two weeks of Christmas.  The girls had a lot of fun helping put up the decorations.

Here are SOME of our Santa pictures.  I don't know where I'll put the new ones!  In our family, getting the Santa picture has evolved into quite a day.  We ride the Amrtrak down to Seattle with my mom and hop on the underground buses to Westlake Center where we wait in a long line for a visit with Santa at Nordstroms.  At least with it being Nordstroms, they try to make the wait bearable by giving out hot cider, cookies, cheerios, and coloring pages with crayons.  We always follow up the photo with lunch out and a trip to the bookstore where everyone gets a new book.  Then, it's off to the outdoor carasol across the street from Westlake.  This year will be fun because they just opened up a new train station in Stanwood so we'll get to see some territory we haven't before.

This tree didn't look so large when we picked it out!  We go all out and carry it home when we buy it.  (It helps that we are only carrying it home from our next door neighbor, Haggens Grocery Store.)

We have a double sided fireplace with one side facing the dining room.  Maribeth gave us the nativity several years ago.  One reason I like it is that the wise men contain an asian, african, and european.  Yesterday it was down in the 20's in the morning so the roaring fire felt great!

The other side of the fireplace.  The snowmen and santa are all hand made by my mom and grandma.  The stockings are also hand made.  Dode is the odd man out with his knit stocking.  Everyone else has a felt and sequin creation.

We hide a Christmas village behind the couch with the hopes that little fingers will remain off.

The girls have their very own tree decked out with garage sale ornaments

Isaac claimed this Charlie Brown tree bought for $2 at the Target after Christmas sale for his ornaments.

The littlest Dickson has the littlest tree.  The pictures can't do justice to her tree, a  $2 after Christmas fiber optic wonder that she finds very beautiful with its rainbow of lights.  It looks like something that would be very at home in an elderly widow's front room.  The decorating scheme is always in flux because she loves to carry her ornaments around with her and admire them.

Merry Christmas to all!

 I love the way the house looks when we get it all decorated but once Christmas is done I can't wait to pack it away.