It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Thanks To The Girls...

On December 1st my youngest decided to begin campaigning for Christmas.  She wanted to know when we would be decorating the tree, how this would be accomplished and who she should see about scheduling.  The exact date and time was needed so that she could write it in her mental calendar.   I kept putting her off, stating I would get the tree upstairs and wind the lights during the day so that we could decorate in the evening without the usual long and boring wait.

By Dec 3rd she was realizing the schedule was not as set in stone as she would have liked.  On this particular evening I was taking my 2nd born to shop for Christmas gifts for her sisters and The Agronomist needed to wash the truck and fill it with gas.

The Christmas tree was still wrapped in plastic in the basement.

Arriving home, we knew something was up, when we heard Christmas music playing.  Fake fir needles lined the stairs making a trail up to the door leading into the kitchen.  Much to our surprise, the tree was set up and the strands of lights were twinkling all aglow.

The tree is a difficult one for adults to manage, so this was no small feat for the girls.

Our tree is a mix of ornaments we have gathered throughout the years, including balls found at the dollar store for our first tree as a married couple.  While I would love to create an orange hued theme that would match our decor, I am unable to justify buying ornaments for $4; it is against my frugal Dutch nature. (Honestly, I'm not really sure if Dutch genetics have anything to do with it? But I say, if a stereotype is available, why not use it.)  So, we are left with a tree that is red, gold and green, the color scheme that went with my very country decor sixteen years ago (don't ask).   I want to be clear, I am not complaining, I am very proud of my frugalness and enjoy the challenge of making our home look good, while using Dutch pocketbook restraint. (There's that Dutch thing again... I just can't get away from it!)

Besides...the girls love the tree.

With a huge selection of inexpensive wheat straw ornaments from Jysk, in honour of The Agronomist,  as well as soft red felt stockings I found for 75% off at Coles one cold January morning, our tree is very full and Christmasy.

My favorite thing about it?  The girls are the ones who decorate; they always have.  It is a fun evening without any warnings about being careful not to break anything.   The best part about it is, as they've grown, the top has become as fully decorated as the bottom.

While all the hard work was being looked after by the girls I was busy preparing our special Christmas Hot Chocolate.

Hot ChocoNog, unbreakable ornaments and Christmas tunes...make the evening one we always look forward to....

even if mom needed a little nudge to get the Christmas ball rolling.