Christmas decorations!

Guys, I really love Christmas. I try not to decorate before Thanksgiving, because Christmas festivities have their time and place. And I can pretty easily manage to put off Christmas music until after December 1st. 

But, still. I love Christmas. 

Richard is such a gem, and not only puts up with the excessive Christmas decorations, he even helps put them up! 

And now that I'm ready to take them all down, I'll post pictures! 

Not pictured in this post (or anywhere since I didn't take any pictures) -- the candle lights in each of the front windows. I meant to get an exterior picture of the house since those lights just made it look so festive and inviting! Oh well, next year. 

Every year, we get a fresh tree. Nothing beats the smell of a fresh, pine Christmas tree. I have such fond childhood memories of picking out a tree with my family on the say after Thanksgiving each year. My sisters and I would race around trying to find the best one, and we would point any comical-looking ones along the way. And our favorite was always the comically large ones. "Dad, let's get this 22-foot tree!"

Of course, a close up of one of the Clemson ornaments. 

The last couple of years, I've added a second tree -- a little, artificial one just for my silver bells. My grandmother (Gumbie) bought each of us three girls a silver bell each Christmas for the first 21 years of our lives. We each had our own style of bell, and I ended up with a beautiful collection of silver sleigh bells. I love the legacy of the bells, and I really like having a separate, small tree instead of including them on the big tree. 

Silver bells!

My very first one -- 1987.

The view from the kitchen

... and our previously posted picture of the mantel -- baby stocking and all. :)

The dining room table with the decorative table-runner layout

These little guys were a lifesaver this year. You just plug these into the outlets, then plug the lights into these, and voila! They become remote-controlled lights! This made it so we could quickly turn on and off the lights on both trees and both garlands (kitchen and dining room). Love them!