Christmas House

I like to decorate for Christmas.  It's part of our tradition and I make no apology for it :D

Yes, I know, we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  And maybe someday I'll reflect and share more on why I/we do all this extra stuff.  But for now, basically because it's a celebration!  He came here to live among us and to do that He became one of us, with a body.  He lived in the real world and ate real food and felt the same things we do.

And we all like to celebrate.

And some of our decorations reflect Jesus... 

... and others are just plain fun, like these stockings my aunt made for us. :D

I love these pictures of the boys, Naomi,

and my dad and uncle (my dad is on the right, on Santa's lap.)

I have candles all over...

even these electric ones, in the windows.

They remind me of my grandma, who had candles in her windows every year.

And the tree...

... we have to have a real, live tree :D

This year the tree was so big we couldn't fit most of the presents under it,

so we stashed them around the house!

And our tree?

It's a little different.

Most people's trees look kind of like this.

Round shiny balls.  Maybe even color-coordinated.

Not at our house.  That blue ball is a lone ranger.  All the other ornaments tell stories...

Like our family trip to Disneyland...

... the boys' obsession with Toy Story when they were younger...

... my Japanese sister...

... our family vacations to the Oregon Coast...

... Tuba Christmas...

... handmade treasures... 

 ... my favorite ornament (this year... it changes) is this owl we got at Bryce Canyon on our big trip...

... this little owl reminds me of a grandma that collected owls...

... Kerry likes glass and I like bright...

... and I also like traditional red and white.

But maybe my favorite ornaments of all,

are the boys' first Christmases :D

Wyatt

Tate

and Gunnar :D

What's your tree like?  Tastefully coordinated?  Or a joyful jumble?

Tell me all about it :D

Christmas... the Photo Bomb

Which is weirder... to stop enjoying Christmas so you can post about it while it's all fresh, or to be posting Christmas pictures almost two weeks late?  I guess you know where I fall on the spectrum ;D

If you're all Christmas-ed out, just move along... these are our memories.  And one of my favorites is doing advent devotions by candlelight.  And we sing - at least one traditional carol each evening, because I want the boys to know them.  Long after we've forgotten sermons and lessons, we'll remember the songs... so choose them well.

Christmas morning starts early at our house... still dark outside!  The boys open their stockings even before we have breakfast.

We try to find clever little things to tuck into their stockings.  This year the boys all needed some winter gloves.  Oops... looks like Wyatt has left a few candies behind on his strip... that won't last long!

I think their favorites were these air-soft pellet "grenades".

I made an actual cooked breakfast (french toast) and we had our last advent devotion before opening our family gifts.  Then...  

off to Grandpa and Grandma's :D

And since we're the first to arrive, we have some time to fill, so why not...

... break out the potato cannon!  Sure - that's festive!

Doesn't everyone celebrate with artillery?

Ah, but soon enough the house filled with family :D  I'm not trying to post pictures of everyone.  We get together with my parents, my sister (single), my cousin and her husband and daughters, and - this year - my brother, SIL and baby.

Wyatt decided to be a Christmas ninja (?) and Kerry wanted to join him.

Wyatt wanted a hat...

... hope Naomi likes hers.

Gee, can you guess who the paparazzi are after?

Yah. ;D

I think she was trying to pick the dots off her quilt.

Naomi certainly got her share of attention :D

About four in the afternoon, with the gift-opening still going strong, I ducked out onto the deck to check the sunset - gorgeous - and give my ears a quick break ;D

 Most unique Christmas gift this year?

Probably this one, now proudly hanging by Tate's bed.

Or maybe this tree ornament Kerry made for my brother.  

Joy to the whirled ;D

More Christmas

Some of Tate's venison has been roasting in the crock-pot all day, so I have a few minutes to try to pick up the slack here...

We used to have a Christmas party almost every year, but with the boys' activities, Tuba Christmas, Messiah, and everything else, some years it's just too much.  But this seemed like a do-able year, for reasons I don't begin to understand ;D  

I can manage a few hot drinks, and we already had plenty of cookies...

... all we needed were the neighbors...

... and friends...

... and relatives.

I don't know, I think we had about thirty people?  The lady in the first picture, on the couch, is the one that just lost her husband.  I'm glad she came out to socialize :D

And, our little chapel held its annual children's program, once again very low-key because once again the able mom who directs is pregnant ;D

All the kids participate, right up through high school.

I love how Gunnar, a wise-man, felt it necessary to lower his beard while he read his lines.

It's hard to see it here, but he specially requested a blue and gold teapot I have, to use as his gift.

You can see it better in this older picture, when Tate carried it.

I'm not the only one who thinks Wyatt has a "radio voice".

We had a very majestic star, shining over the manger...

 ... though the shepherds kept us grounded.  I would've thought the one in the middle would've had the hardest time behaving up there, but not so.  He may have been a bit stoic, but his fellow shepherd (on the right) became obsessed with his fingers and went through all manner of little games until he decided to wave to everyone.

Oh well.

I seriously doubt it was a silent night anyway!