Tis the Season!

OMGoodness...... has it really been a week since I last blogged?  It's because of the Christmas season and all the distractions and obligations.... and a few days of the tummy flu too.  But then..... it is..... "Tis the Season!"

I've been decorating the house for Christmas, shopping on-line and in stores for all the gifts, planning menu's for all the holidays gatherings we are attending that requires "bring a dish", as well as the gatherings with family we will be hosting here at the homestead.  The decorating took me longer than expected because I decided to purge and organize the storage room at the same time I was pulling out all the holiday decorations..... but in the end.... it was soooo worth it to have everything nice and neat and organized.

I think purging of old Christmas decorations are the hardest choices since each and every item has the sweetest memories attached.  Even the old scraggly and/or broken items are hard to toss out because at one time they were treasured and adored and just the memory of who gave you the item or that fact that it was a favorite item makes it impossible to throw away.  But now with my children grown, it was finally time to detach my heart feelings and approach the project in a 'sensible' way and toss the broken/over used items but keep the memories.

This was also the year to re-vamp my decorating style.  Every year I typically pull out and put out on display every single decoration I have collected over the past 30 years, and each year the decorating looks more and more crammed and cluttered.  This year I decided to downsize, put out fewer things and retire those items long past their service, which of course meant I had to also buy new bigger stuff.  So...... it's like when you buy a new home and decorate for Christmas for the first time and it takes forever because you have to decide where everything goes, instead of just unpacking it and putting it in the same ole place of the old house each year.  It took me a couple of weeks and several trips to various stores, but...... I truly think this is the nicest this house has looked for the holidays in the 6 years we have lived here.

Today I'm on a mission to complete the shopping and start the wrapping.  I have my list ready and my game plan mapped, so right after my pilates session I'm off and running, determined to get this accomplished today.  It helped that yesterday I spent the entire day inventorying what I have and what I still need to get and for whom I need to get.  Wrapping is my favorite part!  I love to put in Christmas movies and watch while I wrap.  "It's A Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Story" are both must watch movies while I wrap.

Tonight instead of going on Friday night date night, I'm fixing a big ole pot of chili and when Joe gets home we will have a quick bite and then will tackle the task of putting up and decorating the big Christmas tree as beautiful Christmas music plays in the background.  Then Sunday we will put up the family tree and get everything decorated on it except for the ornament hanging that we will save for when our youngest (Lauren) moves home from LA on Dec. 21st and then she can be a part of the decorating of the family tree..... her favorite thing and she has missed out on doing it for the past 3 years.

 I'm just amazed that it is already December 11th!  Now that I am so close to having all my obligation duties done, it has snowed and gotten sooo cold, I'm starting to feel like it really "Tis the Season"!!!