JINGLE JANGLE JINGLE

NOTE: This is a a combination of two posts I thought uploaded and did not, but due to Costco-Instituional-Size Madhouse craziness in December I did not realize.  So here goes--Pics of my psycho-crazy awesome tree and other Acts of Home Decorating, as well as some cool Christmas swag!

So I luuuurrrrv me some Christmas.

Hahaha I know, I just about threw up telling you all about that in the last few weeks.  But my tree--ohhh, my tree.  I've been refining my tree for years.  Every Autumn, I am that Crazy Lady Who's First In Line When The Trees Go Up at Macys in August.  Yup, that's me.  I luuuuuuurv me some ornaments.  Cool ones, funny ones, beautiful ones.  Ornaments that remind us of the UK and family we miss and places we've been.  

My tree, when being dressed, has sections:   Classic White and Blue, 30’s-50’s Style, Toys, Disney, Travel, Fancy, Inherited.  I have bead chains in classic red, ice blue, silver and light green; and two toppers, one a large Tinker Bell whose wings are edged in fine LEDs which change colors,  and a large gold star, both wired into the top as a designer taught me to do for better stability and show.

Being our third Christmas in this house, I finally bought lighted garland for my Pottery Barn Staircase (the official name for this feature in my house--I always wanted the Pottery Barn Staircase):

For many years I had a red metallic tinsel tree that was finally just too cheesy so I brought in from the garage a lovely small tree that had been my grandmothers.  I fooled around a bit with ornaments as scaling is difficult, but came up with some needlepoint stocking ornaments she had made when I was small and then made some paper snowflakes out of scrapbook paper:

I also had some red berries and candles stripped from an “Early Crafty Period” centerpiece once I, erm, matured, creatively,  and have toted these silly bits around three or four house moves.  But I just opened the bag and went “hmmmmm”.  Yup, genius at work over here... It ain’t over till the easily over-excited hoarder says “Hmmmm”.  

So the house is Golden-Lit and Cozy, and I am immeasurably Happy. Still plowing through work, and seeing a few shows up in the city, the season is buzzing along, and I am Happy.  Here's Happy to you, too.

>>>BOXING DAY POST: Note, this should have gone out on 26 December 2012.  I was not on the ball, checking- Blogger's-new-insta-links-to-FaceBook-posting-wise.  Olè!!


"...And the Stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there..."

So I worked Christmas Eve, drove like a demon to J's house for the family crab dinner (stop here to be jealous), drove home and wrapped presents till 1am.  At which point GingerMan says "you don't have to do all this." Meaning at some point I should have realised how many freakin' Xmas gift bags I have upstairs and should have retreated to bed two hours earlier.  

So I was mature and well-reasoned about the situation.  I had two more full days ahead and thought I'd take Mr. Helpful's advice.  I stomped upstairs, grabbed the biggest gift bag I had, grabbed his large box of a gift (the Dyson Hot+Cool Fan Heater) and thumped back downstairs.  I plonked the box on the kitchen table, threw the up-ended bag, a cheerful blue background with repeated scenes of ice-skating Santas, over the top, and it being several inches short, created a picture of not so much an act of festive generosity as a high-end hostage-taking.

Up early Christmas morning, baked the bacon for an army, gathered the pressies and packed us in the Prius for the journey to Jasmin Land.  Caramel Brioche French Toast, OJ, Bacon, Whipped Cream.  Pressies.  A 1-year-old on her First Christmas, for whom wrapping paper and ribbon are a Gift From the Universe.  Gifts, on the other hand, well, get in the way.... I got  a Tardis iPhone case and a hand-sewn Van Gogh Tardis Print (in the Top 5 Episodes EVAR--go download it) knitting project bag, created by Gigi and some KICKASS GNOME STITCH MARKERS (Courtesy of Jedi Jasmin):

All in all, lovely and relaxing.  OH, dinner with my parents in two hours.  Rush and rush, up the freeway with the rest of the goods and a lot more dessert.  

A lovely evening, which also netted a BlueRay of Brave, the AWESOME Chiaogoo Interchangeable Needle Set:

And, miraculously, a Bluster Bay swift.  Yah, you read it here.  GingerMan got me the sweetest swift in the wild, wild west, chickens.  It's still packed in bubble wrap, I'll show it off later.  

Now I've shown off my newest worldly possessions like a greedy 5-year-old, I should expound the virtues and meanings of this season, etc. etc., but really that's what I'm saying.  People I would actually love anyway, people I cook for willingly and sometimes just out of the blue, people I would share cake with, gave me cool stuff.  Kinda nice, I think.... 

Oh hang about, they did get the cake first...Hey! Where did the cake go!!!! Oh bother.  Well, there is New Year's...and until then, ...Happy Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night!

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