Our Christmas Get Up This Year

Christmas kind of snuck up on me this year.

My neighbors were putting up outside lights,
which I thought was kind of early, then it hit me...
It is Christmas time!!
This was our first time to put up the tree without my now adult children's help.
Sadly, it was MUCH easier.
{Grandboy, David was here and help hubby with the branches.}
We only put up half of the tree-no branches on the backside.
Worked out great!!
It doesn't stick out so much now.

I so love my Christmas tree.
Next year hubby will be instructed to put MORE lights on,
he only did the inside and its just not as pretty.
{it must be said he said he would add more, but I didn't want to wait}
This year we had to get (yet) another star.
I really love this one.
If it quits next year, we will just replace the lights (right hubby?)

My new ornaments are already on the tree,
hubby will be waiting until after Christmas for his;)
For my nativity ornament for 2009,
I found this darling plastic one on clearance
....25 cents! Oh yeah...

Also new this year are these neat clear plastic angel which fit over lights...Pretty...

For myself, a peace frog.
I was amazed how big this thing was...
Love it:)

New from last year, I found a wooden set of the 12 Days of Christmas...
On the first day of Christmas...
My true love gave to me...
A partridge in a pear tree...

Each year I get an ornament for 'us'...
This, too, is huge!

I have wanted an Nativity Advent for a long time, and found this at a good price on Ebay.
The original ornaments aren't with it,
but I have a small Nativity set somewhere that will work.
Currently its just standing, next year I plan to hang it on the wall, where my little ones can use it.
I had my 6/7 yo Sunday School class come up with 24 things that were at Christ's birth, draw it out on small pieces of paper, and next Sunday we will tell the birth story using this Advent and their drawings:)

Hubby decided to add a little flower touch to his basset...Perfect corner...

As brand new empty nester's, we are not using the Home Interiors Nativity our youngest inherited from my Mother-in-law.
Instead I put up the one I inherited from my grandma.
She used to keep this in the room I stayed in, and I was allowed to play with it all year long.
We found matching pieces at Hallmark one year, and each child picked out more pieces.
Such a tribute to my grandma, where I spent every Christmas, and whose house I will be at this Christmas to celebrate with my mom (who now lives there), and family.
{my son DJ folded and painted the star}

Lastly is my ever growing Angel collection.
They surround a Nativity, and with the lights it is heavenly.
{top two photos show the newest angels)Merry Merry Christmas!!