First Christmas at Home

Some of you may recall that we bought our first house last year, closing in early December. And, as we were crazy enough to do our actual move on December 23, we didn't really have any opportunity to decorate last year, which made me very sad, as I very devoutly <3 Christmas. This year, however, well, I won't say that Christmas threw up all over our house (although I kind of hope to get to that point), but it is definitely being observed.

For outside, I got some lights and a fancy photo-sensitive timer thingie:

Maybe not this year, because I think the decorating budget has pretty much been reached, but for next year, I think the railing needs some attention. Garlands, maybe? And the windows need something, too. And maybe I'll eventually go completely insane and get something on stakes to go in the garden. But I promise that at no point will there be reindeer on the roof.

Inside would be more impressive if it were less cluttered and I consequently had more surfaces on which to display Christmas paraphernalia, but we have a few excellent items. Such as this moose:

Don thinks he's ugly (in a cute way), but I love him. I got him when he arrived broken at the flower shop my mom and sister used to run. He originally had a planter attached to him, but now he's planterless and just ridiculously and festively adorable.

I also love this:

A friend when I was growing up had a Christmas tree in this style, and I always thought it was one of those hideously awesome things, so when Don & I moved in together and I learned that he had this house, I was beyond stoked. I just love how colourful and cheerful it is. I would have a whole row of these things if I could.

And then of course, there's the tree:

Knowing how much I wanted to have a Christmas tree, Don surprised me with this artificial one a few years ago when we still lived in an apartment. There are some very good reasons why I married that guy. Anyway, now that we have a house, I hope we'll make the move to real trees before too much longer, but for now, this fake one serves its purpose. It may not have bottom branches by the end of the month, if Max doesn't stop eating them, but the rest of it's fine. And just having it makes me happy.

I was going to talk about the ornaments on the tree, but then it started to get really long, so I think maybe I'll save that for its own post. But suffice it to say that the Christmas season is here, and I'm happy happy happy!