Trimming the Tree(s)

We set the trees up Friday evening to give the kitty boy a day to adjust to them being in the house before we bedecked them with all sorts of sparkly, dangly goodies to be played with. 

I set out all of my tabletop decorations--"activities" (Lil speak for nativities), snowmen, candles, etc.--including the girls' nativity.  Ellie fell in love.  She comes downstairs and races over to push the angel on top to make the star light up and "Away in the Manger" play.  And then she presses it again.  And again.  And...again.  I'm getting tired of "Away in the Manger".  ;o) 

 She also adores the baby Jesus.  She picks him up, kisses him and says, "Baby Jeeeus".  Close, right? 

We got a late start trimming the tree Saturday.  The Hokies had a game to play before we could begin.  My house was a wreck of gargantuan proportions with boxes, bins and tubs everywhere, and Bitty was about to come out of her skin with excitement.  I let her set up and decorate the Hokie tree all by herself and managed to sort of tide her over until after the game. 

Dolled up in their pj's, the girls got to open their gifts from Amy and then start to put the ornaments on the tree.

Ellie couldn't get the paper off so she started to use her teeth.  Gee, wonder where she gets that...? 

I don't think the paper tasted so great. ;o)

Lily got a sweet little gingerbread girl,

and Ellie a fun sparkly snowman.

And, it was time to decorate.  I love sorting through my tins and treasures, finding well loved and beloved ornaments.  When we left home, Mom sat with Jessie and me and we divvied up the ornaments.  I got the crystal heart, Jess the bell.  I got the mushroom (wait until you see the ornaments I picked up this year for the girls!  They are simply awful. ;oP) J got the turnip--I think.  It was a turnip, right, Jessie? 

There are the silk Chinese ladies and the Nutcracker collection.  There are the treasures that were mine alone--my little girl with the bell that Papa gave me, the brass girl with pigtails like mine were and Ellie's are, and so many more.  There were all of Hannah's ornaments, and those that were given to us by Grandma. 

Lil loved watching me get them out and add hangers to them, ready for her to place carefully on the tree.

How funny is the shadow there to the left of Beanie's right pigtail?  Hee hee!

Ellie was fascinated as well.  However, this was her first Christmas as a "big girl" so she watched Lil intensely, trying to figure out what to do.

She couldn't quite grasp the concept of taking the hook and hanging it on the tree.  She sort of placed them and set them in the tree.  All in the same place.  Yup.

Miss Bit is an old pro at this point and moved around the tree placing her ornaments here and there, being careful to hang the more delicate ones up where Beanie couldn't reach them.

Of course, being only almost six, she can only reach up so high.  There is a visible band about three feet off the ground where you can see the limit of Lil's reaching capabilities. ;o)

Miss Bean was pretty intrigued and really did try her best.  We put her to bed and Lil helped finish up the tree. 

The Bean's section of the tree.

She clustered them beautifully, didn't she? 

Is there anything more precious or wonderful than the family tree with all the homemade ornaments and kids' hanging?  I have a "fancy" tree set up in the dining room (I bought a little 3' tree for the Hokies tree year instead of the one in the dining room and put it in the living room this year.  I'll post tomorrow) and will decorate it as soon as I get the ornaments.  But, this tree is OURS.  It's our family and has our history and memories hanging on it.  It is truly perfect. :o)

Or, more to the point, it was finally perfect...

...once the angel was...

...placed right on the top.  :o)

***********************
Today's Sparklies:

1.  I got a super duper deal on ornaments from the 'Jay today.  I needed (yes, it was a need, not a want, drat it all!) them for my mantle and thought I was getting ripped off at $18 for the 9 that were in the box, but was willing to just suck it up because, really $2/ornament wasn't that bad a deal, right?  Well, tickle me happy when they rang up at $6 for the box.  Sweet!
2.  All errands are run for the week.  Whew!  Now I can just sit back and not relax as I work on cards (okay, you got me on that one, that one's fun) and prepare the candy making factory.
3.  Christmas movies and Christmas music.  My "White Christmas" Pandora station has been playing non-stop today. :o) 
4.  The arrangement of my living room furniture.  We had to swing the loveseat around into the kitchen, and I rather like it.  It gives a cozy seating area other than the table and B and the girls sat there while I was cooking last night.  I loved it.
5.  I know it's silly, but I got a new pressed powder compact today, and it makes me happy, therefore it goes here. ;o)

No milestones.

***************************
ME, the new Mass was interesting.  Fr. Pete made us all laugh as we goofed up "And with your spirit" pretty much every single time.  It mostly sounded like, "And also with your spirit" throughout our congregation.  We're learning it, though, and our parish is able to roll with changes fairly well.  :o)