"Christmas Time is Here Again . . . O U T Spells Out"

"Christmas Time" by the Beatles

I saw this on one of my morning runs before it got too cold.
I think it's a real live holly bush. I had to stop and get a picture.

OH MY GOODNESS LESS

THAN A WEEK TO CHRISTMAS!

Mr. Handome LOVES Christmas and boy do we celebrate it. I am less attached to the holiday since my family often spent it traveling. My father got every other Christmas off call. When we were little his pager wouldn't work if we went far away so we always traveled for Christmas so that the Hospital would leave him alone. When we were in town for Christmas we wouldn't stay at home. My mom, my little sisters, and I would stay in a hotel near my Grandma's house for the week. Since everything was always different, I did not grow up with many Christmas traditions or decorations.

Our Tree

I told you all about our tree get last weekend. And, I am so glad we got it last weekend since Mr. H's family went to get their tree this past weekend and the high that day was 10º. After we got the tree up Mr. H put on some Christmas music, brought our decorations up from the basement, and we (he) started decorating!

Mr. H put out decorations up around the house.

Our Living Room
i.e. the Room the Christmas Tree took Over
This tree is smaller than past trees.

Presents: Some from my mom, One from a Student,
and two for my siblings-in-law

We need a bigger tree skirt.

Mr. H's Christmas Tree from College
and the Cards We've Gotten

Mr. H's Rudolph Advent Calender

Mr. H's Santa Chair Covers
I don't like them they are from the dollar store and fall apart. I plan on
making nice velvet ones for our living room when we have a house.

These are my favorite ornaments this year:

I gave this to Mr. H for our first Christmas together.
It did not break even though our tree fell on it one year.
I think this could be a good metaphor for our love:
It does not break though a tree falls on it.

Flowers from my wedding bouquet.

Frango Mints from Marshall Field's
to remind me of home.

Yoda. His lightsaber and ear broke
when the tree fell but Mr. H fixed him.

Mr. H got this at a yard sale as a child.
I think it's really cool.

Mr. H is a math teacher so this year we used this ornament
to keep track of how many ornaments we put on the tree.
Mr. H worries we will leave one on the tree when
we throw it out so we always count them.

I got Mr. H a nice Sponge Bob ornament to replace his
ugly plastic one whose nose broke off when the tree fell.

My sister brought back an ornament from Kenya (right).
I like the glass star I got from Target last year post Christmas.

I love Tim Hortons. It used to be our Saturday night date spot.

Mr. H made this when he was a little boy.
He was able to tell me all about it. He got to the craft table
late and they had started to run out of red and green beads.
He only wanted to use red and green beads so it was unfinished.
Instead of being sad he decided this was okay because it
made it different from one his parents already had.
I love my husband so much.

This is one of Mr. H's Ornaments. I think it's really pretty.

My in laws gave us these. I think they are pretty.
They are also paper covered something so they are
not insanely fragile.

We differ as to the proper placement of ornaments which causes some difficulty as we are decorating the tree. I like the ornaments to hang out on the edge of the limbs where you can see them and he likes to nestle them in where you cannot see them. Though, I think his method is more likely to keep the ornaments safe should the tree fall again.