Christmas Season

The earliest we have ever put up our Christmas tree was a few years ago while still in college.  We were going to be out of town every weekend in November, except for the first one.  I knew putting up the tree in December would be like putting it up the day before Christmas (way, way too late), so we went ahead and put it up the week after Halloween... and I got to enjoy coming home from work and class every day for 2 whole months to a lit tree.  It was awesome.

I know a lot of people get upset that Thanksgiving gets the shaft when it comes to celebrating Holidays.  I get that.  I love Thanksgiving and the time we get to spend with our family.  It always seems like we get more time together at Thanksgiving than we do around Christmas.  But, there's just something about Christmas.  I am a total sucker for the "magic" thing. 

I follow a vlogger that just had a miscarriage and she made a video about some recent happenings in their life and said she told her husband Christmas was coming early to their house so she could have something to be happy about.  Amen, sister. 

My husband loves to have little traditions.  He gets really excited for them, even if they are silly.  The first time we put up a tree together, we ordered pizza and watched The Muppets Christmas Carol.  Daniel had never seen it, and I grew up watching it and Muppet Babies just about every morning (Babies, not Christmas Carol).  We do it every year now.

Last year we were supposed to put up a tree I had gotten at a rummage sale for $10.  It was an 8 ft, fat tree that had the individual branches to fluff and attach.  I was so excited.  The tag was still on the box and it was something like $200 or $300 retail.  I thought I was so awesome, until we got the tree out and there was no top layer.  It looked like we had a decapitated tree.  I almost cried.  We had to throw it out and put our little 5 ft one up that we had gotten for $5 on clearance at Target on our honeymoon.  Last year, I was out thrifting after Christmas and found another tree at Salvation Army for $10.  It was out already, all set up.  Nothing can go wrong this time....

Except that it was prelit with tacky colored lights.  We shoved it in the box and vowed to worry about it later.  It took us almost 3 hours to cut off and pull out all of the lights from our tree on Friday night.  I was so tired from sitting on the floor looking straight up to cut the cords off the back of each branch that I hardly wanted to hang the ornaments.  But, my sweet husband kept me going and we finished. 

I love it.  I love it all.  Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and then we only have a few weeks of school before our anniversary on the 22nd of December (and a trip!  I will post about that later) and Christmas.  Almost makes the year bearable.

I am making a stocking for my sister's puppy, so I figured I'd make one for ours, too.  Which got me to thinking that some cute Christmas bunting on our fireplace would be awesome.  So, I will do that and post an update soon!