deck the halls

I absolutely love this time of year. I really don't care about Halloween and I only enjoy Thanksgiving because it means super good food and lots of it but Christmas...I love Christmas. Actually, it's probably more accurate to say I love this time of year. I love seeing all the lights go up on houses. I love going to the stores and looking at their Christmas displays but only after Thanksgiving. I love lighting my cinnamon candles when I get home from work. I love listening to Christmas music and watching Christmas movies, especially White Christmas with my mom. I love seeing the kids faces at the mall when they're in line waiting for Santa. I also love that I have a fireplace because it means lots of warm and toasty nights! I just think it's a magical time of year! I only wish we lived somewhere it snowed during this time of year...then it would be perfect!

Today my hubby pulled out our Christmas stuff and I got busy! I got our tree up and decorated. Got my collection of snowmen out, although I think I was very careful and selective in my choices and my hubby is currently working on getting up our lights and lawn decorations. Pictures of that will come later...he's currently muttering to himself and trying to fix the reindeer that won't light up. Did I mention, that this is the time of year that I know my hubby really loves me because he hangs up all of our lights within a day or two of Thanksgiving and the past two years he's even bought the lawn decor just because he knows how much I love this time of year.

Here's my house!

Don't you just love a fireplace at Christmas? The hubs likes nutcrackers and I'm obsessed with snowmen. I think I mixed them well this year!

The tree. Luckily, both of our moms saved us ornaments throughout the years.

My mother-in-law buys me a shoe ornament each year and this is the perfect place to hang them. Since shoes have their own space in my closet and a special place in my heart, it's only fitting that they have their own tree! My parents gave me the the ballet slippers on the bottom when I was 7.

The divider between the living room and kitchen.

The view from the couch. The four snowglobish things my mom found at Hallmark. She loves that store and always finds cute things there. When you push one of the buttons on the one of the figurines they all dance to a Christmas song.

Our nativity scene. We found it 2 years ago in one of the Catholic stores my dad frequents in Tucson. The hubs and I really liked it because we've never seen one quite like it. The figures are unique and the hubs built the shelter. The only thing left is our advent wreath.

Now that the inside of my house is done and the outside is being worked on all that's left is my classroom. That'll be done Tuesday after school. Ooo...I guess there's another reason why I love this time of year...I get to decorate two different places...my home and my classroom. =)