2013 with a pretty bow on top

The day after Christmas I was ready to take all of the decorations down. I held out a couple of days (mostly due to necessity) but it came down the following Monday - before New Year's. Don't get me wrong: I.LOVE.CHRISTMAS. But even with the shortened season this year (due to the late Thanksgiving - and yes, I wait to break out Christmas until after Thankgiving!) I am always just as ready to pack it all up as I was to get it all out! I know I'm talking about Christmas as if it is defined solely by the decorations in our house, but I think you know what I mean. I love the extra cozy, extra special feeling the tree and stockings and all the little red/green touches invoke, but I equally love the clean, fresh, let's-start-over, His-mercies-are-new-every-morning feel of kicking off the New Year without all the extra stuff.

Wow, I totally digressed. This was suppose to be an intro to let you know that there are a BUNCH of new posts below. This is the digital/internet version of me packing up Christmas. It's time to move on with 2014 and that means I want to get our 2013 blog book printed. Which means I actually have to wrap up all the intended 2013 posts...so here you are.

-Christmas at School
-The Cookie Tradition
-The Four Days of Christmas
-Merry Christmas (Officially)

And since this is where I began, I'll close with some photos of all that Christmas stuff I was talking about.

The novelty will wear off but its been fun all year to have our first X season in the house. Christmas was no exception. The tree we bought last year (unseen, but with my mom's approval) was a perfect fit for that little corner between the kitchen counter/bar and the big slidy door. Tall, skinny and very very real looking. I am officially an artificial-tree-believer. No sap, no pine needles until February. For us right now, the real tree is Christmas romanticized and the fake one is Christmas practicalized.

 I'd give my mom a hard time about taking her sweet time, but that wouldn't be fair given how crazy intricate these stockings are and the fact that she has made us 3 of them for us. Maggie's was just shy of making it up in time for the actual day...

 Here's all 5 of us on our faux mantle - and Kyle's childhood stocking handing the "wrong" way. :)

 Some details - that's Bee's signature (on each one)

 My grandchildren are going to have to be happy with store-bought if its up to me because I will never have the patience for this...

 All the stuffing and bead work and embroidery makes my fingers and brain hurt.

 And some of our fun new decorations thanks to Kindergarten. I love this stuff - my mom still has a bunch of my and Alex's stuff up.

the pine-cone tree

 the manger with little clay people

 Our tree at night - the real one, the fun glowing one.

 Alright, bye bye 2013. Welcome 2014. 

I've still got a few more posts to do to wrap up 2013 but this at least gets Christmas done! Yippie!