Home for the Holidays

The other thing the unexpected

weekend at home allowed us to do,

was to prepare for the holidays.

We are hosting our annual Neighborhood Poker Party on Thanksgiving Eve,

and then heading to

Colorado on Thanksgiving Day.

This plan, always leaves us a step behind on our holiday affairs.

So, for the first year ever, I got a head start.

As you know about me,

I am not about skipping November and heading straight from Halloween to Christmas.

 

However,

we have done and enjoyed

November to the fullest.

Taking a moment each day for gratitude.

Creating the previous years left over

Target Dollar Aisle Turkey projects,

till we can't Turkey project anymore.

 

And November and Thanksgiving

will continue,

we have lovely plans and family

vacation time in Colorado.

 

The timing was right after a weekend at home,

to allow a little bit of Christmas into our home.

So we brought up the holiday bins

from the basement.

I had enthusiastic helpers on the job.

 

They each have a tree for their room,

and minus our real tree,

which we will save for our return,

they spent hours like this.

 D came home from the Badger game

and made ribs!

Our favorite.

 Ceci was in charge of our Christmas village.

 She takes her job very seriously.

I am thankful for this because,
I do too.
 

The Christmas village was gifted to me

from my beloved and belated Grandma Gauthier.

I have the original boxes and her cursive handwriting on them.
(writing Christmas village in a Sharpie, when the box already is clearly the original Christmas Village box.  It makes me smile.)
 

She treasured this village and tradition.

I can't believed I was
the person they were handed to.
 

We handle with care.
 

We have all the gratitude and joy
 she got from them.
 

Plus more.
 

Because we pull them out every year,
 and talk about her.
 

Charlotte never had the opportunity to meet her.

I think they would have gotten along very well.

 

 

 Our first Christmas in our house,
 Paul gifted us with an addition to Grandma Gauthier's Christmas village.

It was a house, that was meant to look like ours.

And does.

When the kids had gone to bed and I was turning off lights and heading up myself,
I was thrilled to see the
final Christmas village set up.

Looks like everyone in the display
ended up at our house.

As in, every single little porcelain person was not at the church or the grocery store,
but instead waiting at our doorstep,
 caroling in front of "our" home.

With Santa on the roof.

Yes, I will leave it like this all season.

Parts of our Christmas decorating looked like a Rockette Show.

My deepest apologies.

Other parts looked like this.
C and me in our wool socks.
Mine having a BBQ stain left over from dinner.

Tis the season,

for good food, equal parts fancy outfits and cozy outfits, messy states of affairs, traditions, memories, and a happy acceptance of the perfect in imperfection.

This recipe works for us every year.