We put up our Christmas tree on Friday the 22nd....... What a crazy but fun day that was!! We had our usual fare...... "seafood chowder for the menfolk and corn chowder for Audrey & me, artichoke dip w/fresh parm. cheese & whole wheat crackers, taco dip & chips, fresh veggie tray and of course cheese & crackers.....". Audrey & TJ helped prep the food while Austin & Travis got the tree in the stand and the lights & ornaments organized! The tree was decorated with LOTS of memories (Reliving the past ones and creating new ones!) "OHHHH, remember when the kids made the reindeer ornaments...", "Who's turn is it to put the angel on top?" "WOOOWWWW, look how little they were in this picture!" You know, all the sentimental things us moms say as we look backwards ....... :)

The tree is beautiful...... we all agreed *the first time in many years* to have white, non-blinking lights! The ornaments, alot of hand-made ones from over the years, are wonderful! I think this is the prettiest tree we've had in a long time! (My kids tell me I say this every year!)

Our 'finishing touch' to tree-day(night) NORMALLY is to watch "White Christmas" as we munch on the goodies. This year somehow, my movie was left behind in storage. So, instead we watched "The Count of Monte Cristo" and believe it or not, the words "Merry Christmas" do happen in this movie!! (hint... it happens in the jail scenes between the two inmates!) We enjoyed the movie but most of all, we enjoyed the time together as a family! I love tree day almost as much as I love Christmas day itself!