Like my awesome, wish I'd just leave it up all year, robber alert hanging on the front door.
Or the magical reindeer dust our neighbors gave Pearl to make certain Santa didn't miss our house. The stuff paid off. 
My nativities. I've scaled back immensely considering pre-kids I thought I wanted to collect them. But then I realized I had no where to put them! So I put out my favorite nativity cross stitch I made and my favorite nativity set with the stable (aka garage) that my dad made me. Hint, hint... I still need the goat and cow to complete the set. Another nativity my parents gave me for Christmas one year. And this little boat nativity from Peru that my friend Libbey gave me. Which I totally spaced taking a picture of and refuse to go find it the dungeon downstairs for the sake of this post. Someone remind me about this next Christmas. 
A stack of Christmas books that I cursed almost every day because I couldn't figure out where to put the dang things. Especially once the presents started to pile up under the tree. Next year, I'm stealing another mommy blogger's idea and wrapping them up with a numbered tag on them so Pearl and Cole can open one every day in December. Yes, I almost have THAT many Christmas books... but we love them! 
Our handmade Christmas stockings. I can't part with mine... my grandma made it. All the cousins have similar ones and I treasure it. I made Jeff's stocking and every year Santa thanks me for making it so big. You can stuff just about anything into it. Confession. I still have yet to finish Pearl's "Santa" as she kept calling it. Ok, so she kept asking when I was going to be done with her "Santa." Don't even get me started on Cole's! 
Or my personal favorite, the single present Pearl wrapped by herself for her little brother. He loved it.
Then there's the wreaths hanging in all the windows. It's a bad picture, but trust me they are so cute hanging in our tall, skinny windows. Love the old-time feel they bring.
And the infamous "white bear." When I worked at Dillard's they would give all the employees a bear at Christmas. I collected three in my retail stint but none so soft, cuddly, and in high demand as this one. Jeff and my friend (and roommate) Kristy fought and fought over "white bear" the second I brought him home. Serious, there was a rumble for him. So I begged, pleaded, and bartered with HR and the dock guys to let me have three of them. One for me, one for Jeff, and one for Kristy. 
Now that I've actually done something with these pictures, I'm regretting not getting pictures of a few more random things that come out only at Christmas time. For example, the latch hook Santa rug I made as a kid and hang on the bathroom door. Or the cookie jar my brother gave me. Or the gorgeous Lenox platter with birds on it that I never get out of its box for fear it will break but wish I had a party and an excuse to show off. I got it 90% off at Dillards.... hid it in the backroom for months! Oh well. Next year.
4 comments:
White Bear RULES!
I have a robber alert that's more of a child escape alert that hangs year round. Once it a while, though, I put it up when little hands think its fun to make noise!
How fun! I love Christmas, but I think you take the cake on the decorating! I love the bells and all of the nativities. I want the willow tree set. I didn't have one until last year when my dad bought me a set as a surprise. I can't wait until I buy more trees for my home. Right now we just have a scraggly looking one.
Oh how I LOVE white bear!! That reminded me of how we had our whole ward thinking Jeff and I were siblings. Oh what fun memories.
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