Another Holiday Tradition

When my children were small I used to put the tree up 12 days before Christmas and keep it up until 12 days after Christmas.  I would wait until they went to bed and have it up by the time they woke up the next morning.  I would tell them that the fairies must have came in the night and put the tree up.  I know that was lying but it got the kids all excited and ready for the Holidays.  I could also tell them that the fairies were watching them so they had to be on their best behavior.

Over the years I have had to start decorating earlier and earlier (I now start early November) for two reasons.

The first reason is because I keep adding trees.  I have 9 trees but before anyone says anything, they are not all big trees.  There are small, medium and large and not all are decorated. 

I have a little house village and of course my wreaths that I hang in my windows outside.  The wreaths use to have the traditional red ribbons on them.  After the war started I changed them all since my husband, three children, daughter-in-law and my oldest grandson's father are all in the military and at least one of them has been deployed during the Holiday Season.  The wreaths don yellow ribbons to honor my family and all our troops serving and the wreaths will stay that way each year until the war is over.  

None of our kids will be visiting this year but I am thankful it is not because they are deployed but because they are starting their own Christmas traditions with their spouses and children.

Now my second reason is because I like to have my trees up before Thanksgiving because I am one of the crazy shoppers who loves to go out on Black Friday.  When most folks are pulling out the decorations after their big Thanksgiving dinner, I am lying relaxing on the couch stuffed.  I am too busy the day after Thanksgiving when the other half of folks are spending the day decorating since I have been up since 3 am and out shopping.  I like to be a bit like Macy's and flip a switch the night after Thanksgiving and the trees are lit and I can sit back and enjoy.  If you haven't figured it out, Christmas is my favorite time of the year..LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT....