I am glad to say that our Christmas tree for 2020 has been fully trimmed.  I shared here{baubles in a crate} that our tree decorating process had stalled.  It actually had come to a screeching halt.  

Mr. M had set it up in it’s place and strung up all the lights.  Yours truly had draped the ribbon garland, oh so nicely.  And then, there it sat for a few days.  

Then we placed our oversized monogram ornaments as a family and after that…..nothing.  The kids were too busy to adorn the tree with all the ornaments and decorations.  So I waited….so we waited…and finally the other night we ordered pizza{*side note}, cranked Christmas carols and got her done!

*On a side note, California is back on lock down status and all restaurants have been relegated to take out orders only once again.  I feel terrible for all these restaurant establishments since they have invested in heaters, tents, etc. to make the outdoor dining experience as comfortable and enjoyable for the patrons, only to be shut down again.  😔  So we try to support our community by ordering take-out a couple of times per week if possible.  

Ok, back to the tree.  It’s decorated with our usual ornaments as in all years past.  You can read all about our {Christmas tree tradition}here.  

Sebastian did do the honors with the tree topper this year since we missed him for a few months when he was away at college.  It’s good to have him home to enjoy all these traditions with us since if these were normal times he would have been back at school. 

Our ornaments have been collected through the years.  As a newlywed I started with a tight color pallet of cream and gold.  Over the last twenty plus years it has grown to include silver, copper, green and other earth tones.  

There’s lots of glitter, shimmer and sparkle and it makes me smile.  Some have been gifts like the Swarovski crystal snowflakes, which were hostess gifts every year from our old neighbors to our annual Christmas parties or the Lenox ornaments from family and friends which coordinates with our wedding china or many tokens of goodwill that all evoke memories.

I love the ornaments from vacations {mostly sea shells from St. Thomas, Hawaii and Mexico} and other sentimental ornaments like the kids’ first Christmas.  Once again all those memories attached to a little bauble. 

The new ornament for this year…..wait for it…..yup, it’s a roll of toilet paper.  It’s 2020 and we all have to keep a sense of humor.  We sold these at the store where I work.  I only bought it cuz  a} it’s funny,  b} it was tastefully made considering and  c} it coordinates with our tree colorwise.  This should make for a great conversation piece years down the road as a true sign from when the world stopped turning and then started to shake and eventually just turned upside down. 

I am so content the tree is trimmed and the house is decorated inside.  Now I just have to tweak the outside a bit and complete some crafts. Then I plan to get baking with the Masterpiece family.  

‘Tis the season and I am trying to enjoy every second of it, taking it slow and taking it all in. 

“Christmas magic is silent.  You don’t hear it – you feel it.  You know it.  You believe it.”

~Kevin Alan Milne~