The Halls Are Decked for 2012!

A closeup image of the nativity scene I have in front of my Christmas Tree.

This Christmas season is extra special to us this year as I have my 23 year old son back home with me at last.  My son has faced many challenges throughout his life and while he has tried to go it alone, we have decided life will be much happier for both of us if he lived under the same roof with the rest of the family.

I really want to enjoy this holiday season like no other so didn't hesitate to get a jump on decorating and preparing.  The day after Thanksgiving the boxes of Christmas decorations came out of storage and we had at it.  Inevitably we always find items in the storage boxes that remind us of Christmas' past, such as a booklet from a school Christmas play my son was in and several handmade ornaments he has given me over the years.  Of course the pictures of my then youngster son sitting on Santa's lap are priceless.  Then there's the very old and fragile ornaments of my grandmother's that were passed down to me as well as the ornaments that my own mother had given me.  Finding these memories and pausing to talk about them makes decorating much longer than it should be, but we don't mind a bit.

My friends, may your strings of lights never be tangled causing you to lose your temper in this holiest of seasons. lol

Here's a brief tour of some of the Christmas decorations we have up in our living room this year: