Ken and I decided that we wanted this holiday season to be our first together alone as a couple. That means that neither of us will be traveling to see our parents - and that we'll be creating new traditions of our own.
For me, this is both scary and exciting. So to help myself along, I'll be showing off on Busy Beaver.
Last year I remember preparing for our travels and panicking to get everything ready. To avoid the stress this year, I decided to start very early. And now, a solid 13 days in advance, our in-home decorating is all done!
Because we live in a pretty small apartment, we have limited space for our tree. Fortunately, my mom gave me a little tree last year that came with lights already on it. I put on a second string of lights (Beaver orange!) and loaded ALL of our ornaments on it. It looks to be bursting at the seams.
I also set out a vase of poinsettias, hung the stockings and completed all of my gift shopping and wrapping. Ken did, too; now we both have a bunch of pretty gifts to ponder for a couple of weeks.
I'll admit, I felt homesick when I turned on some of my favorite holiday music and decorated the tree alone this year. Most of my ornaments are handmade by
my mom. As I placed each on the tree, I thought about how much love went into the making of this scene ... and into each of the Christmases I've spent with my family until now. I really hope that, should I have children someday, I can give them an equally fun holiday season.
This little scene is just the beginning of my holiday marathon. I have a lot more that I am excited to do in the coming weeks!
