From Our Home To Yours

Merry Christmas, everyone! I realized this afternoon that as Christmas Day gets closer and family begins to trickle in, I'll probably be able to post less and less. And those of you who check in with me regularly will be busy also - so I wanted to go ahead and wish everyone much love, health and happiness this Holiday Season. May we all remember the real Reason we celebrate. The Reason we give gifts and open our hearts and homes - The remembrance of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I so wish that there was time to have every single person we know and love into our home and that we could visit all of them as well. I absolutely love seeing people's Christmas trees and experiencing the added warmth that this time of year seems to bring to everyone's home. Unfortunately, with only 24 hours in a day (Santa has, thus far, denied my request) and only a few days before the decorations come down, I know that's not possible. So, I am going to do the next best thing. If you didn't make it to our house this year, I will share some of our Holiday Spirit with you through pictures.

The above picture is obviously our tree. I love our tree. It has a history and that makes it so special. Actually, the tree itself was on sale this year at Home Depot, but all of the ornaments tell a rich story. While growing up, each year at Christmas Phillip's grandparents would give him an ornament. When we got married, all those ornaments came to us. (We are have started that same tradition with Jack, although we are buying doubles so that when he gets married we won't have a bare tree!) I now have many ornaments that hung on my tree as a child as well, some of my favorites being ones that my grandfather made. (Remember macrame? Yes, I have macrame ornaments and I love them.) But by far, my favorite thing about our tree is the tree topper. Phillip made it way back in 1982 or so when he was in kindergarten. It's a brown paper lunchbag that he magically transformed into a reindeer hand puppet with the help of a little construction paper, glue and artistic talent. I am especially fond of his lopsided hand-print antlers. So, so precious. I love it.

Next comes our fireplace in the living room. It is my Ode to Santa. Now that Jack is here, I am so much more conscious of how we will choose to allow Santa into our celebration. During these early years, I want the Santa story to be an important part - a magical part - of Christmas for him, because it was for Phillip and me. But not the most important part. So, whether Santa looks like Phillip, or me, or Grandma and Grandpa - or wears a red suit and has a white beard - it doesn't matter to me. It's his Spirit of giving that I believe in.

And in the den, our stockings are hung by the chimney with care. I am not sure we have ever used our stockings before, but I am sure that the one in the middle will be very full this Christmas morning!

We have been so blessed since the beginning of our marriage to "inherit" a lot of Christmas decorations. It seems like every year around Thanksgiving someone is wanting to get rid of some stuff. And being who we are - yard sale and flea market gurus - everyone knows that we'll take whatever they want to get rid of! However, one thing that has been ours from the beginning is our Christmas Village.

I got my very first little house probably five years ago while we were living in our first house and I am pretty sure that I bought every other house I own that year as well, either right before or right after Christmas on clearance! Setting up the village is one of my favorite things to do and I was afraid that I would not be able to put it out this year for lack of a place to put it that would be out of reach of curious little hands. But then my mother-in-law suggested the top of our entertainment armoire and it has worked out beautifully.

So there you have it. A sampling of the Duncan Christmas Extravaganza. Have a Wonderful Holiday!