Finally Christmas Favorites

Today is the day that Christmas goes up at our house, finally!  Todd is in charge of the tree, he sets it up, we put the lights and garland on together and then he and the kids put everything on it while I watch from the couch.  I'm in charge of the rest.  I used to fill every nook and cranny of our house with whatever Christmas things I could find.  I also used to be sick by the time real Christmas came.....so I've made some changes.  In the area of decorating - it has to be manageable in one day and it has to be things I LOVE.  So today was that day, and as I unpacked and sorted I ran across a few of my favorites.  Here's to Christmas grins.

This is my favorite Christmas mug.  I have three of them now since I sadly broke one last year.  The set of four was a gift one year during our Open House.  These are one of those unexplainable favorites.  I just love them and don't feel like it's really Christmas time until I have my first cup of khaki coffee from one of them....which I had this afternoon (happy sigh).

My favorite grown-up Christmas book.  This book by Lisa Whelchel is the bestest at striking a wonderful balance on the topic of Christmas traditions.  I find myself both breathing a big sigh of relief and getting inspired to try something new every time I read it, which is the start of every Christmas season for me since I found it a few years ago. 

This is Nerfurter, and he really is my favorite Christmas decoration.  As I began decorating for our very first Christmas together in 1994 I discovered that there was no mantle or fireplace in our little parsonage.  Todd built me this wonderful little green shelf with stocking hooks.  We hung two stockings and mine started slowly and mysteriously filling with little presents.  When Todd found out that I peeked every day when he was gone, Nerfurter appeared to guard my stocking.  It worked, I could never pull the little elf out to look in.  He sits in my stocking every year......this will be number 17.

This ornament was a wedding gift and I've never seen anything quite like it.  It's a sweet little nativity inside a glass globe.  To me, nothing captures the true meaning of Christmas as well as this ornament....."For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son......."  Just love it so much.

I love nativity scenes and have several.  My first one is a little ceramic set we bought in Marlow, Oklahoma visiting my Grandma King one year.  However, the one in the picture is my very favorite.  I love the colors and the intimacy in the faces.  I love that every piece has Scripture carved into it that is the Christmas journey for that character. It was a really big splurge for me given as a gift when we left our church in OKC.  They gave me a very generous gift card that I used to buy every single available piece of this set.  I think of that precious church and the people who loved us so much every year when I set this up.  It's usually the first thing I get out.

This angel was a gift from my mom and another one of those unexplainable favorites, I just love her and can't wait to see her every year when I start unpacking.  Wish I could play the trumpet.


So there are lots more and so many wonderful memories that go with them.  Since one of my rules is that nothing goes up if it isn't greatly loved - it's been a good day full of lots of grins and gratitude....Finally Christmas.