Not-so-grinch-y

As most of my friends will probably tell you, 

this time of year I tend to get a little cranky, even grinch-y.   

Normally I am so busy decorating other peoples, houses, trees, parties, you-name-it,

 I hardly have time to decorate my own house, tree, party...

not to mention trying to make Christmas 'happen' for two boys and a husband.  

Well, THIS year, I got a break.  While business has been steady, it has not been crazy. 

 I actually have time to breathe....I am not as cranky as one normally would find me this time of year! 

 I am not so grinch-y, I actually may be slightly....festive!!!  

So with out further delay, proof that Christmas is coming to the Curtis house this year! 

It all started with a couple of gingerbread house kits and a hot glue gun...

yes, I did hot glue those darn things together.....nobody is really going to eat the gingerbread anyway!

Candy decorations galore, waiting to be so carefully affixed to the houses. 

(Did I mention I have two boys??? Carefully might not be the optimum word here.)

During an impromptu sleepover with two of the boys' buddies, the houses were completed.  

Of course I had to turn something completely non-competitive into a competition....

Older brothers vs. Younger brothers.  

And of course, none of the parents would actually commit to who won...  

I did think the use of the pizza box top from dinner to create a snowy yard was quite clever...

And then...it was time for the tree....

As usual, I am in charge of the lights.  

I am in charge of the lights, well, because, there is one way to put lights on a tree.....

and no one in my family seems to do it correctly... ;)

Lights on, time to move on to the ornaments.  

So many people ask me what my home and tree look like.  I think they have grand visions of a completely styled tree and home holiday decor... I have to remind people that I am a mom and I have children and they LOVE the ornaments that we have accumulated over the years.  

This year was the first year in 12 years that we have had white lights on the tree....I must say, as crazy as it sounds....I kind of miss the colored lights with the myriad ornaments...  

Well, the ornaments are stored in boxes that we use over and over every year.  

Each year I try to carefully place each ornament in its own little cubby in the box...

Until I get tired of trying to place hundreds of unruly ornaments in cubbies...and then I end up with something like this...

Cubby or no cubby, the ornaments are extracted from the boxes by the boys and our tree ends up something like this...I try my best not to move too many once they are placed!

I do have a few favorites...

Buddy the Dog...

The ornament looks vaguely similar to the real-life Buddy-the-Dog.  (Do you see the scissors and the fur on the ground??? It took me an hour to get all the dreads off the darn dog....remind me never to get a long-haired dog again.  I am so not into maintenance.....getting grinch-y....)

I digress...ornaments...

I have photo frames of the boys on the tree beginning from the year Will was born...

it is so fun to see how much they have grown and remember how tiny they were.

The Nativity ornament always gets tucked deep into the tree 

as it is so heavy none of the outer branches can hold its weight.  

I love that the Christmas story is encompassed so simply and beautifully on one ornament.

And there are the ornaments that are reflections of my boys....the soccer ball for Patch (and the endless soccer season that we live in) and the SPAM musabi for Will (yes, Will likes SPAM musabi as well as Hawaii where he loves to get them).  You can see the sail boat in the background....for the sailing season that lasts half the year in our house.

And the Hawaiian angel....my mom-in-law got this for me one year...she knows how much I adore the Aloha state...

My house continued to get dressed....stockings were hung...

This stocking I have had since before I can remember.  

My great Auntie Ellen made it for myself and my brother when we were just babies.  

Before she passed away she made one for each member of my family....I love these sweet memories of my awesome Aunt- Entrepreneur,  Professional golfer and Bridge Player...Fiesty one she was!

(The top part of my mantel gives you a hint of what I would do to my entire house and tree if there were not little people around.. :) )

And in the space where I am waiting to find the perfect chandelier for above our piano (that no one plays), the closest Santa Barbara will get to a white Christmas...

Wishing you all the best this season!!!

Cheers!