Deck the Halls

Welcome to Christmas at our house.

Our tour begins at the front door. We don't have a herd of reindeer like the neighbors, but we do have an oversized wreath and a cute little tree. I think the large orange extension cord gives a little something special to the overall look.

Step inside. You'll be greeted by the first of two towering stacks of boxes. Miraculously, neither stack has been knocked over by a dog tail or our in-house two year old.Turn to your right and you'll be greeted by the dining room. A closer inspection will reveal candles purchased in 2002 that have never been burned.
Let's mosey on over to the nativity collections. There are a total of five.Michael and I bought this at the Vatican when we were on our honeymoon. The shop where we found it said it was blessed by the Pope. That explains some of the cost ($$$$). Do you think they would lie about that? They'd surely burn in hell if they did, right? There is great debate in my family about putting the newborn, infant, little, tiny, baby Jesus out before Christmas. Technically at this point in December he's a fetus so he shouldn't be in the manger at all. Although, if we're getting all technical, I'm pretty sure historians say that Christ was actually born in September. And he was Middle Eastern so the depiction of Mary as blonde and blue-eyed is hooey and there certainly wasn't a pine tree wrapped with garland in Bethlehem.Continuing on. Turn around and you will see the living room with its various holiday trimmings. On your way to the tree, admire the front door and second stack of boxes. Ah, the tree. Artificial, because real trees cause a trip to the Emergency Room for Natalie (I was about 6 or 7 when my mom finally figured out why I was so sick every Christmas). (And the best part is that Nick is allergic to the mold in pine as well so one year we both ended up in the ER).
Turn around. More stacking boxes. I have a little obsession. Let's leave the living room and journey into the kitchen/family room. Turn to your right and gaze at some of our wedding decorations from 8 (!*#!) years ago. Continue on and take a gander at the stockings that have never been used because we still have never spent a Christmas morning in our own home. Turn around and gaze, in wonderment, at some stuff on the kitchen counter. On your way out of the kitchen, check out the neat little countdown tree I found at Target for $4.99. Turn to your right, go down the hallway and enter the guest bathroom. Ponder this question: why do snowmen wear scarves? They are made out of ICE- a scarf does nothing to keep you warm if you are literally made out of freezing. How lovely. Dollar store finger tip towels. And yes, your tour does end in the bathroom.