Yule at the House of Conwell

I don't go too heavy on the decorations, for several reasons.  First, the hubs is only willing to alot (cheerfully) a certain amount of year-round space to storage.  Second, our family is too far and too spread out to come see us over the holiday season, and few of our friends are willing to travel this far out to visit.  That's not as pathetic as it sounds.  Or maybe it is, but oh well.  I'd throw a party if I thought it would help, but we barely remember how to throw parties.  Third, and maybe most salient: what goes up, must come down. 

But I do have a few odd collections, one of them I collect for the hubs.  I've always collected for him, with or without his permission, because he's just not a collections kind of guy.  So between the nutcracker soldiers (we are a military family), the vintage toys, and the elves, I have enough to keep the Bah Humbugs away, but not enough to require a storage unit and a week to put it all out.  Our tree is three feet tall.  Maybe next year, when I have grandkids here (only six hours away...oh. my. goodness.) I'll push for a big tree, but for the last few years, this little tree has worked fine.  I have to put mini ornaments on it, and save the larger of the kid-made ornaments for the pine garland over the entertainment unit...but it's a cute little tree.

The "husband's collection" of nutcracker soldiers, along with the beer steins his brother got him when stationed in Germany.  I like that they're standing under a copy of the Constitution.

The Elf Shelf.

Toyland.

Our tiny tannenbaum...

So while I have three reasons for not making a ginormous display, I have one really good reason for dragging it all out every year, even if the hubs barely looks at it.  I love to revisit all the things my kids and I made together over the years.  The ornaments Josh and Renee made in first grade, with gap-toothed pictures of themselves, Jason's art-class masterpieces.  The technicolor reindeer Casey painted the year Phil and I met.  I have a felt campfire I made back when dinosaurs roamed the earth.  The little paper spiral of smoke is long gone, but the little logs and flame are still there, literally hanging by a thread.  The ghost of Christmas Past comes alive, smiling sweet memories for me every year.  I make everyone new handmade ornaments every year, for the Ghost of Christmases Yet To Come.

I don't think it's too early to wish everyone a wonderful season of Holy Days.