Oh Tanenbaum, Oh Tanenbaum...

It's taken me ten years to finally realize the 3ft Christmas tree doesn't make me happy.  Yesterday I'd gotten out all the decorating boxes and tried to begin the task when I realized--it felt like a task.  Why is that?  I used to love this part!  I gave it up, hoping to find renewed inspiration with the morning.  But as the morning dawned, the realization dawned as well: it's that tree.  That poor tiny "down-sized" tree was like saying that with all the kids gone, I had no reason to enjoy a big tree. What's the use, when the kids can't be here?

I'm well aware the size--or even presence--of a tree doesn't have anything to do with a level of happiness.

But doing without my kids hurts my feelings so much already...why was I making it worse???  SO...today the hubs and I went and bought a big one.  I'm like a kid at, well, Christmas.  The tiny one will now have a little table in the family room by the fireplace (with the blue lights on it for Phil), so THERE.  I have two trees!  Pictures soon to follow of the crazy mess I call Christmas Decorating.

Of course in this process, the Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations find their storage boxes, which makes it hard because Miss Gertie just arrived with her friend Miss Astrid (from Pam at Yoborobo--thank you!).  Miss Gertie might just hang out in my studio, where the calendar just doesn't matter.  She makes me smile every time I see her.  Isn't that just the best big ol' grin?

Gertie

Astrid

Astrid will have an honored place on the Elf Shelf, along with my very first cloth and clay doll.  Elf Girl never got a name, but she's a great sport about it.  Having no name is the least of her worries, if you were to judge a book by its cover.

Astrid and Elf Girl.

Boy, was my sculpting skill newborn back then!  'S'okay.  We all have to start somewhere.  Now Elf Girl has a new gal-pal, which is great because all the other elves are smelly boys. 

Tomorrow I will get the ornaments on the tree (must let the cat explore it tonight without tempting danglies...)  I'll get photos of the finished decorating, and photos of two other additions to my doll collection:
Crazy Wax Doll and Theo.

I hope your weekend is fabulous, dahlinks.