It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas...

Now that Justin's ban on early Christmas decorations has been lifted, I've been hard at work getting our home ready for Christmas. I started out by driving down to my parents' condo, where considerable collection of seasonal decor was still in storage (I didn't really see the point in moving it all last January, it seemed like we had enough to deal with at the time), and the sheer quantity of it filled my little Beetle to the brim. Justin, the Grinchus, was none too pleased about having to make multiple trips up to our third-floor walk up to bring up all the awkardly-shaped boxes and bags, but to me, it was well worth the effort.

Since I wasn't able to decorate last year, it was like Christmas came early as I opened all the packages and discovered all kinds of decorations I had forgotten about. In a way, it was like reuniting with old friends, and I was practically giddy with excitement.

Though our living room and kitchen are actually larger than they were at my old place, it was a challenge to find a place to put everything, but I managed to find a home for most of it. It was also fun to see my old pieces in a new context -- somehow they manage to look completely different.

I'm very pleased with how everything turned out, and I have to give thanks to Justin, whose love for me overcame his dislike of both the trappings of Christmas and home decorating; I was able to persuade him to hang the snowflake and crystal garlands from our curtain rods because he's tall and I'm afraid of heights. He also hung up our outdoor lights (the first time they've ever actually served their intended purpose), and even made a trip to Home Depot for a timer and an outdoor extension cord to do so. Thanks, babe!

I know, I know, the garden gnome ornaments don't really go, but I can't resist a gnome, and all of them were gifts...

I know it's seen as lazy, but I'm planning on leaving these decorations up as long as I possibly can. To me, they are beautiful regardless of how close it is to Christmas, and it makes me a little sad to think of how plan our place is going to look without them. I'm definitely going to enjoy them as much as possible while I can!