Christmas Greetings from Our House

We have received so many wonderful cards, photos (the wreath is spilling over with them today!) and newsletters. We love ALL of them! This style of card tree is new this year. May have to get a bigger tree, the way the mail's been coming in!)

A new bell-ringing angel wind chime. She says, "Those who believe are blessed." The rest of the angels are singing on high in the playroom (definitely on high!).

Our snowman shelf display, which stays up through the end of February.
RJ2 made the orange-cinnamon pomander.

Our sea life tree.... started after our honeymoon to Vancouver 18+ years ago. We loved seeing the seals at Stanley Park. Sea life includes friends like penguins and even egrets (from Florida). One of my sisters made the painted glass balls.

RJ2 made a gingerbread house at school. Her preschool teacher thought CJ would like to make one, too, so she gave her all the "fixin's" and CJ made one that afternoon.

RJ2 with the "stuffed" nativity, which traveled off the sofa and onto the floor! (We are still trying to figure out who rang-and-ran, leaving us with the nativity.) The not-kid-friendly nativity is on the dining room side table (and all 9-1-1 calls concerning the wise man, angel and cow were answered successfully).

Our mantel has Rs trains on it again this year. It's such a classic collection (from Hallmark, and my folks). We have Lego santas on CJ's side and the Peanuts' bell choir ornament and golden retriever snowglobe on the right. (Wonderful evergreeny votives from a friend were completely burned to the plate this morning!)

The kids Christmas corner, designed by CJ. This is one of the advertisements she created last year.



In the kitchen, the cows get dressed for Christmas!

And the girls made many cookies for the neighbors and babysitters (Note CJ's gingerbread cookie nativity)....

...And not too many instances of eating the flour!

Good friend "Chatty Kelly" gave me this ornament last year...busy, but way happy this year!

Here is our Christmas tree! Still lots of paper ornaments on the bottom (notice Diego swinging from his zip line). On the left in blue is RJ2's new dance ornament, from a fellow dancer in her class. CJ's ornament as a memento from this year's church pageant is on the right (she was a reader this year).



This is CJ's poinsettia that she made at school. Love this!

And this is our front hallway garland which has those great chiming bells that play like 40 songs! Goes on for 30 minutes or so. Every time the first peal starts, RJ2 says, "Someone turned on the bells." After a few seconds she says, "Can we turn off the bells?"

And this is from this morning! CJ was ecstatic over the "activity" table, which includes billards, air hockey and ping-pong. RJ2 is completely smitten with the Barbie pool and cabana, which was used for the first time with her new Jo-Jo's Circus characters...and then some Rudolph figures....the new Polly Pockets....her Teletubby Christmas ornament.....

Hope you all are enjoying a wonderful day of rest and relaxation! Merry Christmas!!