An Additional Post: Tour of Homes 2008

Hey there, my name's Garrett and, you see, this is the first Christmas where I'm actually excited about what's going on. Last year I was just seventeen months old. Santa terrified me and I spent the month of December trying to climb the gate that my mommy had to put around our tree. But not this year...this year I am pretty darn excited.

My mommy tried to take a picture of her most favorite nativity scene but it simply would not photograph without giant light splotches all over it. It really didn't do it justice so she went with this one instead. Her friend gave her this one five years ago when she found out that my mommy, the pastor's wife, didn't have one. Mommy really likes it.

Here are our stockings. For some reason, this year, they do not want to hang straight. Not a single, solitary one of 'em. The long, skinny, red one is my mom's. It's the one she's been using since middle school. My dad's is on the other end. It's so old it has splotches and stains all over it. I don't really know how a stocking gets stains but his sure did.

My mom's grandma got her this decoration. She loves it and I love pointing out the baby Jesus.

You see that reindeer hanging over the edge? That was given to my mom with a bunch of other "white elephant" decorations. She didn't keep any of the others but when mommy and daddy saw the reindeer, they didn't have the heart to get rid of it. It used to be someone's prized decoration. It's got cracks where the antler was broken off and then reattached but they've got soft spots for discarded things. Every old decoration has a story to tell...

My great grandma Betty painted these. My mama loves the expressions on their faces...


We don't have any extra space in this house so storing the Christmas mugs in the cupboard with the other mugs is out of the question. Mommy decided to put them up with a miniature tree and a giant bear holding a bear holding a bear.

This is one of mommy's most favorite Christmas possessions. Daddy bought it for her when they visited Israel together the year before I was born. It's made of olive wood and plays a Christmas tune. I also like pointing out the baby Jesus in this one.
And finally, yes we decorate with these guys. My daddy has a whole huge collection and they take up several shelves of the entertainment unit. This year, I was delighted to discover decorations that double as toys or is it toys that double as decorations?
I hope you've enjoyed stopping by and seeing some of our favorite decorations. Have yourselves a merry little Christmas.