Decorating Traditions

With all the extreme cold temps and mounds of snow that we have been receiving lately, my hubs and I decided to get our house decorated ASAP. Since I had to work on the infamous Black Friday, we decided to pull everything out the following Saturday. It was a mess, but well worth the effort.

My house is so tiny and moving from 4000 sq. ft. to 900 sq. ft. has been an adjustment that I still haven't quite gotten used to...but I'm getting there. I have accumulated SO many Christmas decorations over the years that I simply could not fit into my house. So my girls has benefited greatly as a result! Now when I go to their homes, I am flooded with the sweetest memories of their childhoods...and my *Littles* are so proud to show me their "new" decorations {{wink}}. It brings me so much joy to see their little faces light up as they enjoy the very same things that their mommies loved when they were little.

But when they come to my house, they are drawn immediately to one specific thing...it's a basket of Christmas books. I set it just next to my tree and every year, I buy at least one new children's Christmas book and put it in a big basket with all of the others. My *Littles* ADORE this basket and are constantly perusing it for "just-the-right-story"...sometimes they even read them to me...and they don't even read yet!! BTW, if you live in Utah, Seagull books has a table of children's Christmas books that are marked down as much as 90%!!. I have picked up books for as little as .49 !!

It's just a little tradition that I started many years ago and it has grown so much that I have even had to give some of the books away (to my *Littles*, of course!)

I love my Christopher Radko tree...of course, not ALL of the ornaments are Christopher Radko;)

Oh, and this is what I won at Bunco the other day...

Isn't is adorable? Each mug has a topper that keeps your beverage hot...Soooo cute! (I apologize for the quality of my photos...one day I'll figure this camera out!)

And then I bought this little guy for $3.00 at an awesome store called "All That Stuff In The Barn" which is literally a block from my house, I love him:

So I'm just curious, what are some of YOUR favorite "traditions" or decorating ideas??