Decking the Halls

Today's Wonder of the World is...Decking the Halls for Christmas!

Come on in, friends! We're all decked out. (Click on the picture to see Tanner the Slobber Dog looking at you through the bottom corner of the window.)
Well, we're not all decked out. But this weekend we made a good start.
Thank goodness I had my trusty assistant!

Elf Sam.
It was just me and Elf Sam, since Sarah was off at college, studying her little heart out (hopefully) for exams, Ben was in Scrooge mode on account of too much homework, and Elf Todd was busy living out his Clark Griswold fantasies, stringing lights all over the tree house.
(I knew he really built that thing for himself!)

I love getting out the ornaments with Sam because he lets me tell the story behind each one.
Plus, he thinks it makes perfect sense to hang the circus ornaments on the old drying rack near my beloved Circus Poster.
He loves the elephant

and the horse,

and several others which came out all blurry in the pictures. Sorry.

And Sam is super careful with this treasure I found in a dark corner of a German junk store on our infamous RV vacation.

(Did anyone see the movie RV? We didn't have to. We lived it! Todd says to bonk him over the head if he ever suggests doing that again. It'd be easier and less expensive for the five of us just to live in our kitchen for a week.)
Ah, memories!

Here's one of my favorite Christmas decorations! The angel Scrooge made (I mean Ben) when he was four.

I love collecting old ornaments. I put my favorite breakable ones on this little tree, far away from Tanner the Slobber Dog's wagging tail.

Ignore the spackling there on the wall. I keep meaning to paint over it!
Want to see them up close? (The ornaments, not the spackling...)
Every Christmas tree needs a golden mushroom and a retro bell!

An old Santa


We hung the rest of the ornaments on a pair of fake trees my friend Susie handed down to me this year. We'd always bought a real tree, and I wasn't sure if I could be a person who uses an artificial tree. Turns out the answer is yes! Apparently I can. I don't have to worry about constantly watering it, (yey!) and the price was right. Free!

We went with the multicolored lights, but not the blinking kind. Those things give me a headache.
Speaking of lights...aren't these old Christmas lights interesting? A sweet lady at one of my junk shops back in our French life gave them to me. She was going to throw them out!


Tanner the Slobber Dog says thanks for stopping by.

Actually he's probably saying, "The minute you people leave this house, I'm going to eat me some ornaments! They look luscious and so metal-y."

Hey! I just noticed...Look what some smart aleck did to my PEACE sign/stocking holders on the mantle! (Click on the pic to enlarge.) It's the same every year. Whenever I'm not looking they move the letters around.
PEAs, anyone?

Have a wonder-full Monday, y'all!
Enjoy this video of the Little Women Decking the Halls!
But before you go, tell me, are you all decked out yet? What's your favorite part of decorating for the holidays? Any Clark Griswold's out there?
Love, Becky