Sentimental Ole' You

I just love spending time over Thanksgiving weekend putting up our Christmas decorations. I love putting our traditional ornaments on the tree. We add something new every year.

We have special ornaments from when I worked the Olympics in 2002, from when we went to Cirque de Soleil last year, one of the Nashville Temple dedicated in 2000, one we made last year from pieces of my parents quilt on their Golden Anniversary, and one from DisneyWorld in 2006, one from the Virgin Islands when Steve and I went there in 1998 with Ambest...the list goes on and on. Not to mention the many, many ornaments that have pictures of the kids over the years, or things they have made. And Steve and I made clothespin reindeer for one of our very first Christmas trees right after we were married, those are on there too. And...my mom gave me the metal twirly icicles I used to love putting on our tree as a little girl. I love putting those on there each year now, too! I enjoy every memory as we hang it, and look at it over and over again for the next few weeks!

I just love putting on my favorite Christmas music (Ronnie Milsap, the Carpenters Christmas Portrait, Barry Manilow, Perry Como, Manheim Steamroller, Andy Williams, Martina McBride, Bing Crosby, Liberace, Michael Buble' -- we have a million!) and letting music fill the house as we decorate. 

And we all help put up my angel collection, and set up my "It's A Wonderful Life" village, and put garland and decorations on the stairway & mantle, and decorate outside...it's just so festive!

My favorite Christmas movie (well, my favorite movie of all time), "It's A Wonderful Life" is all over my house at Christmas. We have the book, several ornaments, and of course, the huge village made up of buildings, trees, cars, snow, and trees. Because, as we all know, it really is a Wonderful Life!!