Holiday Home Tour 2010 Edition

Come hell or high water, as my mother used to say, I am going to get this Holiday Homes Tour ready.

I put out the Christmas pillows. I confess, they are out all year but are tossed in different spots. I put them all in the same spot but the cat prefers Handy's nice wool sweater.


Handy was busy in the garage, so he was excused from getting the tree. Frank and Ernest put the stand on and carried it in, and Frank took over his dad's job of putting on the lights.


However, no one wanted to decorate it so I just did a half-assed job. I did hang the pre-school heirloom angels. I've seen those on someone else's tree.


There are tons of sad little ornaments waiting in the boxes. Maybe this weekend. I used to always make Handy hang the beer and barbecue themed ornaments.


This is the one ornament Ernest hung. I had no idea it was his favorite.


Mostly, I just put old decorations in new places. These are right behind the couch where Frank or Ernest could easily WHACK them WHILST playing WoW. The big one lost his sword last year. Note to self: find teeny tiny nail to reaffix said sword.


Most of the presents are wrapped and under the tree. I am waiting for a [redacted] to arrive for nephew McQueen, otherwise I think everything else is there. Note gift wrap coordination:

• blue/polar bears = gifts for Ernest
• green = gifts for Frank...he actually asked for socks this year but I swear there's something a little bit nicer than that
• poinsettias = gifts for Handy (and his birthday is TODAY, so imagine how imaginative I have to be at Christmas)
  
• newspaper = gifts from the cat -- she only had a $1.50 budget! She was a good shopper.
  
• no color assigned yet for the mom = Yes, I wonder too??? Something has been built in the garage.
  

I dithered about Christmas Cards, whining that I didn't have a decent picture of us, until I finally remembered that YES, we had a picture from Ernest's graduation. Thanks to Shutterfly, the cards arrived today.


Then I was consumed by the Secret Santa at work. Most years, no one tells me about it until it is too late. This year, the teacher told me on time so I was able to participate. I used that ransom note look to keep it mysterious.


You can see I am seriously into chopping up bits of paper, probably thanks to my project...

My Recession Wreath is just awesome, if I say so myself. Newspaper, cardboard from a frozen pizza, Magic Marker, elderly watercolors and school glue left over from some other project. Plus some clear gloss spray paint, to weatherproof it. Everything found around the house.


Even the Regular Wreath got some Recession Snowflakes. I was tired of my Star Wars theme. (Although I'm never tired of Star Wars (Episodes 4-6). The real ones. But I digress.)


And TA DA --- The Recession Wreath's adjunct, the Recession Tree. Lousy picture, and when is Ernest EVER going to move that Taj Mahal? When he does move it, I'm going to take hopefully better pictures. Really, this is just the most charming little downsized decluttered tree I could have ever imagined.


I'm in love with its simplicity. Tomato cage, green spray paint, a strand of lights, and newspaper ornaments. It's Frank's inspiration -- when I was making wreath wannabes, he said, "We should put them on the tree." And so it goes...

It's the Charlie Browniest.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Best Wishes, Warm Thoughts, and all of that jazz to you and yours.

Much love from the Smalltown Mom family!