There's no question that autumn is my favorite season. From college football to the leaves turning to the weather finally turning a bit cooler to new school supplies - it's just the best! One of the other reasons I love autumn is the anticipation of the Christmas holiday. I know - Christmas is in winter. But I love it so much that I start listening to Christmas music on Labor Day, and my Christmas decorations come out the week before Thanksgiving (since I'm never home for Thanksgiving and I want the apartment already decorated when I get back in town).
So, my apartment is all decorated for Christmas. Rachel came up on the 13th and we became elves, putting up two trees and stringing lights around my sliding glass door. This year I decided to put up an Alabama tree, complete with all my Bama ornaments, red and grey balls, and lots of houndstooth. I was at a loss as to what to use for my tree topper, but then realized I could use my Bear Bryant fedora. It looks awesome! I was so pleased with how it turned out. And my apartment really looks homey. I added a Christmas quilt, my nativities, lighted garland, nutcrackers, candles, my stocking, and even two giant red stars in the window area between the study and the living room. All I have left to do is the lights on my balcony - maybe I'll take care of that tonight!
I was a little concerned with how Brodie would react with all the decorations. But he's been awesome. Other than stealing one ornament from the tree and trying to walk off with the tree skirt, he's not even paid attention to it. When we were decorating I did give him a big jingle bell to play with, thinking maybe if he had a new toy he would leave the others alone. He's so cute with it - he carries it in his mouth by the string, jingling as he walks, and loves chasing it when I toss it.
Of course, no trip home for Thanksgiving is complete without decorating Mom's house. Mom and I literally spend hours on the tree alone - fluffing, pulling out all the ornaments, and finding the perfect spot for every single one. It's a work of art, let me tell you! But it always turns out so well! We were really pleased this year.
Not only did we finish the tree, we also set up at least six nativities, fully decorated both mantels, and on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Dad and I put up the lights outside. I've never been able to help with that, but we had a free day and the weather was gorgeous, so Dad took advantage of having a helper and we made the outside of the house look as fabulous as the inside.
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