Oh Christmas Tree!

I LOVE Christmas!  I LOVE celebrating the birth of my savior, decorating the tree, the house, the porch, the cat - um, the car, baking gifts, buying gifts, making gifts, opening gifts, taking in the wonder of my children, counting down, building up, the elf, Christmas Eve, Christmas morning!  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT ALL!  Frankly, I don't get "BAH Humbug!" or why anyone would take on that attitude towards Christmas, especially if one is in a relationship with Christ, SAVIOR, rescuer, redeemer.  I know that there are Bah Humbug Christians, and I don't want to judge them, I just really, really, really, really, REALLY don't get them.  But I digress . . . 


I should also totally confess that I once offered my dear friend a Christmas tree for her use (because we were going to leave for the states right after Christmas and I thought I would just do a little Christmas decorating with a little tree - I was wrong). Said friend and her precious family had recently arrived in the Dominican and for some strange reason did not bring a Christmas tree with them (no intiendo!).  (Despite the fact that she did not cart a Christmas tree and all the fixings from Canada to the D.R., and despite what I am about to tell you, we became fast friends.) So after I willingly offered her my tree, living in the delusion that I would just do the little Christmas thang, but while she was out of town for the weekend, I accidentally (?) put up and decorated the tree that I had offered her.  I tell you this not because I am proud of being an Indian giver, but to describe the extent to which I am enamored by Christmas. It's like a disease I think - Christmas fever - and she even remained my friend and loved me inspite of my Christmas psychosis.  Again, I digress . . . .


Our Christmas tree in our home is very whimsical  - for the kids, of course *wink wink*.  Glass candies and drink umbrellas mixed with Disney ornaments from Grandma and topped with obnoxious hot pink poinsettias, a glitzy Dominican peacock (per Tater) and velvety redbird (per Mamacita, Little Pickle) - something for everyone - well, except Jon - who is oh so easy going about all of this - thank you, Jesus!

Behold the Christmas cardinal atop hot pink poinsettias . . . .

Because we're in the Caribbean after all . . . 

 

She used to have homegirl Tinkerbell to accompany her, 

but Tinkerbell took a tumble (real tears were shed).

We have these little frogs that I adore, but they are pretty dainty and every year

more and more appendages are missing, 

but I just keep hanging them up there.

Testosterone ornament for the boy. 

Let's face it, art imitates life here

as the girlie ornaments totally 

outnumber the boy ones.

In a house of 4 women to 2 dudes. 

WATCHA GONNA DO?

And then there's the mouse tree. 

Picture does not do justice.

LOVE THIS.  When one of my mom's good friends died a few years ago, my mom received part of her mouse collection -  mice that had been made by the women of a church in Wisconsin for a church fundraiser.  You can check them out here http://cathedralmice.com/! They have all kinds of different characters.

Every year in January you can order  mice, and then in December you receive them!  When my mom showed me hers - I fell in love.  So now, for my bday, my mom orders me mice!  My tree used to be mostly cheese - because I only had a few mice, but now my tree is more about the mice and less about the cheese.  Again, my children LOVE this too!  And yes, if I didn't have kids (or if I had kids that despised precious little ornamental mice  *shutter*), I would still in fact be like this.  


Oh Christmas Tree!