Christmas decorations

Christmas is my very favorite time of the year. I love everything about it. I love putting out Christmas decorations and having friends and family members over for drinks and snacks. It is a magical time of the year for me that I love sharing with those I care about.
Because I love the holidays so much I have collected many Christmas decorations through the years. When we travel I go to the selection of Christmas decorations in gift and souvenir shops. Now we have so many ornaments for the tree that we need to have two trees in the house so that I can display all the Christmas decorations I have accumulated. This is also fun because we put one tree in the living room in front of the bay window so that you can see it from the outside as well as inside. The second tree we put in our bedroom. I love falling asleep with the lights on the tree and the decorations sparkling in the lights. By having two trees I place the formal ornaments on the living room tree and place the homemade and whimsical ornaments on the upstairs tree. Having two trees is extra work, but it is worth the effort. I also place a small artificial tree with miniature ornaments in the guest bathroom.
Ornaments are not the only Christmas decorations I have accumulated. I also have a snowman village as well as a winter scene village. I put out the village displays the day after Thanksgiving and leave them out until the end of January. I have also started collecting hand crafted old world Santa’s. They are created by a local artisan using recycled furs and wool fabrics. Each one is a work of art and has its own character. I leave them out for an extended period of time also.
The other part of Christmas that I enjoy is baking and candy making. It is the time of year that people do not seem to be concerned about what they eat. It is so much fun to entertain this time of year because the Christmas decorations on cookies and candies add a festive look to the platters. From the day after Thanksgiving until New Years I make sure that I have Christmas goodies available to share with anyone that drops by. I make special snack mixes that are both sweet and salty to take along to other’s homes. I also make special treats to place on co-workers desks.
I enjoy life throughout the year but nothing can replace the magical feelings I get when I hang the first Christmas decorations each year. Seeing the special things that I have collected over the years is like greeting old friends.