OH! Sue!!! I actually gasped when I scrolled down and your photos jumped out at me from the screen. I sobbed for a moment, and now have tears in my eyes. Not sure where that sudden emotion came from, but I guess it was there just below the surface, waiting to emerge. **THANK YOU**.
Will finally put up the Christmas tree later today. I bought about a four-foot artificial tree a few years back, decorated it nicely, then put in on a box in the living room, with a fancy tree skirt covering the box, so that the tree didn't look so small. After Christmas I took a second look at it, decided it "looked pretty good!" so threw a sheet over it (decorations, lights and all) and put the whole thing out in my garage.
So all I have to do is go out and get it, plug it in, and I am good to go.
Will put up a few more decorations here and there inside the house for when my kids come (none out yet, even though it is Christmas Eve), but not too many. Most of my life I have always been a real lover of Christmas - the decorations, the baking, the caroling, the laughter, the guests, the music, the parties, the celebration, the friends.
Not so much anymore.
Christmas decorations (especially those I put up inside my house) just bring back memories of happier times, long gone by.
My daughter and son-in-law are both coming tomorrow (Christmas Day) and staying overnight; my son and his Lady will come Tuesday (I hope) and also stay overnight.
As soon as my son's car backs out of the driveway Wednesday morning, I will close the door after waving good bye, and get right to work putting everything away again. I will take the solar Christmas lights down from my roof on Wednesday, too, and that will be that.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
Anne