Shelf One on Bakers Rack

Remember the bakers rack of the other day, here is shelf one, finished.  I decided that I was going to light each shelf instead of putting what I used to put on it.  So I have been digging through things and things are shaping up.    I may move things again, but the Santa's are in place up on the plant shelves, and here is shelf one:

This was the Santa I bought last year after Christmas.  The trees light up and are part of my Christmas Village.  I may change those as I think I have some bigger green evergreens that will look better. 

 

This is the top of our entertainment center.  The two women are Lime' s (pronounced lee may, faceless women that are about 3' tall and are from the Dominican Republic.  As far as I know, from a friend whose family still lives there is that the factory closed and they are no longer available.  I feel honored to have two of them.  They do not sit there usually, only at Christmas so I have room for other decorations.  The vase is from Germany, my husband feel in love with it and bought it for me.  It arrived here about a week after we got home from there.  I was surprised.  He put up lights on it so the silver would shine like it was made to.  It is a piece of Rosenthal.

 

I will be doing the top of this intermittently as I am going to start my trees.  They take the longest to do. 

 

 

This little area is for my blue and yellow tree, and it is a slim tree that is 7' tall.   Watch for tomorrow and see how far I get.

 

A Peice on Traditions

Talking Christmas. 

When my children were little, I let them help with a lot of the decorating.  Besides the Charlie Brown tree, we always had a manger scene and a little village to set up under the tree.  There were little plastic elves under the tree around the village. They were constantly re-arranging the village and the elves. Then  of course the advent calendar.  That was our custom.  I know that many of you have your own customs.  It is great for the children to take part in so they can carry on traditions.  I love the elf on the shelf from Hallmark idea.  I bought a bigger elf who could bend and sit on lampshade,  could hang from chandeliers, be upside down on the fireplace and always somewhere where you might think he was causing mischief.  We called him Mr. Elf.  This was for my great grandson who was living with us.  Then when he moved, of course Mr. Elf went to Michigan.  We have had several Mr. Elf's as children visit for the holidays.  I saw a beautiful one at Dillards yesterday.  I am thinking I should just go get it.  Remember, if you love it, buy it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another tradition was that I bought each child a collectable ornament to keep for when they had their own tree.  To this day I do it and for my grandchildren and great grandchildren.  They are always special ornaments. I try and buy them after Christmas each year and save them for the next year.

An old tradition was to go as a family and pick out a fresh green tree.  Now everyone has artificial trees, or almost everyone.  Here, fresh ones just don't last long.  Lucky are those of you who live in the north and can get beautiful trees.  The smell of them is Christmas.

Tomorrow, how to decorate an artificial tree to make it outstanding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!