12/22 & 12/23 Christmas Prep

Stockings Ready to be Filled

12/22 Photograph Ready to be Filled

Set / Waiting / In Place

The stockings have all been found and just ready to be filled. However, after 30 years of marriage, the same question is asked each year. " Do we wrap the stocking gifts?" The answer is now yes, even the gum, deodorant and socks get wrapped. However, scratch tickets are not.

Sad Santa Cat

12/23 Photograph Sad Santa

Eyes / Hat / Pet

A couple of first times for us this year. Tonight we decorated the Christmas tree for the first time without our oldest there to listen to all the jokes about the number of ornaments he has. We couldn't find the "You're 23" ornament. This is the one tradition that we have always enjoyed as a family and some of our comments about the ornaments are just weird. For example, I keep a lacy candy cane that a former co-worker gave me out of duty, everyone else got elaborate ornaments and I got a small, kind of tacky ornament. But it makes us happy to put it in the back of the tree every year without fail. There was a nascar ornament that joined it, but is now with my oldest to enjoy.

This year we had an artificial tree for the first time, it had belonged to my in-laws and I threw on a strand of colored lights since it only had white. The lights made it ours, since we have always had colored lights on the tree. The best part of the tree is that we don't have to worry about the cats drinking the water plus it's a lot cleaner. The cats are always intrigued by the addition of a tree to their environment which made today's picture easier even though we still had to hold Punk's head. And what animal wouldn't look sad with a santa hat on?