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Finding our holiday spirit

It's hard to believe that December will be upon us this week already...
Because I've been doing our holiday shopping for a while now, it's hard to get into the holiday spirit.  Well, that and we just got back from 11 days on the road.  And I refuse to participate in Black Friday shopping.  Malls?  Tons of people?  A stampede for a deal I can find online on Cyber Monday?  No thanks.

Tonight, we decorated our tree and hung our stockings (omg are they hideous) and it seems to have gotten us off on the right foot.  Also?  I jammed to some Christmas music at work today which was pretty great.

The best part of putting up the tree is admiring all of our ornaments that family & friends have shared with us over the years.

I received this angel the year my cousin Kristen passed away and she's been gracing our tree ever since.
I'm so thankful for the time I got to spend with Kristen in her short time with us.
Best guardian angel out there.
xo

Our tree has a bit of a pimp lean this year.

Santa joined the group in 2007:  my first year of teaching.
I received him from a student in my Head Start class named Erin.

This gem?
1983 from my godparents.
Who are still awesome & are coming for a visit early in December.

Thank you, Katie, for this great ornament.  :)

A co-worker made this ornament for us in 2010 for our first Christmas together as a married couple.
It's the only one we have!  Thank you Lisa!

Sharpies are amazing.
I did some handiwork on this guy last year.
"Los Porchs 2011"

We acquired this guy at Goodwill in 2011.
He was too cute to leave behind.

Porch's mom gave us matching ornaments that make me smile.
They're handmade from wood.

Porch & I bought a set of glittery snowflakes in 2008 for our first Christmas together in Chicago.

A wire snowman came from the team of mentors I worked with from Columbia who inspired me and eventually lead me to Reggio Emilia, Italy to explore my passion for early childhood education.
They're so ugly, they deserve to be ours.
We snagged them at Goodwill last year......
I'm considering crafting some new ones, though I remain unsure as to where I'd find the time.


Mid-tree-trimming, I exclaimed, "When are we going to make cookies?"  I believe decorating the tree tonight was just the thing to get us in the spirit for the holidays.  It's a busy time, but there's nothing we love more than spending time with our family and friends.  We're excited for all the time we'll get to spend with them this year!

Gearing up for the holidays,
Mrs. Porch


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