deck the halls

Since my facebook has literally been lighting up with photos of everyone's Christmas decorations, I thought it was time to share some pictures too. This past week, I have been assembling our Christmas decorations. None of this was done all at once, just little bits and pieces. Last Sunday (11/27), J and I got our Christmas tree. We had thought we would try a real tree this year. But, after we got to the store, we ended up deciding on a really pretty 4.5 ft pre-lit tree that would fit in our bay window. This meant that our Christmas lights were free for other uses. And thus, they were strung outside. I have always wanted to have outdoor Christmas lights, so I am super excited to finally be able to do so. The wreath is real, and I really enjoy it. 

And I purchased an on/off timer so that the lights would automatically turn on at dusk and off at dawn. This makes things super easy. 

Indoors, here is a shot of our tree and stockings. I have since decorated the tree (pictures later).

And the chalk message was changed on our plant.

We also picked up some garland from the garden center where we got our tree. And yes, this garland is a bit more intense than we had originally anticipated. It sort of looks like a tree is eating our staircase. haha. But, it is staying for now. 

And here is the tree with decorations!

Some of my favorite ornaments: 

The delft ornament J and I bought in Amsterdam 3 year ago. 

J's favorite (not sure an explanation is needed). By the way, this was J's sole contribution to the Christmas decorations.

Wedding!

Ballerina ornament that I have had since I was young.

This one is just really pretty.

I also put up our nativity scene, which is resting on our sideboard.

So, there you go! Christmas has arrived at our house! One of our neighbors has actually complemented me on the tree in the window. It really is a perfect size for that window and doesn't take up floor space on the main floor. I think we would have had to put a bigger tree downstairs in the basement if we had one.

In other news, I ran the Hot Chocolate 5k in DC this weekend with my friend, Stevie. The chocolate was good, but that was a pretty pitifully run race. Since it was in the National Harbor, traffic backed up everywhere getting in and they had to delay the start for 45 minutes. Then, the course was far too narrow meaning that everyone pretty much had to walk for half of it. People actually got out their cell phones and started calling people ... in the middle of the "race." Oh well, we still had fun, regardless.

Hope everyone else is getting excited for Christmas. I really do love this time of year, celebrating the birth of Jesus!