I JUST CAN'T HELP MYSELF !~

OK, OK, I know I'm early BUT
..... I didn't really decorate for two years while Tony was overseas so I told my dear husband on the 5th of November that I wanted to start early and his reply was
"If it makes you happy it makes me happy!!
WHAT A MAN!!
So I started on Saturday the 5th and finished on Friday night the 11th! I love my Christmas decorations BECAUSE there are so many wonderful memories in them of people I love and things I've done at various times in my life! For instance ...............

I placed a lot of my Santa's and all of my Nutcrackers on a table ........... Santa's on top ! I have 3 very special Santa's that my sister Donna carved and painted for me!! One is a necklace, one is an ornament and one is a large full Santa and he stands on this table. The other two hang on the mirror above this table. There at two egg Santa's that I painted one year with my friend Sherryl Likes. I was going through my divorce and she and I would get together and make Christmas decorations and it was GREAT THERAPY!!

And the Nutcrackers on the bottom! I had been collecting them (one a year) Haven't got any for a while but I love them none the less!

This picture is blurry but I placed greenery around them with lights and lit them up!
TA DA! Not quite as pretty in this picture as it really is! lol

This is ONE of the many wreath's I own and I hung it on the wreath stand!
I made this one in Relief Society when I lived in Boise.

The closet door holds my Eskimo wreath! (Oh! and Woodland Santa hangs on the door) I have Sooooooooooooooo many ornaments so one year, my friend Sherryl Likes inspired me. She had hung a lot of her ornaments on wreaths and I loved it! So I did it too!

I have my miniature Family tree on an end table with ALL the kids and grand kids and parents and grandparents names on an ornament! (along with my snowball candle) This tree has been growing year by year as you can imagine! I made the Snowball candle at RS in Boise!

On the other end table I have my Department 56 Nativity!
I love Dept. 56 and one year when Tony and I were in Salt Lake around Christmas, he bought me this nativity. I LOVE IT!

And on the Entertainment Center I have my Hallmark Nativity. (Wise Men Still Seek Him) These are actually ornaments but really too heavy to hang and they look good in a Creche.

This is my whimsical nativity. I got this one 18 years ago in a store in Boise ! I couldn't resist the reverent manner in which the cute little animals worship the Baby Jesus!

I got this one in the Karcher Mall 4 years ago. It is plain white and gold ceramic but I love it and it was being sold in a kiosk for only $20!! A steal in my book!

And of course my favorite" Coke a Cola" tree on the island in the kitchen! I've always loved the nostalgic Christmas Santa with his bottle of Coke and then the Polar Bears later. I starting collecting for this tree 30 years ago! (Man these ornaments date me)

I have my Santa Cookie jar along with my Christmas Cookie plate, My Dept. 56 Santa Tea Set, my Holly tea set and my snowman measuring cups! My sister Lorie made me the Cookie jar with the cookies in it last year for Christmas! It's up year round and is used frequently!

I have the Holy Family (twice) in the back room along with the Resurrected Savior !
MY ALL TIME FAVORITES! The one on the left is one I made in Relief Society at least 25 years ago! My hubby bought me the Savior about 4 years ago and the Holy Family on the right I bought last year while Tony was in Iraq.

On the closet doors in the back room I have my Santa Wreath ........... And my Santa letters above the door (my friend Sherryl made the letters) and my tin punch was made by my friend Kaye and it reads
"This House Believes in Santa". She was selling them at The Ginger Bread House, which was a Christmas Bazaar held every year for a long time. (Sherryl was the founder and owner) I use to make things to sell at it myself! Great Memories and fun times!!

OK, now I'm jumping around but under my clock in the main living room I placed my Snow Angel light! I made this one in Relief Society in Boise as well. (We use to have some great Super Saturdays!)

And on the door going down the hall to the back room is ONE of my Disney wreaths!

In the back room there are two Santa's . The one on the right is from my son Chris (several years ago) and the woodsy one is from Debbie, my dear sister in law!

Here is my backroom is my Italian Fontanini Nativity! I like this one cuz the grand kids can't break it! I've had it for 20 plus year and whala ..... never been broken! lol

Another Christmas throw and a snowman we made in Relief Society when I was single and RS President in Boise!

My Boyd's Bears School Nativity sits atop the entertainment center in the back room.

And my sock snowman (on top of the speaker on the right) that my sister Donna made me several years ago! He is adorable!


And a cute snowman I inherited from my dear hubby when I married him! Don't really know it's age but he is darling with his little shovel and I love him!

In the bathroom downstairs, I have a snowman with lights that I got from my sister Lorie one year and the Snowman family I made in Relief Society years ago! I swear, my things are getting up there!!

The Snowman NOEL above the door to the backroom was made by my friend Sherryl as well as .....................................

the word PEACE. It actually has a Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus under the star on the letter A!
These two wreaths are both Disney! The one on the left is all Mickey and Minnie and the one on the right is All Grolier Disney Ornaments! I use to belong to a club and I would get a new ornament about every two months or so! I finally had to quit or I'd have ornaments out the wazoo!! (Oh wait.......I do!)

Sherryl made the SNOW word too. She was one talented woman! (well still is but now she's into quilts) The wreath on the left is all my Barbie ornaments and the one on the right is my miniatures! The Heart in the center of the closet doors is a countdown to Christmas that I made in Missoula Montana when the kids were little! I'm suppose to glue Hershey Kisses on the ribbon and pull one off each day of December but haven't done that for a long time!

In this little nook, I have two of the Santa's I made for Sherryl's Ginger Bread Boutique sitting on the couch. I sold several of them and kept the Black Santa cuz I just had to have him and I also wanted the White Santa to sit beside him. I had two more but I gave them to Deedra this year. (You can have too much) lol
I made the wooden snowmen and trees (on the right) at Relief Society (again) in Boise. I have a miniature living room on the table on the left which is Hallmark!

My daughter Traci made me the hanging blue
"Let it Snow" and my niece Caulene Piippo made me the red one! I made the little reindeer that sits between the two! You can see (kinda) the two carved Santa's that my sister Donna made me hanging on the far side of the mirror!

FINALLY............. a snowman that I made at a Super Saturday here in Nampa 4 years ago!

Stillman and Michelle gave Tony and me these pillows one Christmas about 5 years ago! I love them and the red one that says NICE has NAUGHTY on the back! SO CUTE!!

This is a wreath that I put together with all my homemade ornaments most of which were made by Sherryl, some by myself and some were gifts.
I TOTALLY LOVE THIS WREATH!!

This is my Willow Tree Nativity which I purchased from the Hallmark Store while our office was still located in the Karcher Mall. All I know is it's a good thing we moved locations because that Hallmark Store was a real downfall for me around the Holiday Season! The Snowman boxes beneath the Nativity was given to me by my sister Donna. I love him and each box goes inside the other! The SUBWAY ART was given to me this year for my Birthday by my sister Lorie~ It is awesome and it has art for several seasons behind the Christmas Words so it will stay out ALL year!

I made these BIG Santa's and Snowmen for the Ginger Bread Boutique and sold several of them as well. But Again .... I kept one of each for myself! I was pleased to see one at my sister in laws home when we were in Oregon this past October! I'd forgotten that I'd given one to her! The little snowman on the floor in front of the BIG one was from a mail order catalog!

This Santa was made by Darlene Miller. She is Sherryl's sister and we grew up together in Missoula Montana! She always made items for Sherryl's boutique too and I was a sucker for any and all things either one of them made!

This is my Dept 56 Christmas Village! It fits perfectly above my entertainment center in the back room and my dear hubby used his Mad Electrical Skills and wired things so all the cords are hidden on the top and I have a remote to turn it off and on! So cool!

I threw up a bunch of Santa's on the Generations Pictures and the tall angel doll was made by my friend Kaye from Boise! She is at least 12 years old and her legs have been broken several times but my dear husband repairs her for me every time!! LOVE THAT MAN!

My tree is decorated with all the rest of my ornaments, most of which are Hallmark. Some are not but I love them all! Tony got me Snowball lights about 4 years ago and the manger holding the Baby Jesus doll was made by Rod Likes. (Sherryl's husband)

This homely ole Santa was one I made for the boutique years ago and I titled him
"THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS" ...... I put him in a night shirt and I put a hole in his sock and his big toe is coming out and I made a "North Pole Gazette" that he is reading. I'm sure that is how Santa feels after a LONG NIGHT of delivering gifts all over the world! lol

My friend JoAnn Hoffman gave me this cute little snowman on ice skates! She was my 1st Counselor when I was the Relief Society President in Boise.

Traci made me this little snowman and he holds scented pine cones! I've had him for about 5 years! Love him!

I made this Nativity picture in Missoula Montana out of gold leaf! This a no doubt around 35 years old!

Under my Noel Letters is my "Precious Moments" wreath! ADORABLE!

A close up cuz it's so cute! lol

My sister Lori gave me this crow with a Santa hat one year. I hang him on the pantry door!

My friend Sherryl gave me this Santa timer and he sits on my stove! He doesn't work any more but he is too cute to get rid of and besides ..... memories!!

This is a lighted Gingerbread girl that I made in Boise at R.S. and she sits on the island in the kitchen.

I have a door hanger that I put on my front door. Sherryl made this as well. She was one talented woman!!

My front porch is decorated with my tin snow shovel that Kaye made. It's missing some bells that use to be hanging from the ribbon but is still in pretty good shape considering it's age!

As well as my "SNOW BUDDIES" that I made in Boise at least 10 years ago!

And this HORN wreath I made in Missoula! It not shiny and bright anymore but I love it and it brings back a lot of memories from Kasota Court!!

This is a Snowman stake that I put in a planter outside. I made him in Boise as well.
Lots of memories in all this Christmas decor! I love this time of year and reflecting back on good times!