It was quite an afternoon around here.....

I broke the cardinal rule of my childhood, which was no decorating, especially no putting up the tree, before my mom's birthday, was was December 10th.  It just seemed like next weekend was too late, so we went for it. It took about three minutes to pick out a tree, and it was the cheapest in town at $25, and I think it might be the most beautiful tree we've ever had.  

And, there wasn't a swear word or a moment's frustration getting it into the stand!

Oh the memories that flood back to me when we unpack my Memere's creche.  I'm tickled that my daughter enjoys it as much as I did/do:

Voila!  Up and ready!

Every ornament got touched, reminisced about, and admired:

And our house clearly has a 4-year old in it, because we have colored lights framing the front of it.  We let Bea pick, colored or white, and the choice for her was easy.  Anthony said our theme this year is "a redneck Christmas." Yet to come is the Filipino blinking star, which we need another extension cord for.  That should really put it over the top!  Call it what you will, Beatrice was so intensely joyful these hours of decorating, talking nonstop loudly and rapidly, so so, so excited.....and when I backed her up into the road at dusk and she looked at the house, her eyes doubled and she literally gasped in wonder.  It was like one of those commercials where they say "lights at Lowe's? $40....time spent on a ladder and in frustration untangling made in China electrical products?1 hour.....number of trips into the house to get hammer/nail/bigger nail/nail with bigger head? 17.....number of years it will take for this mother to forget the happiness in her daughter's eyes? LIFETIME!

Earlier this morning,  and hour or so after seeing Charlie Brown Christmas for the 3rd or 4th time of the season, she said "Linus is white Mama."  I was totally confused and thought we were starting a race discussion when I figured out she mean he was "Right" when she clarified "Linus was white 'bout the real meanin' of Christmas bein' 'bout Jesus." .....and a couple hundred colored lights of course.....