Tropical Christmas peek…

Keeping it simple…collected shells

and pink ornaments…

A coconut from a nearby tree…

Painted gold….

c’mon…someone had to do it.

More this weekend.

Happy Happy Joy Joy.

Yuletide by the pool…

I know, I know

The dishes are barely done from the turkey feast

and I am showing you Christmas images.

Florida Christmas photos at that!

We do it differently here in Florida.

we gots ta.

  Loving this great wicker coffee table.

yep…my holiday decorating wheels are turning

on this 80 degree day. sigh.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Images from here

Christmas cheat alert…

So…If you don’t happen to have a mantle for stockings

and you have stockings santa needs to find

ya make one…

Out of tropical's from the yard, lights and candles and an old credenza.

Merry Tropical Christmas…

from our Casa to yours!

Form follows function…

So…apparently

The family…who happen to like sitting down to a meal together…

Don’t so much appreciate

My decorating skilz

When it happens to effect where they can put their plate down.

Form follows function.

yeah…

not so much.

A Christmas peek into our humble casa…and a wish for YOU

Wishing you Peace…

a little bit of glitter…

A little bit of green…

And lots of love…

Ya know…It’s funny…

Some of you were looking forward to seeing our tree…

However, Like many…our tree is not so much decoration…

But family history.

look at that angelic golden face…carefully crafted 20 years ago…

It is the little hand crafted…Paper crumpled, pieces that are THE most cherished

The ones that don’t match…but were created by little hands

that grew. and grew.

and now some 20 something years later….truly are more important than any hand blown artisan glass.

And these are opened so carefully by all of us

because now, even the creators recognize how fragile and special they are.

each year ... put in the special boxes at the bottom of the bin with care

knowing they won’t last forever. what does?

THIS is our Christmas tree.

celebrating the growth. The beauty and the fragility of each passing year.

Maybe not ‘pretty’… to some

But so full of life….our lives.

Beautiful to us. To me.

yep. Baby shoes. first baby shoes. 16 years later. Exactly where they belong.

A celebration of us. Of growth.

Of change...

that is maybe postponed for one more glittery, beautiful season.

Opening hearts.

To A Wonderful, Merry, and Peacefully Chaotic Christmas…

From our Happy{ish}Home…

ok...maybe some of us don't like photo shoots that much

To yours…

You have all made my heart and soul sing.

Each of you…The commenter’s and readers…the non-commenter's and readers…the just looker’s

the e-mailer’s…each of you has warmed…

The veery cockles of my heart.

I think I wuv you. each of you.

Merry Merry Christmas!

And...for what it is worth...

I think the Big Black Dog is smitten with you…too.

yep. Positive

And an extra for what it's worth...Happy 22nd anniversary to us!

yep...cuhrazzy kids married on Christmas Eve!

Imagine.

A little bit more… Christmas

Try as I might to have lovely natural Christmas decorations…

the kind seen in magazines…

I always end up with a conglomeration

of stuff.

Strewn stuff.

maybe festive…maybe not

In the end…this house is sooo lived in. daily.

so NOT magazine.

Things are always a bit cockeyed

…Strewn.

perfect word for it

used…and not always put back where they belong.

yep.

that’s us.

keeping it real, folks

Merry, merry from our strewn house to yours

please tell me yours is too.

No?

oh.

Not so white Christmas…

We had a little holiday party…

And someone

forgot to blow out the candles.

yikes stripes.

The crooked tree is enrobed in construction paper gingerbread men from once little hands

and the palm fronds and foliage are happy they are a part of our festivities

perhaps they would have been happier on their own respective trees…but i didn’t stop to ask them with my machete in hand

Hey… it’s Florida…ya gotta embrace it in all it’s tropical glory

not so snowy…

:(

Merry Christmas from the warm climes…

out to water the bromeliads.

sigh

***wanna see more, much more Christmas?...check out the Nester and Julia here and here

…And just like that

...It’s all over

Happily exhausted.

Pleasantly full.

…and triumphant.

Oh dear.