It's Late In The Season

It was late in the Season, but I scurried to downtown Roanoke for a last minute gift.

The little red farm truck was there selling live trees, wreaths and greenery for those who had yet to don their home with the fragrance of a forest.

You simply can't beat the look, hustle and bustle of an old downtown that takes you back to days of yore, beeping car horns and shoppers scurrying across  the busy streets.

Pay to park lots, parking meters, and high rise parking buildings help to manage the scenes, and if my husband could survive there, I would choose to have an old. small apartment over a store.

The lifestyle would suit me well.

My little Elf On A Shelf girl would have come along,

But downtown simply had no place for horse parking.

Neighbors stopped by with goodies in a cellophane wrapped box,

just one more thing for us to eat!  But we love that we are surrounded by good people.

 

A pretty flower arrangement from my husband's mother arrived, and it's nice to know that at 87 she still thinks of us each Christmas with a display that brightens our home.

Rowdy loves the red and green of Christmas and hiding directly within it is a game he plays each December.

And he was nice enough to think of his girlfriend, Izzy, and brought a matching Christmas scarf home for her from his visit to the vet.

They are simply stylin' in their pinecone neck scarvess.

 My husband's present arrived a few weeks early this year and parking it beneath the tree was a problem, so we parked it in the driveway instead.  This photo was the last one taken before those golden leaves in the background fell to the ground from a windstorm followed by the first snow of the season.

So in early December we said goodbye to the golden leaves and hello to the snow of winter.

 

But snow never gets us down.... as long as we can get to the grill life is good!

 

The lights come on with each sundown and  cast their reflections on the rainy, wet driveway,

and we ooh and aaah when we step outdoors with the pups.
It's only right that we should enjoy them, since our home is hidden from the road and only those two homes we share our driveway with can see them.

And my husband brought us home a pink poinsettia from the grocery store this week, a must have each year at this happy time.

I'll say goodbye for a few days now as each and every one of you enjoys YOUR gifts of the Season

and time with your loved ones next to the warmth of your heart fires

and Christmas trees.

Merry Christmas to all!!  

See you soon.

Christmas Decorations

 Our tree with all the trimmings, as well as a few FUN Christmas items scattered about the room are complete for this Christmas season, including my favorite soldier nutcracker, some red trucks, a couple of stockings, Santa, and an Old St. Nick.

 This is our first full sized tree since we left Maryland, making Christmas of 2003 the last one before making a move to Arizona in early 2004, and then to Virginia in 2007.  I don't care for the needles on the floor and having to water a live tree, so here we are with our 9 foot Pine from Lowes.  It rocks!

 Last year we cleaned the storage area in our basement, and after looking at all of our old Christmas Tree decorations decided to toss them into the garbage and start afresh this year.  No really.... they were not even Goodwill worthy.  They were garbage, and this year I decided that since we are at an age where we don't need to have more than what we use around here, I decided on a simple look.... somewhat of what I consider to be a more traditional looking tree.

 The tree came with a great number of pre-installed lights, and I have always loved  the simple look of gold and red ball ornaments.
The red plaid ribbon was a must for me.  You know how some things just make your heart sing?  That's what this ribbon did for me...

 We have never had a worthy Christmas tree skirt, and since the base of the tree covers a large area of the floor, we needed a large skirt.  I googled the size tree skirt I needed and Balsam Hill popped up.  Their tree skirts are pricier than Target or Wal-Mart (my only local options) so I ordered a pretty red quilted skirt and could not be happier!
Totally worth the bucks.

 This metal 'LOVE" heart is from Wal-Mart.  They had three in stock when I purchased it last week, but with just my husband and I, well.... one love heart does the trick.

 

Every home has a different idea about what the perfect tree is for them and decorates accordingly.  I see so many different looks as I hop from blog to blog, but I always come back and give a big sigh of love when I see the photos of our tree.  Bright, traditional and eye-candy worthy.
Hope yours will be one that YOU love and that speaks to your family and friends as they enter your home during your Holiday parties and gatherings.

Always be true to your heart and who you are as you decorate your home any time of the year, but especially at Christmas.
Love to each and every one of you as the end of the year draws nearer.
XOX