Christmas Decorations 2015

While I was in the mountains, Bob and Jason tackled the outside Christmas decorations for me.

It's taking everything I have not to pull down that red and green strand used to fill out the blue and whites down the left side of the garage, but I've been told I'm a bit too critical. 

It's still very festive. 

Really. 

Even if it is WRONG.

:P

Inside: 

Faith hides out among the reindeer.

The top of the stairs, Faithless.

My Aunt Dot made the Christmas Card holder (and both kids' stockings). 

It gets hung every year despite the fact that the only cards that come in the mail anymore are corporate and tossed in the trash. The old ones still fill the pockets.

Speaking of stockings, the alignment of the top row is making me crazy, but after getting them moved twice I think I'm just going to have to drag the step ladder upstairs myself and do it to my satisfaction. 

Bob's Hero Tree

A Shot of all 3 Trees

The Main Tree, now mostly sporting the kids' ornaments until they take them to their own trees in future years, and my Peanuts tree and display, which threatens to overrun everything else.

  

Downstairs:

A few attempts at seeing the Main Tree up close. Many of my ornaments talk or move and some are dead on the tree because they have to plug into standard light sockets and both types of light on the Main Tree don't fit. But a few are battery operated and all I have to do (which I often struggle with) is find where they've hidden the bleepin' button.

One of the first Hallmark ornaments on the Main Tree that is mine is still one of the most precious. I only had her for two Christmases and 1992, when I hung the ornament with her photo, was to be our last, exactly two weeks after Christmas Day and two days before Nicholas' birth. 

Snoopy Countdown Clock: 2 weeks until Christmas today:

My Peanuts ornaments are largely in the same boat as the dead things on the main tree. There are a couple that work without being plugged in, but most are dead until I can find the right plugs and cords. It seems Hallmark figured this out and this year's model just required AAA batteries.

dead

dead

dead

dead

not dead: the doghouse just clips on to a light!

dead

dead even though it's an old-school music box wind-up, and never coming back, thanks to Bruiser knocking over the tree 3 years ago.

as alive as it gets, because it's just cute. And one of my favorites.

Not that silent Christmas ornaments stop the endless parade of things featuring the Linus and Lucy song from being added to almost every Peanuts Christmas item ever available. There is a WHOLE album, guys. You know that, right? 

I do have Schroeder at the piano NOT playing Linus and Lucy, but the sound is pretty crappy and the set is nearly 20 years old. 

So on the 50th anniversary of the Peanuts Christmas Special, Hallmark came out with an interactive set, released on different weekends through October and November. Snoopy was the last piece of the puzzle that showed up right before December. They each do two songs each. And out of 10 songs:  NO Linus and Lucy! it's a Christmas miracle!