The tree is up, and a surprise from the mailman

Today, we decorated for Christmas. We headed out early to pick our tree, a 6 foot Fraser Fir. I wanted to get the tree inside the house early, because the forecast here in NC was/is for rain/snow. Sure enough, as we were putting the tree into the tree stand, it started sleeting on us. Fortunately, the sleet did not last very long, and it wasn't heavy enough to interfere with our plans. I love my tree. I've collected quite a few ornaments over the years. I try to get one from just about everywhere I visit on vacation, and I always add a few others over the year that catch my eye. Here's this year's tree in all her eclectic glory:

Some of my current favorite ornaments include this handblown glass ornament Alton bought for me from MOMA 2 years ago:

You can't tell so much from this photo, but it really shines as it hangs from the tree. THe top of the tree is adorned with a huge star straw I bought on a visit to the NC Mountains. Does it look at all familiar? There were stars of a very similar nature decorating the White House Christmas tree a few years back, by the same artist.

And then there are the annual, park exclusive Disney ornaments I've been collecting since 1995. Here's the one from last year. I'm just crazy for these things, and I have all of them from 1995 to today except for 2005. I was at Disney in 2005, but it was too early in the year to get the annual ornament. Sigh!

No one in the family made it to Disney this year, so I've looked up the number for one of the holiday themed shops at DisneyWorld. Tomorrow, I am going to attempt to purchase and have delivered the 2010 ornament. Wish me luck, it might be hard to describe well enough for the clerk to figure out!
Of course, there's some stitchy action going on too. These ornaments live on their own little tree, a metal one, free from the corrosive action of tree sap.

And after we finished putting the tree up, I sat down and finished another little Christmas ornament!

Isn't the fat little cardinal cute? I got this pattern all kitted up from my friend Chris a while book. Look, Chris, I finally finished it! I also finished this little guy:


This is the second time I've finished it up. I know it's a little out of season, but I've been waiting to get my hands on some more stuffing. As you can see from what I stitched on the back of the ornament, I stitched the original version of this piece for the Fall Fling at Myrtle Beach this year. I wanted my own copy, and I wanted to remember what I'd stitched it for, hence, the labelling on the back.
About halfway through our decorating bonanza, the mailwoman knocked on the door. She had two packages in her hands, all for me! I recognized one package as a gift I had ordered for my mom. But the other box was really big, and I had no clue what it was. Heh heh, it was an early Christmas gift to... MYSELF! I had completely forgotten about ordering a Swan Sampler Guild exclusive produced by In the Company of Friends. Each gorgeous piece inside the box was individually wrapped. I was so excited opening toy after toy, I was literally bouncing up and down. I made Alton admire every single one of them. I don't think he was all that impressed. I hope some of you are wise enough to be more appreciative. ; ) The hornbook came with a little pattern of a seated stag to stitch and attach to the back. I'm gonna pick out some fabric and thread to stitch it up soon, very soon.

Til next time, happy creating, and Merry Christmas!