A Real Christmas Tree...

Every year we put up our old (really really old) artificial Christmas tree that was given to us by my parents a million years ago...

&

don't get me wrong, I love it for many reasons...

it is the same one I grew up with...it is a perfect height...& perfect skinny little shape for our family room...

but, the limbs are starting to fall off...it leans a little...and it smells...

you know that smell of old stuff...(not a good smell mind you)

So, this year we decided to go pick up a real one...

{I LOVE Christmas trees in every room}...

it reminds me of my Aunt Barbara's home in Brighton...she had trees in every room...

I LOVED going over there...

Craig took Ethan to Farmer Johns and Uncle Brandon helped them pick out

the most beautiful tree...

OH.MY.LORD...

Does it smell FABULOUS...

I could smell it when I walked in the door...

It was beautiful..perfect shape...perfect height...just stunning...

I asked Craig to please put the lights on this year (I do it every year..) 

he grudgingly agreed (hee hee) & I stepped out to take a phone call...

came back in the room and boy oh boy do men (not all...) not know how to put lights on a tree or what!

I laughed and told him that he had to *tuck* the lights in...not just put them around the tree...;)

so I continued with my phone call in the other room...came back in and laughed again!

Now, all he was doing was tucking them in...they were just all in the middle!

No!  You have to "tuck and bring forward"..."tuck and bring forward"...!

Needless to say...he handed me the bunch of lights and said it is *my job*...

hahaha!

Well...the guy is good at everything else...I guess I will cut him a break with the lights!  ;)

I bought these letter ornaments from Pottery Barn the other day...

I just got E's, C's, T's, and H's...(all of our initials)

& I am soooo pleased with the results...

I need about 3 more and it will be complete!

Still working on putting together my dining room...

I don't like the rug...I need to pop out the flowered doors on the buffet and put in some sort of beveled glass...waiting on my wing back chairs to be reupholstered in the white denim...and I am waiting to save $500 for my vintage silver mirror from Pottery Barn for over my buffet...

It's a work in progress...

but, damn does my tree look good...

I added 3 different kinds of peppermint candies in various glass jars...

peppermint bark, candy canes, & candy cane herseys kisses...

and the gingerbread house that Ethan and I do every year.

I think it turned out beautiful...(so far;)