It's Beginning to Feel A Lot Like Christmas

It's that time of year again and we couldn't be happier. This is our second Christmas in the new house so we have some traditions in place when it comes to decorating, with some slight modifications. This year, we have our beautiful china cabinet in place making for a great place to hang the stockings. We also have the new built in window seat so Mr. Tree had to come away from the window a few feet. Other than that, we have it down to a science.

We headed out Friday night to pick our our fresh Fraser Fir. After a quick stop at Home Depot, where the selection was disappointing (sorry, but it was), we headed to the Trader Joe's parking lot where the good people of the Virginia Christmas Tree Grower Association had their goods on display. This is where we picked up our tree last year, and I have to say, I'm glad we came back because the trees this year were gorgeous! It didn't take long to find the perfect one. :)


You gotta love a tree lot that sports an industrial sized RV! After the tree was loaded up on the car, we hit our traditional "get the tree" dinner location: Pho Bistro. Doesn't everyone get a warm bowl of Pho after picking out their Christmas tree? :)


After our delicious dinner, it was time to head home to put the tree in place. And it turns out, it is the PERFECT tree. We have never had a nice one!


We let it sit over night and just settle into it's new home and then got to decorating on Saturday night with Mom and Dad Q. on hand to assist. We pulled all the decorations out of the basement and got to work. Mom Q. helped Ed with the lights while Dad, Lucy and I watched and critiqued. :)


Once the lights were in place, it was time to load up the tree. Now, our household does not have a "theme" tree. We don't have a certain color scheme and we don't use traditional white lights. Our tree is what you call "ghetto". The colored lights highlight the variety of ornaments that we've collected individually over the years since we were kids as well as some that we have gotten since we've been together. I guess the theme of our tree is "memories" because each ornament has a special story or meaning behind it. Here are some of this year's newest additions:


You HAD to know that there would be an owl on the tree this year! We are very pleased with the final outcome along with all the great holiday decor that now surrounds us.


We were so proud of the transformation in the house that we decided to take a family photo. Lucy wasn't too keen on it, but out of what felt like 25 takes, we finally got one where she is sorta, kinda looking forward. Happy holidays!!