Time to dismantle the tree - Some of the ornaments, including the German candle holders and candles, and the girl on a star swing singing "Silent Night" (music printed on the little book she holds) are 38 years old - or so.
Another view of the Nativity.
We have loved this little figurine who reminds us of a little cockapoo who lived with us for years.
The Christmas rabbit on the first step was made by a friend in Tumwater, Jody Bromley, who charmed Tony's recalcitrant Sunday School class. The other two elves came to us via the Christmas boutiques that I used to visit. Last year, our neighbor children were amazed that we needed an "elf on the shelf" to watch and see if we were being good - the first we knew of this new Christmas lore.
Granddaughter Brittany made this Christmas decoration for us a long time ago. We always think of her and wish her well in her challenging life today.
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without real evergreens, and two daughters, living a continent apart, gifted us with these two adding to the beauty of the season. Beautiful roses, and fragrant evergreens!
And, my Boyd's bear Mama Bear in her glamorous fir coat and purse, sits on the woodturner chair, keeping watch over Santa's elves below - a remnant of the elves I used to make for a craft show in Powell, long before I met Ron. Christmas decorations are full of memories, and it's a good idea that we tuck them away at the end of the season, so that those memories are sharper than they would be if we became so familiar with these objects that we forgot to really "see" them. So today, all I can say is "Happy New Year of 2015 - May it be a Very Good Year".
