Christmas Traditions Part 2

I want to share with you some more Christmas decorating traditions in our home. I always create what I call a "gold display" somewhere in my home, usually in the livingroom which feels a bit more formal (though, nothing is seriously formal in this house!).

This display features two tall gold-coloured pillar candle stick holders, two reindeer, a sleigh with assorted balls, beads, and sprays, a large glass vase with burgundy, gold and green balls in it, and a Santa figurine.

Another display is created on a shelf that I clear on one of our bookshelves (that the husband made, he's very handy). This one has an old-fashioned vibe to it.

The main figure is that of a resting Santa beside a phonograph player (which unfortunately broke off years ago). My mother gave each of us the same Santa. She did that a lot when we got older. If she found something good, she bought four of them and gave us each one. There are also snowmen and Victorian looking children that have a bit of a sparkle to them. Propped up as a backdrop are two vintage books. My husband always read The Night Before Christmas to our kids on Christmas Eve.

I've written about our village already. I really wanted to cut back on the decorating this year because I'm working almost right up until Christmas and have been rather busy with things, but sixteen year old son said we had to have the village again this year. (It's funny, you don't think they care about these things until you don't do them anymore). So, this year my husband and son actually carried down the multiple boxes which contain the village, the "snow", and figures and the lights and they cleared the shelves from the sideboard and created the village.

I noticed yesterday that the lights in the Christmas Shop (in the bottom row) aren't on. Maybe business has been slow and they couldn't pay their electricity bill! There are even traditions having to do with the village itself. There is a Santa figure and it ALWAYS has to go in the pavilion (behind the bridge).

Our Christmas tree must be real. There would be mutiny if it was an artificial tree. We almost always go together to pick out a tree. Over the years, we have occasionally gone to cut our own tree as well. That was always fun. When we get it home, my husband cuts a bit of the trunk off at the bottom so the tree will "drink" the water better. He fixes it into the stand. I put on the lights. Our daughter usually does the beads. I continue with the ribbon, and then all four of us put on the ornaments. We have collected so many pretty ornaments that we don't even put them all on anymore. My husband jokes that we need a second tree. He, in fact, is often the one to buy a few new ornaments each year.

Tonight I will be baking. How about you? Are you all prepared? Are you a real tree family, or artificial? Do your children still ask for certain holiday traditions?