The day after Thanksgiving

When I was a kid growing up in San Francisco, my family always had a tradition the day after Thanksgiving. We bought a Christmas tree and decorated for the season! Perhaps some of you did the same thing and have carried on the tradition in your family today. So, here's a look at my favorite decorations for the Christmas season. I try to keep things simple and meaningful and only decorate in the living and dining areas.

Q and I like to call our three-foot tree "the Charlie Brown Christmas tree." It's small and cute, but I hope we can get a bigger one in the future. For now, all the ornaments that fit are ones we had as kids (or have received from kids during our years of ministry). Beside it are our kid stockings.

If I were to collect any kind of Christmas decoration, it would be Nativity sets. I only own two at the moment--the one pictured above and a smaller snowman version. This one was a gift to me from my mom several years ago. Next to Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus are animals, a shepherd, an angel and the wise man each riding on a camel. I always enjoyed setting this up in my classroom each year. It is a great reminder to us about the real reason of Christmas.

These two angels were handmade gifts given to me by friends. Next to them is an angel votive candle holder and a Scripture verse that talks about the angels declaring the good news that Jesus was born!

On a built-in bookcase between the living and dining areas, I have a few snowmen figurines that I've enjoyed over the years. 

Above the snowmen is this wooden spool Christmas tree. One of my former students made it with his mom and gave it to me. Wouldn't it be a neat project to make sometime? I've wanted to make more like this, perhaps smaller, as gifts for friends and family. In the background you can see a quilted table runner (on our coffee table) that I received from another school family.

I didn't show a picture of my dining room table, but all it has is a vinyl poinsettia table cloth and a candle centerpiece. I also haven't received any Christmas cards yet, so I'll have to wait to show you how I display them.

How's your decorating coming along? I'm currently working on a simple Christmas decoration to show you. Perhaps you can add it to your mix, too!