Christmas, The Beginning

It's here. The day after Thanksgiving. To some, it's Black Friday. To me, it's the first day of the Christmas season.

It's time to get my decorate on!!!

Last year, it was low-key but nice. The girls were still quite small and didn't get what was going on. This year, I'm not going to be so low key. I have vowed not to go Opryland-lights crazy, but I am going to have a little fun...on a budget, of course.

The tree is going up this weekend, so I'll be back to post pictures.

Other than the decorating, I am very proud of myself for being frugal and thoughtful with this year's Christmas shopping. For the girls, they are getting three gifts from us--one of which will be handmade (if I finish on time...which I will, dammit).

They have a new obsession with dinosaurs thanks to Jane Yolen's "How Do Dinosaurs" book series, so they will be getting Dippy Dinos from Jellycat. They also really love playing with Mommy and Daddy's keys--to the point of not letting us have them back when we need to drive--so they're getting Funkeys* from B. Toys. The handmade item is a crocheted blanket for each of them. I'm no master crocheter, but I thought having something made by Mommy would be a really nice thing...even if I meant them to be birthday presents...last year. Oops.

*The Funkeys were recalled back in 2009 but have since been redesigned for anyone concerned.