On the tree 2013

So how long ago was Christmas? Because honestly folks, Will's little blue tree is still the nightlight in the boys' room and the ornaments are still boxed in the hall waiting to be stored. Despite it being 303 days until Christmas 2014, I wanted to share what Aunt Catherine made for us in 2013.

You guys love what Aunt Catherine does. My "On the tree" post from Dec. 2011 is my second most viewed post ever. She didn't disappoint again — those "snow cones" are pretty darn cute!

I realized a little late that it would be a great idea to take a picture of the boys with the ornament (or Mother's Day gift or Valentine's card) they made to easily answer the "how old were you when you made this?" question. So here is Joseph, age 4, with a very cute thumbprint Rudolph.

Will actually made this last year in first grade. It's now my favorite nativity. Does it get cuter than a  black-eyed pea baby Jesus? No, no it does not. 

On the tree

Last year I shared one of my favorite holiday traditions – ornaments from Aunt Catherine!

This year, most of my extended family loaded up in two cars and drove to Aunt Catherine's house for what we call "Family Christmas." We tend to get together the weekend before Christmas, so that everyone is at their own homes for actual Christmas. 

While it was great to see everyone, I also loved seeing Catherine's tree. Which, of course, is loaded top to bottom with her awesome ornaments. The poor tree was struggling to hold them all! 

Above is the ornament she painted for everyone this year. It's very special because that's grandma and grandpa's house. Which he built himself! I've got lots of memories playing in that house. It makes me smile every time I look over at the tree.

And here is some cuteness for the boys. They are going to have quite the ornament collection ready for their own trees. Not that I'm letting them have all of them!

Christmas in July

Do you love vintage Christmas ornaments? Me too! 

I would love to decorate a tree with just these beauties!

(This is just a small sample of the awesomeness found in the attic of my aunt's mother-in-law. I've been recruited as the "expert" on antique toys and books and got to spend a recent afternoon cataloging the goods with the digital camera. I'm not an expert but I can use the internet to research fair market values.)