The day after Thanksgiving decorating party!

The day after Thanksgiving was always decorating day for our family... We would go and cut down a Christmas tree and then get right into the decorating. This is something we have always done in our little family as well (assuming we are in town). We always watch The Polar Express and drink Hot Chocolate while setting up the tree - the kids think this is the best part! Our tree is a fun family tree with an eclectic display of ornaments. Everything from the ornaments I grew up getting each year to the ones my kids get every year, to my mom's ornaments and souvenirs from trips. We will be buying a second tree at the end of the season to start setting up next year for strictly our "nicer" ornaments!

Zac loved the tree. He had a hard time hanging the ornaments but he would take them and set them on the branches.
Hayden asked about every ornament. He wanted to know the story that went along with each one. It was so cute! I give each of my kids an ornament each year that symbolizes them - Hayden could remember most of his ornaments from years past and loved unpacking them and hanging them up. The kids also learned that my mom used to collect mouse ornaments, every time they got a mouse out, they were exited because it had belonged to Grandma Sue!

An ornament we got in Disneyland last year. A tradition I started a few years ago is to buy a Christmas ornament on every vacation we go on. It is fun to unpack those and remember the fun times we have had as a family. We have ornaments from Hawaii, Houston, The Grand Canyon, New York, Disneyland, Prescott, Sedona, Oregon, and many more...

Brynley admiring Zac's ornament from last year!


While we decorated inside, Andy spent most of the day on the roof! Thanks to some great friends who let us borrow their huge ladder, Andy was able to get to the highest eves of the house! I am really proud of him and love that he is as excited as I am to make the house look cute!


A Perspective shot!