These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things

Slowly but surely, we are getting our home ready for Christmas. The tree is up and I plan to decorate it today. The evergreen swags are on the staircase and the pillars in the living room have been wrapped in red velvet ribbon and look like giant peppermint sticks.

Pictures of those will come tomorrow; in the meantime, here are some others.

The entryway to our home is looking Christmassy but look closely and you can still see that horsey influence. Haha!

I love red berries at the holidays and snapped this lovely wreath up at Hobby Lobby yesterday. (Half price, too!)

When our kids were little, I stitched this tablecloth from a reindeer and sleigh fabric. It became a real symbol of Isenbarger family Christmases and has been part of our holiday celebrations for about thirty years.

A year or so ago I found enough yardage of it on eBay to make all my kids their own tablecloths for their homes. They were very excited about that, and so was I. 

Another decoration we love is the chandelier decor. It, too, has been part of our celebrations for about thirty years.

I'd seen a photo of a chandelier decorated like this in a magazine and copied it. I like it so much that after New Year's Day I sometimes take the strand of red beads off and leave the pine wreaths up as a winter decoration.

Only three stockings are on our mantle this year, and soon it will be two when Lisa takes hers down and heads to Texas for Christmas with Frank and his family. My mother knitted stockings for Craig, me, and all our children.

Swedish Canadian daughter-in-love Emily gifted us with the Swedish reindeer on the left and Mountain Mama Jessica and I bought the wooden reindeer on the right together when she was a teenager. The nutcracker is a gift from my father (oh, how he loved Christmas decorations!), and the hard to see mini candle (right above Lisa's and my stockings) was a part of my Grandma Honeywell's Christmas decorations. The Santa plate, Santa pitcher, and tiny ceramic tree are decorations my kids enjoyed when they were younger.

These are what we call the "pink decorations." My mother made the ceramic tree for me when I was in high school, and Hawkeye Sarah made the candy cane box for me after she got married. That gorgeous ornament in the center is my most cherished ornament - it hung on my childhood Christmas trees.

You can see it here hanging on a tree that my brother and I are putting tinsel on. The memories that ornament brings back!

We have an upstairs overlook where the grands hang out and play. It's also a good place to read or take a nap on the couch. (It is an old couch but it's super comfy to sleep on!) Aside from draping the pine boughs over the banister, I did not decorate it much. But what I did put out is very special to Craig and me.

He made this reindeer and sleigh candle holder for his mother back in the 1990s. (Believe it or not, he got the pattern from the same magazine that I got the chandelier idea from!)

Today I'll get photos of the decorated tree, staircase, and peppermint pillars. Teacher Daughter Lisa is stopping by after school to help put up the Nativity - something we do together every year.  Hopefully I will be able to get photos of that.

And then we will call the holiday decorating good!

I thought you might enjoy a glimpse of another favorite Isenbarger family tradition - the PJ Elf!

The PJ Elf comes every year ahead of Santa Claus and drops off new pajamas for the entire family to wear. (Usually matching ones.) 

Julie, Kate, and Susie wearing their new pajamas and holding the letter the PJ Elf left them. (Looks like maybe the PJ Elf brought a toy for Henry, too.)

Local Son Curt and Vanessa in this year's pajamas for their family.

December 6 Advent Calendar Reveal

I was puzzled when I opened today's little door. What on earth were these?

Then I figured it out - sacks of feed for the horses. They have been added to the scene and I'm pleased with how nicely it is filling out.

Don't forget the Give Away! Comment to enter! Entries close Friday at 11:59 PM.

Christmas 2022: Christmas Eve Part Two

I am nearing the end of the Christmas posts. If you don't care to read them, just come back in a few days and the blog will be back to horses as usual.

While eating our pizza for Christmas Eve dinner, the doorbell rang. The grands jumped up out of their chairs, thundering to the front door shrieking, "He's here! He's here! It's the PJ Elf!"

(Meanwhile, JC had leaped off the front porch and was hightailing it around the side of the house, through the garage, and and back into the kitchen.)

Yes, indeed, the PJ Elf had come again this year, leaving a big bag of wrapped packages on the front porch of Curt and Vanessa's home.

It didn't matter that the kids knew what the PJ Elf had left them (his name sort of gives it away); they were absolutely giddy with excitement.

New jammies for all!

Although the PJ Elf did get a little mixed up this year and delivered the Nashville family members their pajamas before they left Tennessee so they were already wearing theirs. (Susie and Gus.)

The kids barely had changed into their new jammies when it was time for them to prepare for the annual family Nativity. Vanessa always organizes a Christmas Eve program for us, and for me, it is the highlight of Christmas Eve.

The angel (Cambria) and the shepherd (Ian) await their cue to come out.

The shepherd sees the star in the sky and the angel approaches to give him the good news of the babe born in Bethlehem.

Mary, I feel your pain. I have been that pregnant before myself. With your father. He was a ten pounder. (That big "babe" of mine is dying of laughter there on the left.)

Mary has given birth and the angel, shepherd, donkey (Mila), plus three assorted family dogs take a peek at him. (Actually, her. Susie played Jesus this year.)

I think the angel is now doubling as a star. Joseph (Titan) and Mary (Julie) look adoringly at their child albeit with difficulty due to Gus standing in the way.

Time for the wise men! Lukie (looking like Dracula in his red and black cape) rides his camel (Kate) to Bethlehem while the second wise man (Curt) walks behind.

It's a long and winding road through that desert of shoes, coats, hats, mittens, drying racks, socks, boots, and more, 

so is it any surprise that the camel got confused and took a wrong turn?

Finally the camel weaved her way through the legs of her aunts and cousin Trinity and got her wise man to Bethlehem and the baby Jesus.

The End.

We ended our Nativity reenactment by singing carols together,

something we did as a family when our kids were little. Everyone chose one person or family to visit, and we drove around town, stopping to sing and drop off cookies to all the folks we had selected.

It was a lovely night, and despite some sad moments and tears, there was joy.