getting into the spirit

for the first time ever, i decorated the house before thanksgiving. i don't like beginning a new holiday when the holiday that precedes it hasn't even passed yet, but jj and i were gone for the majority of the week of thanksgiving, so i knew i'd be too tired to decorate once we finally got home.

i started with ornaments. since i only have a pathetic little christmas shrubbery right now, i decided to hang my ornaments in the doorways and on the windows instead. i got the ornaments super cheap a few years ago at target, after christmas. that's the best time to shop for decorations because everything's usually more than half off.

best light fixture ever, right?

those damn balls won't stay put!

i used dental floss to hang the ornaments, and the first floss i used worked great, but then i ran out of that kind and used something else that i guess wasn't as waxy, so the balls keep shifting and knocking into each other. the OCD in me almost can't handle it.



then, i hung the stockings: one for me, one for jj, and one for my cats.

yes, that is master p on the mantle, in case you were wondering.

would you believe that i got these stockings at different times at different thrift stores? no more than $2 a piece. such a deal.

last, no christmas (at least for me) would be complete without rudolph. i've loved the movie since i was little, and we have a copy of it that my parents recorded VHS-style from the 80s complete with commercials from the 80s, and that makes watching even more fun. anyway, a few years ago, i found this little set on sale after christmas at urban outfitters, and it's now one of my favorite christmas decorations. 

i'm not entirely sure why santa's not wearing any clothes...

i also made this yesterday, and now it's hanging on the door of my classroom. i've decided that i'm going to be the wreath teacher. i made a wreath for halloween, but didn't have time to make one for thanksgiving. i figure instead of wearing the typical tacky sweater or vest for the holidays, i'll make fun wreaths for each holiday (or season) instead, and then i can reuse them every year. i had fun making this one, even though i hot glued the shit out of my fingers a few times when gluing on the lights.

i need to remember to bring out the shelf elf tomorrow. last year, it worked wonders at keeping my kids "good" for the last few weeks of school when they were going crazy. wonder if it'll work as well again this year...