Decorating for Christmas

Of course as soon as Turkey day is over, the kids immediately start bugging us to put up the tree. [I know some get their decorations up before Thanksgiving, but I like to wait until after.] They don't always understand what it takes to get ready for that. One family tradition that we have is to give each child an ornament for Christmas. So, to put up the tree you must first have their new ornaments.

I had grand plans this summer to make a pirate themed ornaments like we saw on Ocracoke Island while visiting Captain Blackbeard's museum and gift shop while on our summer beach vacation. Of course, I'm not the artist in the family and the goal was to get my talented mother to help, but it never happened. Here are some pictures from the gift show that I wanted my mom to help me recreate...

A front view...
From the back...
A pirate in star form...

I never got to it. My mom was here briefly in August for Zack's baptism, but there wasn't time to get anything like that done and then I forgot about it until now. So instead, the kids had to settle for some nice natural wood ornaments we purchased at Michale's on Thanksgiving Day.

All the kiddos with their ornament gift...
The new ornaments...

We worked on decorating the whole house as well and James got the lights put up on the house outside. We are now officially the most festive house on our street. It looks good.

Peppy didn't mind one bit all the comotion that went on. He just curled right up on the couch with a Christmas stuffed moose and slept...