It's beginning to look a lot like....

CHRISTMAS!

Unlike some of our neighbors who had their Thanksgiving dinner lit by their Christmas tree, we wait until the day after. 

At 6:01 am, Ellie ran into our room screaming, "I'm ready to deck! I'm ready to deck!"

Ryan and I looked at each other confused and asked, "Huh?  Deck what?"

"DECK THE HALLS!!!!  With holls of bolly and stuff."

Right.

So deck we did.

On her way to 4, Ellie is an expert ornament hanger.

Last year Baby Madeline was not even 12 weeks old when we put up our tree.  She is much more interested this year.

She is also now know as Cinderella.

Taking picture of two kids in front of the tree isn't exactly an easy task.

One is much easier.

Unless she is screaming "Deck the Halls" at the top of her lungs, then she gets a little blurry.

The stockings are hung. 

 And our tree is covered with ornaments old {my baby's first Christmas from 1980!}

and new.  Isn't Hello Kitty so stylish?  Ellie thinks so.

And while we wait the next month until the real Santa comes, we have a stand in.

Growing up we only had 'classic' Christmas decor.  In other words, no plastic or colored lights allowed.  With my first paycheck in 1996 after a Saturday shampooing at our neighbor's salon, my dad drove me to the local nursery and I picked up my very own, very first piece of Christmas decor.  48 inches of plastic. 

Every year until Ryan and I got married, I propped him up on my overturned garbage can and placed him in my bedroom window where he watched over our cul-de-sac.  My dad still misses him though their neighbors stole borrowed my idea and have one in their attic across the street now.

Plastic Santa now sits in our front yard, close to the house.  You can only see him if you are directly in front of our house, I don't want to commit HOA suicide.

As you can see, our halls our decked.  How about yours?