O Christmas tree!

It is that time of year again. Christmas. Joyous!

There may not be presents under the tree this year, but that's because we gave ourselves a Wii. And we're playing with it already. It was an easy way to cap spending on Christmas this year. One gift, one purchase. Loads of fun.

One of my favorite things about Christmas in my home growing up, was that my mom always had our table set in Christmas plates, with special napkins and a special tablecloth. We ate with those plates the entire month of December. This year, I decided that it was time to invest in some Christmas tableware for the same reasons-- it really makes it feel like Christmas, and that every meal is special when you come home to a table that is fancy and already set. (Although I have yet to find goblets that go with the whole table. The Kate Spade drinking goblets that go with our china really don't match, they're too dainty. I was thinking something clear with big heavy cuts in thicker glass. Anyone have any suggestions?) A special shout out to my friend Krystle who was more than happy to give me (although I heartily protested) her red chargers.

But I did have to do a new centerpiece-- the simple white candle has moved to the bathroom. And so I made the above tree by following this really easy tutorial that I marked a couple of months ago in the blogs I read. It was so simple that I assembled it on a sunday afternoon, while still combating the aftereffects of some benadryl (generally cantankerous mood, sullen stares at one or more family members at any given time, barbed half-mumbled sentences... it was a pretty sight).

The view over all of our dining nook. Merry Merry Merry.

I also might add that in efforts to eventually use my desk and office space, I got around to buying a chair, at the good old Ikea, and brought it home, and amongst all this Christmas splendor, screamed like a Scandinavian power-lifter, attempting to "easily snap in" the plastic chair to the metal base. Arthur was lost in the space time continuum gap known as "finals week," otherwise I would have put his manly man muscles to work. It struck me as particularly funny. Nevertheless, please hold me to my purchasing power, and anytime you see me, ask me if my butt has been sitting in my Scandinavian power-lifting chair. That is the goal-- because when I sit in the chair, I should be writing my little heart out.

Hold me to it blog friends, hold me to it.