On the slippery slope to Christmas

I'm in full Christmas Preparation mode here at Chez "Our House." The inside decorations are mostly finished, the outside decorations are as done as they're going to get this year, my Christmas gift knitting is complete (except for an add-on or two), I've sent most of my Christmas cards and we've gone to see Santa. I should be relaxed, right??? Well, I'm not..... I like to be DONE by this time at Christmas. I really enjoy the last couple of weeks leading up to Christmas when the last minute shoppers (or reasonable people, as some would say) are rushing around in a panic, looking for their perfect gifts, while I sit around with a self satisfied air.... I know, I know,  it's not an attractive trait of mine, but it IS my reward for being so.... uhhh... organized (I won't use the word you are all thinking... but I know you're thinking it.... ). This year, I'm behind. I've barely started my Christmas shopping and although I plan to remedy that tomorrow, I am still slightly stressed......

Back on the decoration front. I wanted to share a couple of cute ideas for Xmas decorations that I've come up with this year. Every year (well, every year since Eli was born) I send a Christmas photo-type card and I've saved a copy of most of them. This year, I thought it would be great to display them all together. I waited for a frame sale at Michael's and purchased a scrap-booking frame. Into this, the cards went..... and onto the wall (I try to replace my everyday wall art and photos with Christmas art)..... Neat eh?

Another thing I started last year was to frame all of the kids' Santa pictures together from every year (each frame holds three photos). This year, I had to start a new frame with only one picture, so I had the kids each draw a Christmas Picture to put in the frame on either side of the 2010 Santa photo. I love the progression of the photos... they make me smile.

My other idea for a Christmas decoration/wall hanging type item, is our Christmas puzzle. I tried to start a tradition of doing a new one every year, but we didn't finish last years (we'll finish it this year! I'm determined). But our first puzzle was glued and framed.....

And here are some pictures of my other decorations (quilted stockings and wall hangings are all made by me in years past)... I have yet to put up the tree (we do a real one, it's going up this weekend), but I think my house is looking great! The only thing my home is missing are a few handknit decorations.... which I shall rectify this year, starting with a Christmas Gnome (which I started last night and is over 50% complete)..... I also plan to do a garland of small knit mittens and socks, a knitted poinsettia decoration of some-kind and something else, that I thought of last year and would like to start working on......

A wallhanging to Welcome my guests
if I ever had guests....... 

From my front door.

Where the tree will sit

This wall hanging is one of my
favourite decorations.

I love the "Faux" wildlife on the mantle

I collect Dept. 56 "North Pole" Series Houses

And last, but not least.... my last knitted Christmas gift of 2010 (I only knit a few items this year).... A hoodie for my nephew (per his request this summer)... the duplicate stitch Alien face is in Glow-in-the-dark yarn.... which I cannot capture with my current technology, so you'll have to imagine how cool it is......