Christmas in the New House

New homes require new ways of doing things.

Because it was time to decorate for Christmas right after the moving truck departed, I chose a few key areas, rummaged through the Christmas bins and decked the halls in no time flat.

I toyed with the idea of doing a mini new home Christmas tour until I saw the pictures and decided against it.  Looks like I need to figure out the lighting better :)

)

In digging through the bins it seemed like a lot of the old decor  didn't seem quite right in this new more modern home.  The little toy stove was staying either way.  One of the long standing Christmas traditions in my family is cookie baking and that little stove is a happy reminder of just that.

On a side note, shortly after setting up the little display a man was here to go over the new furnace with us.  As he walked by it he stopped and remarked on it wondering how old it was and if it really worked.  We had a chat about it which led to him showing me pictures of his rather new hobby of purchasing old fans (think 1930s and 40s) and restoring them to like new condition.  His work was beautiful and it was evident that he got great joy from finding old rusty fans at antique shops and auctions and bringing them back to life.  Who knew the furnace man would share an interest in old relics from the past too :)

 Speaking of Christmas cookie baking . . .

I soon learned that this new kitchen is a wonderful place to bake in.

I was able to set up an efficient assembly line on this long counter.

 I did sneak in a vintage S & P set in front of the cutting board that was a gift from the builder.  I thought that this was a very meaningful gift as it was made from one of the trees that was on the land before it was developed into a community of homes.

The best gift of all was a visit from this little guy.

He added so much joy and laughter to the holiday.

 Laughter was also found when my oldest son entered the house with his holiday sweater playing music and flashing lights.

In the kitchen Brett exercised his talents at carving the spiral ham and turkey breast.  He had a side kick this year who was more than happy to sample the offerings.

My sister-in-law happily and merrily washing the dishes.

You may think I'm being facetious, but she really does enjoy it.  She owns a dishwasher and has never used it.  Instead she uses it to store things in.  Kind of like another cupboard.

 We watched a variety of movies in the lazy days and nights following Christmas.  One of Jaxson's favorites was the Grinch.  At one point during the movie the Grinch struck a pose that tickled his funny bone tremendously.  That in turn struck my funny bone and we both got the giggles.

Of course you know that once they get a laugh . . .

 the opportunity for more laughs is inevitable even when grandma is doing her best to get a nice picture of her grandson under the tree before he leaves to go home.

Grinch Pose.

 Hiding under my hood pose.

Pinch my uncle's nose pose.

❤

Grandma's Favorite Pose.

As I reflect back over the past few days I can't help but think that the home and decorations set a festive tone, but it's the people coming together sharing their unique talents and gifts that make for the warmest memories of all.