Christmas decorations

On Sunday we managed to stop at a local nursery and pick up a fresh Christmas tree on our way back from Clinton. Joseph hadn't taken much of a nap and was rather fussy, so we didn't spend too much time deliberating. Luckily, they had a good selection of not too expensive trees, so we were in and out, with the tree tied to the roof, in less than 20 minutes!

When we got home, Joe started putting the lights on, and of course, Joseph was quick to reprise his helper role. He was rather disappointed in how few strands of lights went on the tree, as opposed to the outdoor lights. Apparently, this tree is a little bigger than ones we've had before, as our usual lights didn't cover it fully. We thought about running out for more lights for about two seconds, then decided the "less is more" look was just fine this year!

Joseph was interested in helping with ornaments at first. We have a bunch of shatterproof ornaments from previous years with the dogs, so we let him help with those.

Although he seemed like he was going to help with more, he really just tried with a couple then decided to watch. Then his rocket ship and trains were way more interesting, so he had fun riding those around the house while Joe and I hung the rest.

The next morning, Joseph was checking out the tree and managed to break an ornament - I'm sure the first of many! Luckily, it was just plastic and broke into big chunks. Since then, he hasn't paid much attention to the tree, except for when we refill the water in the basin.

Instead, he's way more interested in the bin of Christmas books at the base of the tree. I gathered up our Christmas books, and added some from the church and county libraries. He discovered The Polar Express and it's become his new favorite book to read. Can't say I'm surprised by that choice!

I found a picture online and decided to replicate the staircase decorations. While we were shopping for our tree, I picked up a couple of fresh cut greenery pieces, and arranged them with sprigs of fake berries and some ornaments we had left over. I'm really happy with how they turned out! It adds just enough without overpowering the small staircase and bannister.

And since we forgot to post a picture earlier, here's the outside decorations! It's impossible to tell how good the magnolia trees look in real life, since the photo can't capture the twinkling, but this is the best they've ever looked. Joe did a great job and is already thinking about what he'll build to add to the display next year.