Nonetheless, we went out Monday to cut our Christmas tree. Instead of doing our traditional breakfast binge at IHOP this year we did the dine-in option. To make it more fun we pretended as if we had menus and everyone ordered whatever they wanted including but not limited to: cherry covered pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs and omelets and somehow they all thought it tasted better than if we were eating out (though I think they were just being kind).
The fog was heavy on the inlet as we drove south but on the return trip this is what we saw coming down from the pass back toward Portage:
And by the end of the evening this is what we saw:
And suddenly I felt more in the mood.
Lillian and I sat down to finish the beaded crystal snowflakes I started nearly a year ago but didn't quite finish in time for Christmas 2008 so our windows are decorated, our tree is up and we are officially Christmas-worthy. Bring it on.
Sponsored by Pak Naks--decorate your stuff!
31 comments:
Very nice! And not a patch of moose hair to be seen.
I love those snowflakes and your tree looks beautiful - decorated with love.
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Wow thats so lovely cute and so sweet i would say.i really liked it and getting excited for the Christmas.
Oh My God! Those snowflakes are really pretty! glass beads...ingenious! Love your tree!
Where is the tree stand? It looks like the tree is suspended in the air. How did you do that?
your tree is awesome! I love your snowflakes. Are they hanging on your tree or in the windows?
I am so unprepared but that is nothing new here!
Great tree.
I'm glad you were able to mostly continue your traditions this year. Did you have an elf come in to cook and serve the breakfast at your house, or was everyone able to enjoy the "restaurant" atmosphere except you :-)
I've had a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit myself, probably due to it getting dark so early and not having snow (for once). Like you, it helped to get my tree up.
Thanks, Michelle, for posting the outdoor photo. Although I don't miss the grey, overcast days of SE Alaska, and I'm close to nature here in Spokane, I do miss seeing the great Alaska outdoors (LARGE mountains and sea, especially) even after all these years!
I do look foward to your life in Alaska, the mountains are beautiful. The tree is great. Here in Middle Tennessee our annual treck with our girls was to go out and get a cedar tree here on our farm. I have a book I wrote about one special Christmas," The Little Christmas Bird". Have a Merry Christmas. We had a small snow on the 5th of December-Loved it.
Suspended? Well yes, we use magnets. It kind of keeps it levitating in this force field which is helpful for getting it very straight. Though not so helpful for the metal ornaments.
:)
As for the breakfast, I did the cooking but it was fun. THey all seemed to really enjoy it and appreciate the food.
Very pretty tree! And those snowflakes are all sparkly and lovely!
I woke up today to a thermometer reading of 3 degrees. 3.
And......I thought of you. :D
The next time you find yourself out this way we should really get together. Whadda ya say?
I know I have trouble some years when Thanksgiving is so late adjusting to jumping in to the Christmas Spirit while I'm trying to hang on to the autumn still. Your tree is lovely and the stars turned out gorgeous!
Nice tree this year - doesn't look all that "Charlie Brownish".......It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....
love the snowflakes...how do you attach them in the middle?
It's so true. Sometimes, the external trappings are needed to help our internal spirit get in the swing of things.
Last year, I was feeling especially blah in December. But forcing myself to be happy as we put up our tree, put out a few Christmas decorations and listen to Christmas music helped me turn things around.
(Proof that we can change our feelings by doing, eh? We don't have to feel our way into things, hallelujah.)
Your tree is beautiful! I love those beaded snow flakes too.
Michelle,
I think this is one of the most beautiful pictures you have taken of your Alaskan Christmas tree. How could you not get into the spirit with this beauty?
Love and Hugs ~ Kat
The snowflakes are easy enough, I bought the wire frames last year at the local bead store but you can get them online here: link
Gorgeous!
I'm glad your mood lifted with the fog. Those beaded snowflakes are beautiful.......and so are those mountains!
Where's the wire!?!
Gorgeous - the view, the tree, and the ornaments.
That first photo really makes me homesick. Those are really cool snowflakes, too!
Wow, that view is amazing. The ornaments and tree turned out beautiful, as well. :)
The homemade stuff has ingredients that IHOP doesn't have. LOVE. ;) That's why it's so much better.
We downsized last year from a small fake tree to a tiny fake tree, and at first my daughter was NOT happy. But seeing it all lit up has put her in the mood. The snow on our local mountains (rare) has cheered her even more. I think we're ready now, too.
Maybe your kids weren't just being kind...my bunch loves it when we go all out for breakfast. One of the kids usually helps and prepares their specialty. :) Sometimes all we need is a little push to get into the mood. I'm glad putting up your Xmas tree got you in the holiday spirit. Yesterday, we had a record snowfall, our first of the season, now we're all set for Christmas!!
Beautiful. I haven't gotten o'er here in awhile but please know I am SOOOO grateful for your ebook!
What a pretty tree. I like the snowflakes too. I have been slow this year at getting our Christmas decorations up this year. Little by little as the decorations get put out my Christmas cheer swells up a little more.
Those are beautiful pictures--they make me feel a little more Christmasy. I don't know why I have a harder time getting excited about Christmas the older I get. Our tree is up but most of my decoration boxes are still sitting in the hall, unopened. When my 5 year old exclaims, "15 more days until Christmas!" I think, "Oh no! Is that all?" Maybe my problem this year is the chicken pox--two of my vaccinated children have them!!
I've been wanting to make beaded snowflakes too, but I think I'll wait until the kids are older. They're so spastic right now that beads would be everywhere. The tree is absolutely gorgeous - magazine cover!
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