A jumpstart on the season

I know I've been talking about traditions a lot lately, but last week I decorated for Christmas, an event which is for me, fraught with tradition. First I helped decorate at my parents' house and handed stockings and nails to Anne, because it is her job to hang them on the mantle. At Mom and Dad's decorating is traditionally an all day event, minus the Dickens village lately, thank God.

Then Nathan and I came home and decorated our own little apartment, keeping in mind some of my own new traditions. Every year while I decorate, I watch my absolute favorite holiday movie "The Muppets Christmas Carol." I watched parts of it three times this year. I can't help it, the music always gets me. Last year we got Hecate a stocking and while we have a second cat, Nathan insisted they don't need their own stockings so they share one.

Nathan's stocking is the blue one, mine has the angel, and the cats' is the red one. For our first Christmas together, in 2006, my parents got us a Nativity set. Mom said my dad picked it out and I love it. I had to put it in a kitten-proof spot this year because Hyperion is much less careful than Hecate was.

After this picture was taken I realized I had put out the Christ Child a little too early and removed him from the manger. I would probably have the wise men elsewhere for the time being too, but we don't have that many kitten-proof places.

This last tradition has been in place ever since I was young and could help decorate the Christmas tree. My favorite color is blue, so my Baby's First Christmas ornament, which is quiet heavy, always hangs in a place on the tree with enough room for it, underneath a blue light. (Which you can't really tell in this picture).