Our Christmas letter and our tree

Last Christmas, Josh and I did the usual newly married thing by sending out Christmas cards with our wedding picture. But, since we don't have children, we (meaning, I) did not see the need to get our picture taken. Plus, we didn't have time, and Josh was out of permanent work for a while.

This year, I had all of Josh's family presents bought so we could bring them with to California. Cheap shipping, that. And, in fact, I got everyone small gifts, so I would not have to bring the *mother of all suit cases* with for a five day trip. Anyway, the decision was that I could worry about California before California, and worry about my family and the Christmas letter after we returned.

Well, we are back from California. Our computer is back from Jeremy's. Our printer is re-installed, and will have new black ink in it tonight. And I have almost finished with my Christmas shopping. So, I started writing our Christmas letter.

It was my idea to re-establish the Christ part of Christmas in the holiday season. So, my big and great idea was to send out a letter with some great Messianic prophesies from Isaiah. Josh was not too keen on this. It is not that he did not like the idea; he just wanted to talk about all of the great things that have happened this year. And so, we compromised because it is just not right to fight over a Christmas letter. I included the Christmas Story according to Luke, and Josh wrote about all of the great and wonderful things that happened this year. I will post the Christmas letter on Christmas Eve. Some of you may get it in the real, USPS, mail. There's just something about getting a Christmas letter on Snazzy Christmas Paper that cannot be duplicated by e-mail or reading a post.

Also, on December 4th, I put up our Christmas Tree. This particular tree is the special artificial tree that I grew up celebrating Christmas around. My mom wanted a new tree and so, gave me this tree when I moved out. As a side note, parents do things like this. If they want new chairs or lamps, they give you the old ones as an excuse to buy new ones. Anyway, usually, according to my family tradition, the Christmas Tree goes up the Saturday following Thanksgiving. Then, it comes down after Hermionygonzo's birthday. Josh and I were not home the Saturday following Thanksgiving. This is why I put up the tree on December 4th.

Our lights were all burnt out, so I went to Target to get more lights. And then, I spent time decorating the tree. Proud of my job, I asked Josh to put the last ornament on, an ornament representing a former Cardinal's first baseman, and I asked him what he thought. He said something particularly insulting to my tree. "It looks sickly." I stood back and said, "It does need something else." So, I brainstorm about what could be missing. And suddenly, it came to me, Beanie Babies are missing. So, I got a chair so I could reach the Beanies, but Josh had to actually get them down, because, even with the chair, I am too short. So, I have Beanie Babies on my tree. A lot of them. And they are cute. And the tree no longer looks sickly.
Of course, Josh thinks that I am silly for having Beanies on the tree; well, and also a Beanie Baby nativity scene. Yes, I have a Beanie Baby Nativity Scene. I have the Army Guy Beanie as Joseph, the Bride Beanie as Mary, and I have a Teenie Beanie bear as Baby Jesus. And also, to be scripturally correct, Mary is a white bear, Joseph is a brown bear, and Jesus is a white bear. As, Joseph is not the biological father of Jesus, Jesus looks like Mary.

Am I silly? Perhaps. I consider myself festive.

More Christmas tales later!