Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Dec 3, 2008 - December Joy Challenge Day 1

I love the month of December, being the month we celebrate Christmas and all it means. It is a month I look forward to all year long.

Growing up my mother always went out of her way and worked her tail feathers off to decorate our home to the max for Christmas. Our home was always beautiful and festive inside and out. I absolutely loved being surrounded by the joyful and brightly colored Christmas decorations and lights each year. We lived in the country and our house and our next door neighbor's house were know in our rural area for our outside decorations.


I always knew that someday when I lived on my own I would want to decorate my house to the max for Christmas each year just as my mom did. I could only hope that I would marry someone who felt the same way, and luckily I did. Greg also grew up in a house with a mom who loves to decorate for the season and he too had a love of Christmas and decorating. We were (are) a perfect match.

Since we first got married seven years ago we have built up quite the collection of decorations. I have a garage full of several extra large storage tubs filled with nothing but Christmas lights and decor for both the inside and outside of our home and a shelf filled with decorations that are too big to fit in the storage boxes.

I adore transforming the inside and outside of our home into a Christmas wonderland full of festive brightly colored decorations and twinkle lights. Although it is a lot of work I love helping Greg get the outside of our home decorated and set up. I get giddy just waiting for that moment when everything is set up and in place and we can flip the switch to turn on our Christmas lights for the season.

Our house is one of the most brightly lit houses in our neighborhood and I get the biggest thrill out of seeing cars slow as they pass to take in our Christmas lights display.

This week I'm set to dig into my numerous boxes of Christmas decorations and get my house all decked out for the season. I have to have it ready for my ornament exchange party on the 11th. Considering it usually takes me a good 3 days of solid work to get it decorated, I'm ready to get moving. Tomorrow I will get out in the yard with Greg and help him get the outside lights set up. My nephew will come by tomorrow afternoon and get the lights up along our roof. His skinny little buns can get up on our roof and have them up in half the time it takes me to move along on the ladder to string them, so for the last few years we have hired him for that important job.


I'm like a giddy little kid waiting in line to see Santa Claus. I cannot wait until our house is completely decorated inside and out and I can sit back for the rest of the month and enjoy the colorful and cheerful display both inside and out.

It is one of the things that makes me happiest throughout the year and one of the things I love the most about the Christmas season.

2 comments:

CloverGirl said...

What a wonderful thing to be joyful about, Cathy. I hope you and Greg have a wonderful holiday this year.

shirley said...

Cathy, AWESOME pictures. Can I ask what settings you used? I love how the Christmas tree lights look like stars.