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This is How We Christmas Blog Party.

This week:

Decoration Edition

Before I begin sharing my decorating details, I simply must share that I totally forgot to mention our quirkiest Christmas tradition of all on last week’s post:

We watch Mixed Nuts. And by we I mean the girls all willingly watch it over and over and over while the Joedaddy joins on occasion when forced.  What is Mixed Nuts, you ask.  Why, mixed nuts are assorted nuts in a can.  Kidding.  Mixed Nuts is a 1990-something comedy with Steve Martin, Adam Sandler, the late Madeline Kahn, Anthony LaPaglia, Juliette Lewis, Rita Wilson, Liev Schreiber and more.  YES, I totally listed a huge part of the cast but it is absolutely necessary for you to understand the awesome mix of funny.  In a nut-shell (ha ha), a crisis hotline business is about to go under at Christmas time.  I love it so much that it was the only movie I kept when Joe closed his video store—Video World of Denham Springs—at the end of 1998.  It’s rated PG-13 so keep that in mind should you choose to watch it.

So on to the decorations.  As you’ve just learned, we like to watch (or rather, listen as it plays in the background) Mixed Nuts while decorating.  We love listening to Christmas music as well which leads me to my next decorating interruption—it warms my heart that 96.1 The River plays Christmas music only after Thanksgiving.

First, you should know that we have not been consistent in the whole real tree versus faux tree thing.  This year, we have an artificial tree.  However, next year we are planning to start putting up real trees.  I remember my family picking the biggest tree we could find when I was a kid.  I miss that pine smell and I’m completely willing to sweep up pine needles to have it.

Here’s our impostor tree:

You’ll notice that it is right-side up as opposed to the very strange look of recent years in which the tree is hung upside-down.  Our current copy of the Bathroom Reader tells us that this was a custom in Medieval times.  Strange.

This year is the first year since Sophie has been born that we put the train out.

I caught Sophie trying to run it a couple of times and now it will only go backwards.  Sigh.

This is one of two little trees that remind me of a Charlie Brown Christmas tree:

Quite frankly I wouldn’t mind just putting up a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.  Peanuts is my absolute favorite cartoon ever.  I do like to eat peanuts as well but that’s totally besides the point.  Are you seeing a theme here with my favorite Christmas movies?  I am kinda’ nutty.

As you can see by this nativity, everything around here is a bit simple.  Notice the three wise men traveling from afar as they were not there when Jesus was first born.

That would be the Cajun Night Before Christmas.

If I had time and money I would have a complete Christmas makeover.  For the time being, it’s very simple.

With this next picture and poem from one of my recent posts, I’ll end my Decorating Edition post of This Is How We Christmas.

Be sure to click on the button at the top of the post and join us.

‘Twas the day after Black Friday, when all through the house

Everyone decorated, even my spouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with flare,

In hopes that the Soldier would soon be there.

Out on the porch, Cammie scurried with lights,

“This year we’re going to do this thing right.”

While Big Mama sat Gavin, she worked in a flash,

Her family’s first Christmas must be the best bash.

As Gavin’s first ornament was hung on the tree,

The girls’ handmade treasures were all hid from me.

“Just the ones made of paper, the cheesy ones, Mom.”

And off went my favorites, as I tried to stay calm.

Sophie anxiously watched with wide-eyed stare,

As the train and the village, I unpacked with care.

Discovering we needed a little more snow,

Back to the store, Joe and Courtney would go.

So I gazed for a moment, at our unfinished site,

Then I noticed the stockings—something wasn’t quite right.

The two new additions in camo stuck out.

OH NO! It’s my fault, Cammie’s going to pout.

“Which side should their names go, which way do they hang,”

“They hang like a ‘J’,” I insisted.  DANG!

Her family’s first Christmas could not be doomed,

So I thought for a moment, before she entered the room.

“I messed up, I’m sorry, but please don’t dismay,

They’ll make him feel special as we welcome home for Trey.

If your stockings hang backwards and look like a ‘J’,

You might be a Redneck, is what others will say.”