It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

The holidays are sneaking up on me this year and I am feeling way behind the power curve. BUT, I do have some basics covered, enough to squeak by my own measures of a "good Christmas". What I seem to not be satisfying are my "perfect Christmas" ideals. I made a commitment to simplify this year and I have done so. There is a part of me, not sure how big a part yet, that is bucking this change. I keep finding myself chiding myself about the stuff I have left out. Or trying to sneak in some extra stuff, like a holiday party, or additional gifts, because, well, what I have now is "not good enough". By whose standards, though? For me, Christmas is about the giving. I get great joy from making and giving gifts to the people I love. In order to simplify I cut back on that a bit this year and the alarms are sounding as I assemble the gift boxes and all. NOT ENOUGH! MORE MORE MORE! But why is it not enough? Are the recipients really standing by waiting to judge this year's gifts compared to last? Do they really have grand expectations about what I am to give them this year? I hope not. See, I am not even sure that they don't. I know they should not, but that does not help me much. *sigh*

Ok, the antidote for all this focus on what I don't have is to switch the focus to what I do have. Here are a few pictures of what Christmas is looking like this year for us:

Our Entry

Candy Cane Cookies

E Placing the Star

Wooden Santa made by my mother

The Cookie Decorating Aftermath

Merry Christmas Everyone!!