Christmas Lights and Candy Canes

Crap.  I forgot to get the pictures off my phone.  Well, I guess that will have to be another blog post. 

 

It seems like Christmas came and went in a blur this year.  I didn't take on any big Christmas projects, so the Full Blown Christmas Panic was entirely avoided.  It was weird - I kept feeling like I had forgotten something.  Thanks to a handy Gift Giving app on my phone, I easily kept track of everyone's gifts, from the planning stages right on through wrapping.  So that inevitable part of the Christmas wrapping "I forgot I got this!" was also entirely avoided.  Again, it made for a very strange Christmas.  I avoided the temptation and went with my store-bought Christmas cards, but somehow I was later than ever about getting them mailed.  Weird.  I made 3 pairs of Christmas pajama pants.  I didn't make Taylor's and Jack's, not because I didn't want to, or even because I didn't have the time, but because I found some great ones at Kohls.  Without my annual Full Blown Christmas Panic, this was the most leisurely and enjoyable Holiday season in some years.  But I already have project plans for next year, so Full Blown Christmas Panic is sure to rear its ugly head in 2014.

 

 

Wilson Family Christmas Party

Once again, Lane's candy cane was broken.  See how he's trying to hide it?  Not even Jack believes that it's unbroken.  Maybe someday Lane will be a good boy all year and deserve an unbroken candy cane.  But not yet.

We didn't get to see much of our Taylor during the 3 weeks she was home for Christmas break. She worked a lot, which is good since she is poor, but we missed her.  She was around for most of the important stuff.  She had to work on Christmas Eve, but got off a little early.  And she missed out on our trip to Temple Square.  It was nice having her home, when she was.

My candy cane was perfect. In fact, Santa gave me 2 because I was so good.

Yeah, Jack's was snapped in 2.  Shocking.  Santa knows how Jack keeps his room. 

2013 Scarlett O'Hara by Hallmark.  I already have one of her in this dress, but this year the dark green part of the dress was fabric, and the ornament was porcelain again.  For the last several years they have been plastic.  Hallmark, if you are listening:  I prefer the porcelain.

 

For our Christmas Eve concert, Jack played something on his trombone (that's why you shouldn't wait 3 weeks before blogging such things) . . .

Addie played "Silent Night" on her recorder . . .

and Jack played "Carol of the Bells" on his bells.

 

And sadly the time came to take all of Christmas down and shove it back in the closet.  I love the Christmas lights most of all, and I left them plugged in while I took them off the tree, and then snapped a parting photograph before I unplugged them and put them in the box, making sure they were extra tangled for Jack next year.