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

Ahhh, yes, the holidays are coming! Our neighbors are out in full effect with their decorations and lights.  It's a competitive sport around this neighborhood at Christmas - Holiday Decorating.  Literally, our neighborhood community association has a contest for it. We've never won - we gave it a try a few years, Brian was up on the second story roof stringing lights and everything.  Then it became apparent that we could not compete with the "professionals"...the neighbors who make Clark Griswold look bad. We now stick to a safe lighting scheme of retro white bulbs, greenery swags and wreaths, and festive red bows. I will be encouraging Brian to finish up that little project today...can't be the only house in the neighborhood without lights!

Image from etsy

In addition to the exterior lighting, we will really start full scale with the inside decorating this week...and seriously, this is the year I finish cleaning out and donating all of the holiday decor that just doesn't do it for us...you know...the army of snowmen I have been given over the years, the plethora of ornaments from my various decorating schemes, and all of the strange figurines that have invaded our home.  We visit the local Thrifties enough, we can drop off a donation the next time we go. This year, we are about streamlining, colorful lights, kindergarten artwork ornaments and the retro decorations from our childhood that we love. We are still on the search for a set of five foot tall plastic Santa and Frosty guys - we have the 12" ones from my mom, but really, the tall ones would put us on the map in the Holiday Decorating Contest here....so if you know of a set that needs a new home, please, feel free to let us know!

Well, I'd better get the Thanksgiving decor picked up before the boy returns from his sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I'm sure he will be running in to see where the Elf on the Shelf has landed for today!