Holiday Decos 2018

In recent years, and for various reasons including a family death and pending house sale, we didn't extensively decorate for the holidays in our NH mill apt. This year we were home from Thanksgiving through Christmas and decorated a lot — Welcome to our home.

In an earlier post, I wrote about my enjoyment in mailing holiday cards. It's also great to receive them and these are always displayed in our home. (Do you do the same?)
Our decorating got off to a late start because we both had colds that dragged on from Thanksgiving into the second week of December. But, once we got started, Santas, reindeer and snowmen were soon hung on most doors and walls. 

This snowball trio were "surprises" left outside our door a couple of years ago by former next-door neighbors who have since moved to another NH city. We sent them a photo of these jolly "faces."

We've collected quite a few other snowmen and moose figures since then, several of which have been given by friends here. (Hint: if you don't want a collection to expand, never mention to anyone that you "like" some things. In Virginia, it was penguins and frogs. In NH, it's snowmen and moose.) 

This year the New England village was expanded to include a train and station as well as more "villagers." The centerpiece Christmas tree was given to us by a former Virginia neighbor before we moved; she said it "needed a new home" and it's found one too. 

We turn on the tree and village lights nightly and enjoy them while watching a holiday film. (The reflections are from apartment lights across the Nashua River.)

The tree ornaments and some shelf decorations include ones with special memories of time together and gifts from friends no longer with us such as the bear music box. (Doesn't everyone have some of special ones in their holiday collection?)

This year we added some new ornaments that were handmade locally in NH. This is something we're trying to do each year. In so doing we donated ones that these replaced. (Didn't you just know there would be a snowman or penguin in these new additions?)

Of course, there's always penguins in our holiday decorations. This group relocated from our former Virginia home and seem to prefer New England now.

We had lots of fun decorating — hope you enjoyed seeing these and had own fun too🎄 (Ours may stay up till at least mid-January, how about yours?)