Breaking My Own Rules

I don't know what's gotten into me, but last night I totally broke two of "Sondra's Christmas Rules"...

1. I put a tree up before Thanksgiving

2. it's artificial

I don't know if it was the $5 Bing Crosby Christmas cd I just bought and can't stop playing, or if it was the 3" of snow we got on Monday... but either way, I got bit by the Christmas bug and put up our "basement tree" last night (which is another rule I broke - Only one Christmas tree per house).

However, I think the main reason for all of this madness was because I've been excited about this particular Christmas tree for four years. Weird, huh? Most of you know that my brother is in the Marine Corps, and of course, my family has seen some rough spots along the way. But that first Christmas with him away was especially hard. At that point, I started noticing all of the patriotic ornaments available out there. And it was that first Christmas he was gone that I bought my first ornament - a little ceramic Marine Corps bear with an American flag.

It was all downhill after that (just ask Tim). Normally I would wait until after Christmas and raid the clearance aisles. But then friends and family realized what I was doing, and starting buying oraments for me as well. When I first started collecting, I was hoping to have enough to fill a 2-foot table-top tree. But wouldn't you know, after 4 years, I have enough to fill a 7 1/2 - foot tree.

So here it is - a little hard to tell from the picture - but my patriotic Christmas tree...

And front-and-center... is the ornament that started it all.

Our Favorite Trick-or-Treaters

Our nieces: Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse...

... and our little Lady Bug niece, and Darth Vader (or is it Luke Skywalker?) nephew with Grandma & Grandpa.