The Holiday Season Has Begun!

Hi there, friends! I hope you and yours had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend and are pumped for the holidays. I know I am! I didn't go Black Friday shopping like I had intended, and I'm glad for it. I got to sleep in while everyone else was up all night, ha! It's been a surprisingly chilly weekend, and I say surprisingly because southwest Virginia has been notorious for some ridiculously warm Thanksgivings.

Here are some pictures from this past weekend:


My nephew helping his nana make sweet potato casserole.


The turkey and some of the lovely noms behind it. All three of my sister's LARGE kitchen counters were filled with food! Sweet potato casserole, broccoli casserole, baked mac & cheese, corn pudding, cranberry sauce, deviled eggs, corn muffins, crescent rolls and brown & serve rolls, turkey, ham (for those in the family who dislike turkey), gravy, stuffing, and I don't even remember what else!! We also had appetizers beforehand; pepperoni and cheese on crackers plus cheesy salsa and tortilla chips. And of course there were the pies. I really went over my personal rules set for this day, but I didn't even care LOL


I was in the middle of marking my seat with a place marker next to my equally savvy niece...


And there's our VIP seats, LOL


What a pig! Oh wait, that's my plate. Hey, I forgot stuffing! What a dolt.

As I looked around at the joyful chaos around me, I realized that I was really going to miss these huge family gatherings once I return to Canada. I felt bittersweet, but only for a little while, because I didn't want to look back on my final Thanksgiving in Virginia with unhappiness. So I really enjoyed myself and had fun bonding with my nieces and nephews.

The next day, my mom and I made our own mini Thanksgiving feast at home. Because, you know, Thanksgiving just isn't Thanksgiving without your own leftovers! :)





The next day, Mom and I began to decorate for Christmas. Mom wasn't going to do so since I'm leaving for Canada next month and because it's coming up on a year since Dad passed away, and she just wasn't into it, but somehow she got the holiday spirit.


The tree, almost finished.


The dove in the top of the tree...


Mom's Santa collection, most of which she poured from molds, fired in her own kiln, and painted back in the days when she owned a ceramic shop.


The tree finished and glowing cheerfully in the grey chill of the afternoon. That tree skirt was made by Mom for my very first Christmas and is still pretty much pristine!

Maybe it's just me, but I love seeing Christmas lights when the day is otherwise grey and dismal. It makes me happy!

Have a great week, everyone :) If you're into digital scrapbooking, don't forget to check out my digiscrapping blog tomorrow evening (you can find the button in my sidebar) for THREE free kits I've made for your holiday scrapping pleasure.