colored lights, bulbs and branches

I changed things up a little this Christmas.

My one lil project this year was making 2 little trees from branches.

I went across the street and scoured around til I found the perfect branches. It was a fun little activity for  me and the boys.

John made a little wooden stand to hold this branch up. I am totally liking metal bulbs this year.



And I decided to switch up the tree a bit too. Just wanted silver garland, colored Christmas lights and metal bulbs, for the most part. I let a few knitted balls stay.


Reminds me of when I was little.


Here is my other little branchy tree.


And got two new stockings this year(first and third from left-to-right). They were from Target.


This one is my favorite. I could not resist its charms.


My favorite part of the season is setting up the play-mobile nativity set.

Some people leave the manger empty til Christmas morning...and then they put baby Jesus in it. This was not the case with us--unfortunately, our baby Jesus is has been MIA for days, at the hands of Ollie and Twain. Instead, I saw my little mouse figurine laying in the manger. I was like "No way boys! That manger is for baby Jesus only!"



And some more colored lights.

At night I like to sit in the dark and just gaze at the lights on the tree and wall. I have done that ever since I was a child.

Our country has seen some dark times in the last few days with the school shooting. I cry whenever I read something new about it. I have no pat answers. No words. It is just SO SAD.

The only thing I can do is continue to shine my little light for Jesus in this dark, dark world. I have been learning about light in bible study and at church. No matter how small our lights may seem, they will show up in darkness. God will magnify us. Kind of like no matter how dark my living room, my little Christmas lights still show up.