what christmas looks like

I think there's a set of rules somewhere that govern the photos common to all blogs. If it snows, you must post two (2) photos -- one showing the accumulation and the other showing at least one member of your family, out in the snow with the universal expression for "oh my goodness it's snowing!"I have these photos, check. Another on the list is surely the ubiquitous Christmas tree shot, which is awesome because I love seeing other people's trees. I didn't have one of those yet, so I'm remedying that today.

I am strongly in the real tree camp when it comes to Christmas trees (although there will always been a place in my heart for the faux one we grew up with). This year with travel over the holidays and concerns about an unattended, and thereby un-watered tree we decided to look for an alternate. Inspired by Shannon's centerpiece from a couple of weeks ago we decided on a updated version of "sticks in a vase". The resulting tree is certainly nontraditional, but I find it charming nonetheless:I'm having some focus issues with my camera at the moment, but you get the general idea. The big present Christmases are all happening elsewhere this year so while this is a smaller tree it suits our purposes well.

This is definitely the first year that I've paid attention to the weight of ornaments. There are a few favorites that were simply too much for the tree this year but I was amazed at how many we managed to get on. I'm not really sure where the top of this roundish tree is, and the star wouldn't have fit anyway so I added a little robin near-ish to the top. A British tree has to have a robin somewhere. I got the first part of my Willowtree nativity for Christmas last year and added the wisemen to it a couple of days ago. I was pleased to find that this place has just the right spot for it.

I've really noticed the lack of fireplace for decorating this year so we've been tucking in a little Christmas here and there. We did manage to find a home for the snowmen. Everything is shiny and sparkly and I love the house with it's little treasures around each corner. Christmas can get pretty complicated but I know that at the heart of it, Christmas is a very simple, quiet moment. At the very heart of the season, this is what Christmas looks like: