'Tis the Season

My favorite reindeer!!

I realized today that I haven't even managed to blog about our Thanksgiving ...and here we are mid-December!

The truth is I just haven't been inspired as of late.  Yes, I've been busy, but there have been times when I've had more things to do and still managed to find time to blog.  At least two or three times a week I think to myself, "oh! I've got to blog about this!", but then the inspiration leaves me and another week passes.

Christmas is upon us!  This time of year is always particularly stressful for Angelines--long hours, more days of work, festivities in which she can't take part because of her job...  She doesn't like Christmas.  However, this year we've decided to change things up a bit and make the holiday more fun for both of us.  For the first time in seven years, I have a Christmas tree in my house!!  And despite the lack of evergreen trees here in Sevilla, we did not buy a fake tree--totally against my NorCal upbringing!

Today we went to a nursery and picked out a cute little fir tree: live.  Our plan is to plant it in the patio and we'll have a perennial Christmas tree!  True, if we do ever have a white Christmas (or what's more likely a wet Christmas), we won't be able to put presents under it, but we can still light and deccorate it.  I am please with our purchase and also happy that instead of killing a tree for Christmas, we're planting one!  I spent this evening putting lights on our little fir, pictures tomorrow.  Now I need some ornaments... ;)

And speaking of ornaments, I spent Thursday's English classes (5th and 6th graders) making salt dough ornaments!  We are going to paint them this coming Thursday.  So perhaps I should whip up some more salt dough and make myself some ornaments.  The only catch is the acrylic paint we need to paint them costs a fortune!  The kids made a lot, but I think I'm going to limit painting to just two or three.

Christmas has made it to the bar, too.  We have a tree (fake) put up and decorated, pointsettas behind the bar, and a nativity scene in the window.  Pub California is ready for the holidays. :)  This weekend, we're serving Christmas pancakes and the next two weekends we have music groups coming in to liven up the atmosphere.

Pub California's Christmas tree--just missing the tree skirt!