{ The Thanksgiving Tree }

I had such a blessed weekend.  It was a whirlwind of activity, overnight guests, games, laughter, catching up and fellowship.  We talked about what we had each been up to, but we also talked about God, about our individual journeys and what the Lord has been doing in our lives.

It was wonderful!!!

But as with every gathering, the day after is one spent cleaning and reorganizing and setting the house back to normal.

I woke up to a table littered with remnants of the weekend, drinks and bowls of chips, peanuts, and crackers, along with decks of cards and papers filled with scores.

We're a big game playing family, there is never a get together that doesn't include a ton of card games or board games.

I took a few hours to get the house taken care of and got the laundry going.  It's a never ending job isn't it?

The temperatures have plummeted and it's been so cold, we even had snow flurries.  Marley has enjoyed sitting at the couch and watching the trees, the birds and the random cat that has decided he loves our property.  I won't complain though because I have not seen one single mouse for over a year.  Thank the Lord, and the cat!!!

After the housework yesterday, I sat down for a bit with my laptop and worked on Thanksgiving plans.  We had thought about doing a catered dinner through Cracker Barrel, but after much thinking, I think we will stick with our usual plans.  To me the whole point of Thanksgiving, aside from being thankful and so forth, is the meal, and the leftovers, and if there will be none, then that is a deal breaker.

Sitting around the following day, doing nothing but relaxing and eating leftovers, is what we love about Thanksgiving.

So I'll be cooking again this year, well sharing the cooking with my sister in law, and we will have our usual spread with all the yummy food the family looks forward to.

I started pulling out the Christmas decorations in preparation for the holidays, but one thing that I always put up before Thanksgiving, is our Thanksgiving Tree.

Many people don't have this tradition, and some do.  I don't really remember when I started doing it, but it's a nice way of slowly going into the holidays, while also celebrating the holiday and giving everyone a chance to show what they are thankful for.

I just love how the tree looks, it's very simple but yet beautiful and elegant.  Today I'll be cutting out some leaf shapes out of scrapbook paper so that we can hang on the tree with everything we are thankful for.

I'll show you all that in tomorrow's post.

I'm a little late on the Christmas cake this year, but that's ok.  See that slice above?  That's still from one of last year's cakes, and it is just as gorgeous and delicious, actually even more now that it's sat for a year.

Did you know that Christmas fruit cakes could last that long?

If you want to try my fruit cake, I have a great recipe over on the food blog.  It is one of the easiest and simplest cakes to make and really yummy.

When the cold temperatures come in, we get the fire going, it helps keep the central heating off and saves a bit of money.

Chopping wood is not exactly a fun chore, but it's a needed one and when you see that first roaring fire, hear the crackling and feel that warmth, you know understand.

I love these cold days and the expectation of the holidays, it's my favorite time of year.  Most people get in a tizzy and panic and stress, I choose to go with the flow and really enjoy what the season is for.

In fact, I think if we all chose to approach the holidays in a different way, we would enjoy it so much more.  The pressure of putting on the best Christmas dinner, and present the best Christmas presents, is very overwhelming, gets people in all sorts of financial problems and just brings on stress that you don't need.

My husband and I have decided that this year, we are cutting back tremendously and not going all out or overdoing it.  Our finances can't handle all that mess, and it also really does help us to enjoy the season without worrying too much about who gets what and how much money we have spent or have left.

No one needs that kind of stress in their life.

So if you take anything from my post, I want it to be that the holidays are not about putting yourself in financial trouble or making yourself sick with stress and worry....it's about spending time with the family and celebrating the birth of our Lord.  If you keep that in mind, I have no doubt that the holidays will go from seeming daunting to something you will treasure year after year.