Christmas Snapshots

Matthew & I have been battling the flu & a bad cold for the past week....the price you pay for being close to your sweet family for an entire weekend over Christmas ;) ....but I didn't want to fully step into the New Year without first paying tribute to our Christmas in 2009...

So here's a farewell to Christmas 2009....

~Our cozy Christmas home~

I made these "NOEL" letters for our very first Christmas

together being married. I think they're keepers. :)

A bag of fake snow from Walmart goes a looong way!

I grouped cinnamon sticks (from the 99C store), candy canes,

& mini marshmallows with chocolates on top in apothecary

jars to create a festive mantle display

The Christmas stocking I lovingly made for

Matthew our first Christmas together

The body of the sock was made from a pair of retired

ladies satin slacks...so I put them to good use &

attached a "secret pocket" in the back for

small treats. :) (Matthew likes this feature best)

The living room at a glance

Our dining room table bedecked for the holidays.

The little tree was made out of silver pipe cleaners a couple of years

ago...and the holly leaves...from our bushes out front!

Our "chandy" strung with glittering

beads & glittered snowflakes

~The Gifts~

I tried to be creative this year and use what I already

had on hand...so gifts this year were wrapped with left-over

paper, ribbon, & hand-cut snowflakes for gift tags made

from old sheet music

This gift to "Grant" had a handmade pom-pom

ball made from yarn mimicking a winter hat, & a tree

gift tag made from a brown shopping bag

I also used 99C store cinnamon sticks nestled inside of

ribbons & tree sketches cut out of an old botanical book (that I only

use for crafts) to use as gift tags

~Christmas Eve~

It started to snow!!!

All dressed up for Grandma Cole's

legendary Christmas Eve party :-)

Gloria Colleen (sister) & her namesake, Colleen (Aunt)

The fam, chillin'

Gwen (sister) with my sweet nephew Levi...who loooves

to play with his toes! ;)

Mom, Karen (Second cousin) & Pepaw Cole

The best part of the evening...lighting candles & singing

carols together....love it.

~Christmas Day~

Beautiful snowy morning

Our Christmas wreath on the front porch

I made from left-over Christmas tree branches

The icy walkway...it was slippery out there...

The Gaffins over for Christmas brunch :-)

(Joy, Ruthanne & Steve)

Peace & Love Santa

x0x0,

Gail