Done!

And it's done. Well, the tree, anyway.  I got busy after breakfast this morning and finished putting the decorations on the tree. The photos below show different parts of the tree because it looks better than the tree as a whole.Well, that's not really what I meant to say. I took a picture of the whole, completed tree, but what really stands out are the lights...so much so that you don't see the ornaments. So the best way to look at it, in a photo anyway, is just little bits at a time.

I'm pretty happy with it. I did leave off quite a few small ornaments this year. They were the little wooden ones that I painted so long ago. There's also a box of small ornaments that a neighbor gave me and I usually use those but for some reason I didn't open that box this year.

Next, I need to hang the stockings. There are 13 of them...that's if I don't include pets. I used to include Robin's dog, but now she has three dogs and Wendy has a cat, so no pet stockings this year.

I think I'll keep the mantle a little more simple this year. Last year there were trains, a village , and trees...in addition to all the stockings. We'll see.

The snowman is the first ornament on the tree every year.  Wade brought that home from pre-school our last Christmas with him.  The popcorn ornament said "Wayne" to me.

I bought the leaf ornament while I was at Mirror Lake last year.

It doesn't have to be expensive to look pretty on a Christmas tree.  The green ornament was in a box of 6 for $4.  In this photo you can also see glittery pipecleaners twisted into spirals.

The tractor was also for Wayne.  I made the baby in the sleeper a few years after the Tyrolean characters. Age has not been kind to this ornament...the baby looks like Lizzy Borden has taken an ax to her head!

The santa working on the tire was for Wayne.  I made the grandma in green and the angel in the egg shell.

I bought this Santa in overalls because it reminded me of Wayne.  I made the Tyrolean figure...made about a dozen of them in the early 70's.