You know what else wears me out? Captions.

One more Christmas-related post coming up!

First up, my homemade wreath.

Next our tree, which we borrowed from Mama’s house. No one remembers her old tree being so short, so it may be Gran Even’s. It’s small size is good, because my ornaments filled it right up. Although, we needed more lights than we expected.

We really wanted to go fancy, with the wires and the subwoofer, where you’ll notice is where Santa found his cookies and milk.

One of our newest ornaments is from Sara, our friend and also a bridesmaid. It’s a SF cable car, so we can remember our San Francisco friend. Thanks, Sara!

I love that our living room is feeling more and more like home. Hopefully it will stay this way once the Christmas decorations come down.

And, of course, don’t forget the nutcrackers! Since I was two, my brother and I were given nutcrackers (as well as a new ornament) each year. And one year I received five, because the Wizard of Oz set was just a normal present. It seemed overwhelming last year, when both collections (50 something in total) filled my parents’ house. Now it seems much better, with my 26 nutcrackers displayed in all over the house.

Matt had requested his present be delivered early, in case it would be something that would enhance a little party we had at our place. Don’t ask me how, but Santa got the message, and his present was waiting for him after his week-long business trip.

Note: It was sent early because he made the extra nice list!

What could it be?

Rock Band! Woo hoo! I’m now considering making a No Doubt tribute band.

That’s all for now. Next I’ll post some pictures from Christmas Day. Hope you all had a merry one!

Santa Cams are ultra-cool, high-tech, high-speed digital cameras pre-positioned at many locations around the world only on Christmas Eve. The cameras capture images and videos of Santa and his reindeer as they make their journey around the world. Come back to this page on December 24 to see Santa fly!

Apparently NORAD is a bi-national U.S.-Canadian military organization responsible for the aerospace and maritime defense of the United States and Canada. Everyone join in the chanting: U-S-A! SANTA! U-S-A! RUDOLPH! U-S-A! … yay Canada … U-S-A! ONLINE PRESENT-TRACKING IN MOTION! U-S-A!

I can thank my family for this. Christmas is a really special time, filled with many memories. My mom always decorates so nicely, with everything from garland to candles to candy dishes filled with red and green treats. I’m trying to replicate that in our new home, but that’s for another blog.

Getting to my point, yes there is one, I think the best way to conjure up these memories is through music. I love everything from traditional hymns to Alvin and the Chipmunks. Some years I manage to make mix CDs for my family. And I’ve been meaning to do that this year, but don’t think I’ll get around to it since my music collection is stuck on my wonky computer. So instead, I’ll spread my cheer through You Tube clips.

I’ve heard this Mariah Carey tune via Pandora, an online radio site. It really gets me amped for what I should really be dwelling on this time of year:

This next one is from “White Christmas,” which I have actually yet to see. I heard it through XM radio and thought it was quite fitting this year, with all the economic hardships and uncertainties. Plus, I have a thing for Bing!

The following continues with Bing (and Fred), but with a twist. It was shared with me by my college roommates and I believe it was from the Gap Christmas CDs. It’s a favorite of mine every year, but this year was my first time to actually see the movie.

That’s it for now, if I stumble on any more, I’ll post them. Enjoy!