Okay, I'm doing this one for the second time. The first time just didn't save. So if anything has an annoyed edge, trust me, it's that I have to do it all over. I'm not at all annoyed with Christmas decorations.
When we got to Omaha, the folks had saved some of the decorating for Mark and me.
They had already done the angel tree...
...and the animal tree...
...and the fireplace...
And even put the wise guys out. (Their names are Lefse, Lutefisk, and Krumkake. Lefse is the one with brown hair, Lutefisk is the one with grey hair, and Krumkake is the black one. I know you may have heard differently, but who ever heard of a guy named Melchior?)
So what was left was a few special ornaments on the upstairs tree.
We also had to hang the icicles, and the hearts, goats, and pigs. You don't do hearts, goats, and pigs? They're red wood. The hearts are for love and happiness, the pigs are for health, and the goats are for wealth. When I was little, there was an order to the world: I hung the hearts, Daddy hung the pigs, and Mom hung the goats. She insisted that I share with Mark last year (she shared with him, too), and he promptly snapped one of the hearts in half. (Yeah, we already made that joke.) So this year he took pictures. Johan sent us some new ones this year that are a little thicker wood, so we'll see how they stand up.
It looked good when we were done.
Then we went downstairs to decorate the family tree. Most of the ornaments on the family tree were made by us or by family members and close friends. (Yes, Christmas decorations are a very big deal at my parents' place.)
This is the best ornament. My grandma made it. It must be hung first and in the best place, and only by me. In case you're curious, the Grandpa Mouse is reading Kipling to the Little Girl Mouse. Naturally. She's too young for Jack London.
My mom likes formal posed pictures, so there are always going to be a few of them for her. Note the painted Santa and Sarah Claus, made, lo, these many moons ago. Also note the straw goat. Straw goats are important at Christmas. Especially this year.