I am feeling the cheer of the season all the way down to my toes! Last night we went to visit the Peanuts Christmas House on Santa Ana Avenue in Costa Mesa. Drew lived down the street from it as a boy and we try to make it over there every year. I think we only missed a couple of years when we lived in Murrieta. This giant animated display wraps the home around the entire corner. (Where on Earth do they store it all year?) I couldn't get enough flash to get a good photo so you'll have to go see it for yourself. They will have Santa visiting each night after Dec 18 for photos. The love and pride these people put into this enormous display just warms your heart.

Every morning I turn on our tree lights and sip tea by the glow after the kids are off to school. It's such a calming way to start the day. As I sit here admiring our eclectic display of ornaments I am reminded of where or whom each one came from. It makes me really sappy sometimes.

What kind of ornaments do you have on your tree? Do you have a theme of any kind? We don't have any theme but you can certainly see some trends. I have a love affair with Santa Claus so I have quite a few glass Santas. I also have more than a dozen beaded, sequined and feathery bird ornaments. I adore vintage Polish glass ornaments and just about anything that sparkles. I have a real soft spot for pretty Disney ornaments too. Right now I can see my three glittering princesses (Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty), the three good fairies (Flora, Fauna & Merriweather) and my sparkling Mickey icons. Last week I received a gorgeous 2009 Mickey icon ornament as a gift and it is twinkling front and center this year. We also have an ever-growing collection of official White House ornaments because Drew's grandmother buys him a new one every year. They are quite beautiful and they're something the boys get very excited about hanging each year.

What tops off your tree? We have a mother of pearl six-pointed star that we got before we were married, but it really doesn't suit us so this year we have decided to replace it. We struggled with what we wanted to put in it's place. A big robot was leading the race for quite a while, but in the end we decided that I would make our new topper. We bought a big wooden "C" which I still need to gold leaf and embellish with a big flower and bow. This will share the top branch with a frog prince dressed in a glittering costume complete with a feather in his cap. I know that may sound crazy to many of you but the kookiness of it suits us just right. The only problem is, I haven't had time to work on it so the top of our tree is a bit naked right now. Hopefully I can get it done before this weekend or I will have to pull out the old star one more time.

So how's your holiday shopping coming along? I don't have a ton of shopping to do because I am committed to putting my heart into our gifts this year. I am making many gifts by hand. Most of the gifts I do purchase will either support a good cause or be bought from a small business or local consultant. To be completely honest, there have been some Target and toy store purchases, but for the most part I am going to keep it heartfelt. I can't tell you about all of the different things I am making because I don't want to spoil anyone's surprise. I can say that my various projects require crochet hooks, butter, chocolate, wire and needle nose pliers. Not all together, of course.

One of my favorite things to do is wrap gifts. Each year I labor over choosing the perfect theme for our papers and ribbons. A long time ago, I made myself a promise never to use bags or stick on bows for christmas. I consider it part of the gift to make the packaging beautiful and festive. I'm not a snob by any means, heck, when it comes to birthdays and other occasions I am all about bags and stick on bows. I usually go with a lot of golden traditional papers, but last year I went with a more kid-friendly bold red and green and loved it. So this year I took it a step further and opted for whimsical red, pink, turquoise and lime green papers and glittered ribbons. It's a good thing both of my boys like pink because any other boys would probably freak out to have their gifts tied with hot pink satin bows.

Here are a few photos of favorite trees and ornaments:

The first is my new 2009 Mickey Mouse icon ornament.

I just love this little red bird. In my book, it's not a real christmas tree without a pretty red bird on it. Disco ball Mickey icon behind it.

Our boys in front of their favorite tree from the past. They got to really help decorate this one.

Our stockings all hung by the chimney with care.

This was the tree from our first christmas in our Murrieta house.

My frog prince and yet another red bird.

One of my pretty princesses.