I apologize in advance: #166: Being Orna-mental 🎄

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So? How was turkey day for you? Did you eat too much just like we did?

We saved a plate for you, but you never showed. 🫤

I guess I'll have to warm it up and eat it myself.

The weather was about as good as could be expected, cold and clear and bits of snow here and there. The lil brewery was full of friends and more-than-friends and even a family member or two.

Now. There is something we need, you and I, to discuss.

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For starters, who the hell decorates their tree like this? It looks like something in the front window of a department store. Sterile. No personality.

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Or this one. Why?! This photo looks like there have been no children in this house, at all. Ever.

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This is a little better. But only a little. They're too perfect. You'd almost expect the ornaments to be numbered like the branches so that they're on the exact same branches, every single year.

It's too... I don't know. Martha Stewart-ish.

Now don't get me wrong. If you like this sort of thing, if that's where your head is at, have at it.

But, I want my trees to have personality. That "lived in" feeling. When you look at it you can see the homemade stuff and great grandma's crystal snowflakes and so on.

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Here's the big one, downstairs because there's no room upstairs! It's got fairies and lots of other odds and ends that I've schlepped all the way from NC.

And of course, raccoons.

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Lots of raccoons.

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Lots and lots of raccoons.

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The raccoons were the reason I insisted on putting up the big tree, as they wouldn't all fit on the small one I put up in my room.

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Although there are raccoons on that one, too.

Perhaps when I take the trees down in January, I'll line up all the raccoon ones and take a photo.

Here's my little one. Yes, I'm keeping an eye on the lit candles. It's far enough from everything so I won't burn down the house. 😉

A lot of my ornaments are thrifted. The local Salvation Army store puts out these big bins of ornaments a little after Halloween. They're something like 5/99 cents. Amusingly, people are too lazy to dig through the bins.... but I'm not....

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You see what you missed? This was lying right on top!

And this is *Delft*!

And this is from a company called "Giftco". Apparently there was a set, they had an entire band. They're bells.

And then of course, you gotta snag the "retro" ones. Snoopy and Ms. Piggy from the 1980s, and a wooden one made by Hershey chocolate. I found all three of these this year. Can you imagine the things they've seen, the memories some family somewhere must have of these? And they were just lying in a bin, at the thrift store.

Of course, I go for the unusual ones as well.

"Royal Order of Jesters". Something to do with the Masons? I had to do a reverse image search to figure out what the heck this was. He's a creepy little dude, but he seemed to want to come home with me. If you're a Freemason and can give me more info on this little dude (Or you want me to send him to you!) feel free to comment or email.

And then of course, this little guy.

Because we all should have a yeti for our trees. I love his little teeth. I've currently got this set as the wallpaper on my phone.

So what about you? What sort of decorations do you put on your tree? Are you a fan of the "everything must look perfect" look, or are you like me with lots of odds and ends? Feel free to comment (or not!)

Aye,

Kraneia