Life Without His Tree! :)

 Coal seems to be lost, for the moment. He's so used to making a bee-line straight to the tree, and laying facing it, that he's not quite sure what to do with himself now that it's gone! :)
 I meant to take the tree down yesterday, and managed to box up all the ornaments and put them away, but I made the mistake of turning on the lights one more time and it was instant magic! :) By then the sun was going down and we agreed to enjoy the tree with it's sparkling lights one more night! :)
 Once I removed the lights today, the rest was easy. I was ready to get the last remnants of Christmas out and reclaim the space! :) Our home seems to have gained more square footage with it all out! :)
 Now we are relaxed and ready to welcome in the new year! ... All but Coal, that is. He lays down for a bit, whimpers, and gets up and walks around aimlessly before laying down again. Poor Coal! :) Probably by tomorrow he will have adapted to life without his tree! :)
 Happy New Year Everyone! :)

Visions Of Sugar Plums! :)

 "While visions of sugar plums danced in their head", ...
Now on to photos, ... enough has been said! :) ...

Merry Christmas Everyone! May all your sweet dreams come true! :)

Oh Christmas Tree! :)

 Every year, it's a family tradition to go to a local tree farm and cut down our tree! We have been choosing noble firs, for years, that are tall enough to fill the space and still have room for the angel that tops the tree! This year, our tree is the fullest we can remember ever seeing, and we did have to cut the tip top to give room for our angel! :)
The guys do all the heavy work and, once they have it home and all set up, they turn it over to me to decorate! :)
This is how I manage to string the lights and decorate a tree that stands well above my head, carefully stepping from one chair to the next! :)

 It typically takes one to two days from start to finish, and is a work of love! :)

 There are way too many ornaments to share, and if you'd like to see more of them you can look at previous Christmas photos, in my blog archive! Each ornament is a reflection our ourselves! :)

 Because our home is small, it's a challenge to take a photo that shows the tree in it's entirety! :)

 However, small quarters is kind of fun, as we can see it's reflection at every turn! :)

 Coal lays near the tree, and can look at it for hours! (Our past dogs did this too.) :)

I can relate, as I love looking at it too! :)
Here's hoping you are each feeling the joy of Christmas in your home and enjoying your tree! :)

Ice Images! :)

 With a click of the shutter one freezes a moment in time! Today all is already frozen, and my lens needs only capture the moment! :)
Enjoy! :) ...

 One only needs to observe rhododendron leaves to know when it's cold outside. When they squeeze tight, pointing straight down, they are conserving water against frigid air! :)

 I hope you see the beauty as I do in ...

Ice images! :)