Saturday, December 15, 2018

Christmas Traditions by Tena Stetler

Thanksgiving weekend is one of our longest running and most fun holiday traditions.  After scarfing down turkey and all the trimmings, we pull out all the boxes and bags with Christmas decorations from the basement. Believe me there are a lot and it’s great exercise. We proceed to check light strings to make sure they are in working order.  We always have a few that need repair since some of the decorations are over forty years old. But my hubby, bless his heart, keeps them all operational.  From there we decide where to start outside or inside which is usually dictated by the weather.


Early Friday morning, the Christmas songs are playing, we are singing along, and decorating starts in earnest. That includes  Mystic our dog and Taco our parrot.  Forty-five year-old box turtle Sammy refuses to be decorated and we respect that.





Hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls add to the festivities! By Sunday night the decorations are all up inside and out. If it’s not up by Sunday night, it’s not going up. Yeah, we are one of those people who do it up right. LOL! Enjoy the pictures of our labors.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!







Tena Stetler

Author of A Demon's Witch 
A Magic Redemption Dec 2018
Remember the Magic for Happily Ever After!
"I have the soul of a Gypsy; the heart of a Hippy; the Spirit of a Wolf, and I don't howl alone. Join me?"

31 comments:

  1. Wow! You do it up right for sure. Beautiful. I can't say Taco looks super happy but I would imagine he's used to the Christmas cheer by now as well!

    Happy Holidays Tena!

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  2. Tena, love the parrot! All your lights are beautiful and worth the effort. Merry Christmas!

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    1. Taco Was contemplating pulling off her elf hat and chewing them up what she tried to do shortly after the picture was taken. Yes after 21 years she is used to the holiday festivities. Thanks for stopping by. Merry Christmas!

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    2. Thanks Julie I love lots of lights! Glad you stoped by. Merry Christmas!

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  3. That's definitely a nice tradition to have! Beautiful pictures of your house and your cute all-decked-out pets. Thanks for sharing!
    Merry Christmas!
    Cat

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  4. Thanks Cat! Glad you enjoyed the pictures. Mary Christmas!

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  5. So pretty! I just love Christmas time and all the pretty decorations and lights :)

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  6. I love that the pets participate (all except for the box turtle. Hey, age has its privileges). Mystic is just sooo beautiful! Have a wonderful holiday.

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    1. Thanks Laura! Makes for a wonderful beginning to the holiday season! Merry Christmas!

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  7. Love the pet hats. Beautiful pics.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Diane. Happy holidays!

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  8. Gorgeous Tena! The animals are so adorable too! How did you get the hat on Taco? Quite a feat! Merry Christmas!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Starra. Taco is a very well-trained parrot she plays basketball and roller skate too. So getting her to wear the hat was the easy part keeping her from chewing it up that was a different story. Merry Christmas

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  9. Reminds me of Eloise at Christmastime--with Weenie who is her dog and Skipperdee who is her turtle--and Emily the pigeon.

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    1. LOL. Thanks for stopping by! Merry Christmas

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  10. Beautiful decorations.

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    1. Thank you Jennifer glad you were able to stop by. Merry Christmas!

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  11. Beautiful, Tena! Thanks for sharing. Love the animals! Happy Holidays!

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    1. Thanks Mary. Happy holidays to you too!

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  12. What gorgeous photos! Thanks for sharing these.

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    1. My pleasure. Thanks for dropping by. Merry Christmas!

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  13. Those photos are professional quality! I'm a such a sucker for dogs in costumes and wearing hats. My Airedales always "submitted" to my dressing them up, but none looked as splendid as yours!

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  14. It’s so much fun when your companion animals will cooperate with dressing them up for the holidays. Thanks for stopping by! Merry Christmas!

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  15. Beautiful, Tena! A lot of my dcorations are quite old, too. But I drag them out most years. Christmas is my favorite time of year. No pets now, but my cats used to love lying under the tree. Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas.

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  16. I think some of the older decorations are better than the newer ones. Thank you for stopping by. Your cats just laid under the Christmas tree never bothered it? What good kitties. Merry Christmas!

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  17. The mix of blue and purple make it look just so magical.

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  18. Colleen Driscoll9:47 PM

    Your place is beautifully decorated. I like how you get the pets in on the festivities with their costumes.

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  19. Thanks Wanda for stopping by. Blue and purple I’m two of my favorite colors and I agree with you seems like a magical mix. Merry Christmas.

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  20. Thanks Colleen stopping in. Are pets have always join in any festivities. You should see them is Halloween. This year taco was a witch and mystic was wonder woman, or would that be wonder pup. Merry Christmas!

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  21. What a gorgeous and festive display! I especially love the cute costumes for the pets. I can't get my Sheltie to wear his little hat. My golden retriever puppy keeps biting it! Have a wonderful holiday season!

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  22. WOW. Tena love your enthusiasm. We start after Thanksgiving, too, but we no longer do the house lights--it's getting harder for hubby to get up on the roof. Your home is glittering and beautiful. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

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