It's the most wonderful/miserable time of the year

Why, yes... I do have my Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving. Every year.

I know. Some of you are the "decorate the day after Thanksgiving" people.
Yeah, I'm lucky if I can move the day after that feast. And if I do have any energy, I go into the kitchen and fix a plate of leftovers. Isn't that what you do?

And some of you are the "put up the decor on December 1 and down on January 1" people.
Since my birthday is December 1, I object.
There is no way I will be schlepping around boxes of ornaments and cussing a blue streak, tangled in lights on my birthday.

No, I am the "inside of the house gets decked out after Halloween" and "outside is done before the end of October" person.

Let me explain about the outside: (and no, they aren't actually on yet)
I live in Minnesota. That means that by the early part of November, I am in danger of freezing to death if I stand outside for hours hanging lights. Or at least have frostbitten extremities.
Seriously.

Monday, this week:

My husband and I usually put up the lights and stuff outside before Halloween, when it's still warm enough to stand out there for over an hour. But this year, we got a late start. We didn't do it before the October trip due to getting ready for the October trip. But they are up now and it's gonna be beautiful once we can turn them on.

And the inside? The tree went up Sunday night.
We rearranged our living room a few months ago and due to the new living room furniture configuration (which works so much better with the small space that we have) we couldn't put up our normal tree... the 7.5 foot tall, fat and wide tree that takes up half the living room. Instead, we found a 7.5 foot tall, slim and skinny tree and we put it up that night, mainly out of sheer curiosity. It looks great.

Having the decorations up makes me feel better about the impending doomsday arrival of snow. It already snowed a little and then melted. And I've lived here long enough to know that when it comes back, we'll probably be stuck with it until sometime in spring... like June. (Dark, frigid, and snowy. I'm in hell.) Then throw in my depression from leaving Manda, the twins, and my mom and you've got one emotionally exhausted lady.
The lights and decorations give me a little joy each day and the joy helps my winter mood.

Our new tree, the Mickey tree, with store bought and homemade Mickey ornaments:

 

Button's wreath, made by me (she chose the ornaments):

Peanut's wreath, made by me (she also picked her ornaments):

My wreath, which I have been in love with since I made it two years ago:

Our stockings and the ornament frame our whole family loves

 (my awesome husband made the frame):

All of these things make me feel happy, knowing that it's almost time to ride around looking at lights, eating Christmas feasts, and seeing the smiles on the kids on Christmas morning. I can almost forget that it's dark and frigid outside.

Almost.