Creepy Santa

 

I've had this Santa since I was five or six.  When new, it had a light inside, but that is long gone.  We get him out every year despite his rather creepy appearance.  Sometimes he sits on a shelf; sometimes on the mantle; sometimes on the back of the toilet; and now it resides at the top of our Christmas "tree." 

A few years ago, Chris made a "tree" to hold the Christmas village we've had since he was a baby.  My parents sent the first two houses and then sent one or two every year for a while.  We had outgrown the small table and then the window seat that we had it on, and I was tired of putting up the conventional tree.  This new set up works well for us.   We can still put presents underneath, it has lights to brighten our evenings, there are no needles to drop, and I could actually buy a few more houses on eBay.  A total win!

Chris brought it up from the basement on Wednesday, and we set up the houses.  He used to scatter small Star Wars figures throughout, but this year only Yoda is visible (I haven't found him yet).

 This picture is rather dark because the village is set up in front of our double glass doors.  I have a few plants on a table behind it, including an orchid that, miraculously, keeps blooming.  We enjoy having more light in the late afternoon and early evening these days.  Paul reminded me that the days won't start getting longer again until after the 21st.  It sometimes gets dark enough to turn on the living room lights at 3 pm these days, yet there is a nice reflection from the snow on sunny days.

I finished sending out Christmas letters yesterday, have wrapped everything that needs it, and am cleaning the oven today in preparation for a bake-a-thon.  Actually, I don't bake a lot for Christmas, but I do like a few sweets and a lot of Chex Mix.  Much of it goes out the door, though.

Today I'll finish putting the 16" blocks together in strips for quilting and hope to start quilting the first section.  While I'm quilting, I'll think about whether it needs a border and what one might look like.  Right now, with 1.5" sashing and borders, it will measure 71", getting close to twin size.