Decorating for Christmas

I haven't put up our tree yet this year, but I did decorate our mantle. As you can see, we have a lovely rustic mantle over our fireplace, perfect for a garland, and possibly stockings. I have had that wreath for 8 or 9 years - Mom sent it to me one year in Austin. It is a little the worse for wear when you get up close to it, but hung with a few shiny balls it looks just right.  My wooden Advent calendar is to the left of the wreath. I had to fill it on my own this year, so it is just Hershey's kisses and Reese's peanut butter bells, but hey, chocolate is chocolate. Mostly I just like opening the little doors and marking the time until Christmas. That is all the decorating I will be doing (unless I get the tree out - but that is an iffy prospect, given Miikka's talent for destruction and Oliver's penchant for eating anything gree, even a fake tree).

The mantle is not the only color for Christmas, however. My two Christmas cacti are blooming right now as well. I think this is the first time I have ever gotten them to rebloom. The trick is to keep them on a natural lighting schedule until the blooms are set. In my case, I left them out on the deck until it started to get too cold. I have wanted to do that in the past, but either it was too cold, or I just forgot or something. My mother has a Christmas cactus (or Easter - some years it blooms then instead) that is probably almost as old as I am, and it blooms every year. Maybe this one will survive that long!