Festive Christmas

Welcome!

"Be merry all, be merry all,
With holly dress the festive hall;...
To welcome merry Christmas."
-William Robert Spencer

During this special time of year, I'd like to share with you some very special images of festive Christmas decorations in Tennessee and North Carolina-

Christmas Wreath in Jonesborough, Tennessee

Festively decorated Christmas Window at Pie Sensations in Columbia, Tennessee 

Also at Pie Sensations

A Carriage Decorated for Christmas at Homestead Manor in  Thompson's Station, Tennessee

Collection Box at Homestead Manor

"Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart... that thinks of others first."
-quotesgram.com

Christmas Tree in Franklin

"O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, How lovely are thy branches!"

-Traditional German carol

With Mike and Betty During Their Christmas Open House in North Carolina

A Decoration at Mike and Betty's

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."

-Norman Vincent Peale

"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!"

-Hamilton Wright Mable

Shop Window in Franklin, Tennessee

"Perhaps the best yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles."

-Author Unknown

(Also, remembering my father, whose birthday was December 19)

Positive Thought: "May you have the gladness of  Christmas which is hope;
                                 The spirit of Christmas which is peace;
                                 The heart of Christmas which is love."
                                 -Ada V. Hendricks
Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, January 1, 2017, Becky

"O Christmas Tree"

Welcome!

"O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Your branches green delight us.
They are green when summer days are bright.
They are green when winter snow is white.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Your branches green delight us!"
-Traditional German Carol

I'd like to share some of my Christmas spirit with you this year with a series of off and on blog posts the next few days. A couple of my posts will be like my regular ones, but most will be mini-blog posts like the one today on the Christmas tree.

Here, in words and photos, the Christmas tree: (Enjoy!)

"The best Christmas trees come very close to exceeding nature."
-Andy Rooney

"The perfect Christmas tree? All Christmas trees are perfect"
-Charles N. Barnard

"Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.'
-Larry Wilde

"Tradition: sit with husband in a room lit only by tree lights and remember that our blessings outnumber the lights."
-Betsy Canas Garmon

Positive thought:

Thanks for visiting! Until next time, Becky

Christmas Magic

Welcome!

And, welcome Winter!

On this blog post, in words and pictures, I'd like to share with you some of  the magic of Christmas.

"Christmas waves a magic wand over the world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."
-Norman Vincent Peale

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know..."
-Irving Berlin

"O Christmas Tree"
-Traditional German Christmas song

"Tradition: sit with husband in a room lit only by tree lights, and remember that our blessings outnumber the lights."
-Betsy Canas

"A candle is a lovely thing;

It makes no noise at all,

But softly gives itself away."

-Eva Logue

"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care..."

From "The Night Before Christmas" by Clement Clarke Moore

"I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six.  Mother took me to a department store, and he asked me for my autograph."
-Shirley Temple

"Gifts of time and love are surely the best ingredients of a truly merry Christmas."
-Peg Bracken

-"The worse gift is a fruitcake.  There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other."
-Johnny Carson

"Christmas means fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer, home."
-W. J. Ronald Tucker

"A three-year-old gave this reaction to her Christmas dinner, 'I don't like the turkey, but I like the bread he ate.'"
-Author Unknown

Lest we forget, this is what Christmas is all about-

"Love was born at Christmas.

Star and angels gave the sign."

-Christina Rossetti

"And they went with haste, and found Mary, Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger."
-Luke 2:16

And, even more magic in our part of the world-

Bell Buckle, Tennessee, All Dressed Up for Christmas

A Unique Marriage Proposal, Right Before Christmas (What a Great Gift!)

And, finally, I must give the Christmas "creativity award" to these guys (Bob Matlock and a co-worker) at our nearby convenience center, for they certainly have the right idea, to use what you have, and to create beauty out of the less than beautiful, for that is the essence of positive thinking, a sort of "when-life-gives-you-lemons,-make-lemonade" mentality...

 or "Bloom where you are planted."

Mitzi

Kallie

"Meo-wy Christ-mouse!"

-wrapcandy.com

Positive thought: May your Christmas be filled with magic!

Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky

Here are our pictures on iStock:
http://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/rebecca-arnott#10f6e9a3