I am thankful for: Christmas lights

For this first day I am thankful for small Christmas lights. I grew up with a good deal of colourful blinking lights and replicated that «style» when I was at university. Hubby, however, has declared our house to be a «colourful blinking lights-free zone» and so these past few years I have slowly gathered various white, non-blinking lights. More importantly, since I've had my own family I have gathered decorations, «Christmasy» items (not necessarily matching) and done things which will eventually become our traditions. This year my mom was here to put up and decorate the tree, and we decorated it twice. The first time we used the more Norwegian method of having the garlands hanging from top to bottom, but we weren't in love with it sow we reverted to «our» traditional wrap around method with the garlands going across. Then we put the lights here and there in the livingroom and by the time we were done, I was in a livingroom I really loved. I had been at other people's houses around Christmas and been charmed by the Christmas feeling, but had never really achieved it in my own home until this year. I have just spent the better part of this week at home, in my livingroom, enjoying welcoming guests, enjoying just sitting and knitting and being with my family and really really enjoying the lights.