Agreed. but we were in the hot tub the night before while it was snowing,very cool. Closed the pool the day after the early snow storm :( Freeze protection had started to run all night for about a week before, so it was finally time. Our PB said we weren't the last ones to close though... 134 days til opening, not that I'm counting.

mtnrd - Just getting to open this thread today. Love your decorated urn. Only suggestion would be to put something in the bottom to lift the orbs up a bit. How about the magnolia leaves as suggested by les, or even easier to find, just a few balls in the colors in your ribbon (which BTW is beautiful). I don't think that not using the traditional "red and green" for holiday decorating makes you a colorphobe at all. When I first opened this, I only saw your initial front hall photo and a few of the responses. I've now returned to check out the remainder of the posts, and see you've decorated your home beautifully. The trees are very festive and elegantly decorated. Oh, and kitchendetective - even my long deceased grandmother (whose home turned into a complete winter wonderland of all things red and green at Christmas) would cringe at the sight of that RED tree. I will apologize in advance to those who have that particular tree. If you you like, by all means, go for it. I love red. I don't own a red piece of clothing, but for Christmas and in home decor, I do love red. I thought I hated white until I've recently seen ttodds and a few other posters homes with white paint. What I disliked in actuality was my inability to make white work. That is truly a talent, and those here who've done it, I take my hat off to you. Whatever makes you happy is my motto. Heck, my ex-step MIL did a 9' black and gold tree when my DD was just a toddler. Imagine my parents' surprise when they attended a Christmas Eve dinner at my inlaws' home. My DM grew up in her DM's home which had more Christmas stuff than most Christmas stores. No horizontal surface escaped my DGM's Christmas touch. I can only now remember it with fondness and without nausea, but when she was doing it and I would take a date to a Christmas party or whatever during the holidays, I was mortified. While I don't mind, and actually like Christmas red and green, it can be too much, and my DGM was proof of that. She purchased very expensive things, but her home literally screamed Merry Christmas from the moment you exited your vehicle at her home. I lack that genetic nack of over-decorating thank goodness. My DH is not a lover of Christmas to start with. It is a wonder he married me after seeing how my DGM decorated for the holidays. I mean, every needlepoint pillow was switched out to holiday needlepoint, bath mats, shower curtains, you name it and during the month of December, it was holiday themed. Oh, I sound terrible. I loved her like nobody's busines, but her holiday decorating was over-the-top and then some. Everything you've shown us is tasteful, and that to me is so much more important than which color you choose for your holiday decorating. Looks like things are very merry in your home this holiday! TFS

Wow....what an amazing list of people.... too many of them no longer with us or active here. It is nice to remember some of their names and their struggles that we shared. Thanks for the memories.

Christmas Eve is our big family gathering, we include a dinner for 20. We serve buffet style, but sit at dining tables. (I discovered that 20 is the perfect number: 10 at the DR, 10 in the sunroom at two folding banquet tables) We went with a simple dinner menu this year: beef tenderloin, mashed potatoes (two trays from costco, they were great, and pretty in my new red-orange Dansk pan) and a simple Chistmas salad my aunt made. Elegant! Appetizers were made/brought by others: just shrimp w/sauce, an artichoke dip with crackers, and my kids always make the classic Lipton soup dip. Dessert was the most complicated: DH made his mom's Walnut glory cake which calls for 9 count'em 9 separated eggs. But it's not called "glory" for nothing! Our Scandinavian tradition calls for rice pudding which, for the first time, came from my kitchen. It was a tad soupy, but delicious. And folks brought cookies and candy. Christmas morning DH made our traditional "Eggs McDH" and mimosas. We forgot to make the fruit medley, but that's okay. Then we went to my folks' and my brothers met us up there, for baked French toast (made with Challah, best French toast ever!) and bacon. Christmas night is our quiet intimate dinner at home of leftovers, at the dining room table with the party dinnerware. Me, I felt like the Very Hungry Caterpillar: I ate "one nice green leaf and felt much better". Literally, I had the salad with no dressing lol! Ahhh.