So this is Christmas

On TV nowadays it's Yolanda everywhere and the havoc it left behind in the Visayas. Truly heartbreaking and I'm sure like me, you have offered a prayer of gratitude that you and your family have been spared from the monster like typhoon. We feel a painful throb in our hearts everytime we see those video clips on TV.We do our part, however small and insignificant it may be. I was watching DoE Secretary Petilla last night on TV and I really saw all his over face the seeming hopelessness of the people. I just hope that in the midst of chaos and darkness, they will still find the meaning of rebuilding their lives. The world goes on and life must go on as well.

Yesterday we began buying for Christmas decors for our stairs. Maybe because of the gloomy situation in the country we decided to tone down the colors. Although I know it's not yet the perfect time to anticipate Christmas and to feel joyful but hubby has to go to Palawan for the next two weeks and as a normal family, we don't want to really feel the loneliness while he is there in the middle of the sea. So instead of going for the read, gold and yellow motif we chose blue to be the color for railings this year.

 what is challenging for the blue motif is the limitation of what to put. You have to follow the coordination rule. Not much gold, little red (just to accent) and no bright yellow. I decided yesterday to test the waters first.

Now, I can see that I need to get some more trimmings, perhaps more glittering blue and silver and a little red perhaps. Hope to have a good find later in True Value. 

 Since we don't have a storage area,I gave our 9ft. Christmas Tree to my brother. Anjo wished we have one even just a small tree. So this year, I surprised her with this (from my favorite Vintage Store)! She was not so happy, of course. It looks like a vase more than a tree.But that's the farthest I could go. :) Hubby told me to wait till I have a budget to order a fresh pine tree from SnR. That I don't have to store, just dispose it after Christmas. But mind you, it costs a lot because it has to be shipped from the US. But it smells soo good. Owel! Not really a good time to think about it.

 Christmas decorations won't be complete without a wreath. Our old wreath was really old so I disposed it last year. I found a very nice wreath in National Bookstore, but my golly, it's Php3,000.00. A wreath!!! No way! This one looks good already.

A school house but without its surrounding accessories. I'll go back later this afternoon to my favorite vintage store to get the trees and the animals. I was having second thoughts yesterday buying them but I realized that the house looks bare without them.
So this is it, for a start. Target completion is towards the end of November. Target effect of this tradition is lifetime good childhood memory for the children.
Stay positive!