Deck the halls.

I think our house must look remarkably the same every year at Christmas. The piano and the armoire exchange locations to make room for the tree.

Some tree decorations move over to the mantle, and some come out year after year, like Santa, who used to grace the front counter at Delphi Computers & Peripherals this time of year.

The kids are all smiling from the piano in photos recent and old. The books for caroling are pulled out of the piano bench. The wreath, like the tree, is fresh cut from Hunter Tree Farm.

James' old train makes its annual appearance. We got that train one year in Eugene, when visiting Cassandra and Richard.

Some ornaments on the tree are very old, including one from my family tree when growing up. The box upon which the tree is sitting was made for Leroy by his father as a Christmas present. Cassandra made James the Santa ornament when he was two years old.

Most of these ornaments are old: the black sheep, the cardinals, the angel and the sleek penguin. The glass tree ornament is new, though, picked up last year on Queen Anne at a store Lauren introduced me to.

Leroy is packaging up the last presents that need to go in the mail. I am a lucky lucky woman.