Few of My Favorite Things: Christmas Card 2014

I have always loved a good creative project, like the candy cane vase, my ONE candy cane vase. See I like a creative project that has a definite end. My mom likes to remind me of this personality trait as a child. She said I would be working on an elementary school project and she would come by to check on my progress and suggest I add this or that. My response was always the same, "Nope, it's done. I like it just the way it is." It makes us laugh today. So you see. I like an end to a project. And Christmas cards fit that bill perfectly for me.

A couple of years ago I saw the cutest idea on another blog-displaying the history of your family's Christmas cards on the staircase. I fell in love! Another project!

I bought some heavy duty boxes, cut them up into various sized squares, wrapped them in gold wrapping paper, hot glue gunned a red ribbon to it and attached my card!

Some years I add lighted garland to my banister. This year I opted to just attach each card with these nifty wired garland strips.

My family loves looking at the cards each year and it is always a hit with any company or friends that come into our home .

I've almost run out of banister space on the lower set of stairs!

This is one of my favorite cards. It was a time of life when it was impossible to get two kids to cooperate for a photo. I remember the day clear as five minutes ago. I wasn't going to send out cards. It was late afternoon and on a whim, I dressed both kids in blue, grabbed a boogie board and headed for the beach. The magic Christmas elves were blowing good wishes my way.

Snap, snap, snap went my camera. They were happy. I was elated. I couldn't believe Truman was sitting there. Look at those chubby cheeks! And Kate's smile! I went home and made my Christmas cards that year. This card still makes me SMILE!!

Still one of my favorite photos of these two when they were young.

But this year's card got the most reaction out of all my other cards put together......and it was SO MUCH FUN!!! I think it is definitely the

FAVORITE!

Christmas 2014

Dignified wouldn't you say? Maybe a little serious but definitely calm, peaceful and dare I say "perfect"???? The front of the card has a window cutout in it so that you can see the picture through it which is printed on the inside.

Closeup of the the family photo visible though the window.

The front of the card sums up so nicely just what this little group is feeling. We are~

Wishing You and Yours the Perfect Holiday

come on say it outloud. there is no hiding. we all know what you are thinking....

(....does this family really take themselves that seriously???)

Come please!! Open the card with me!

Ha Ha!!!!!

As you can see Jake is in a swimsuit with a tag hanging off of it, Kate and I are in pajamas with bare feet and flip flops respectively. Truman has hot pink socks on and Marc is in a swimsuit and flip flops.

I love the chaos going on around us. And three of these people really did work on my house-two of them for a couple years. The other person happened to be working on a fence in our backyard that day and we grabbed him!!! So funny! He got a kick out of it.

This was the most fun time we have ever had with a Christmas card photoshoot! For the entire family. Don't let the serious faces fool you.