All Decked Out

Since so many of you have asked what happened with the Hallmark ornaments (8 comments on a post? That doesn't happen very often here.), I wanted to give an update. We had 3 coupons for $5 off a $10 purchase. They were from 3 different sources (so I wasn't cheating by replicating the same coupon), and we planned to buy the three ornaments separately to use all 3 coupons. None of them stated anything about exclusions. The original prices of the ornaments ranged from $13-$20 each.

After we were denied at our usual store, Brian went to the Hallmark near his work the next day and they took the coupon without question. He went back at a later time and a different cashier also took the coupon without question. So he called the manager at our original store to clarify that other stores were accepting them. The manager had him read the fine print over the phone, and then conceded that they should have accepted it. So I went back to that store and bought the third ornament, with no problems. That's a lot of drama to save $15, but what can I say? Fifteen bucks is fifteen bucks.

We also bought a new tree this year! We've been watching post-season clearance for a couple of years without much luck, so this year my mom, sister, and I went Thanksgiving evening and got a doorbuster tree. I'm happy with it, and my mom and I are now tree twins. :)

And keeping this tree out of Luke's hands? Nearly impossible. He constantly grabs the ornaments right off and puts them in his mouth - they are getting higher and higher, and I need to go make sure all the ones with hooks are out of his reach. It's been an interesting day chasing him away from the tree.

A new tree! With a strangely mature-looking child next to it?

David picked a firetruck that lights up. This is the third year in a row that he has picked a vehicle-themed ornament.

We couldn't decide which one to pick for Luke, until he was screeching to grab David's from him, which is an hourly occurrence these days. So it seemed appropriate to get him the toddler version of the firetruck, since he just wants whatever David has.

Katy picked the mailbox called "Letters for Santa." She is hoping that I'm going to leave treats for her in there each morning, There's a strategy to her decisions.

Brian got this handy device to easily hang outdoor lights, so we humored the kids with some extras this year. I think the tree in the window is my favorite part. Having kids this age makes Christmas so exciting.