Firsts.

So, this weekend, I put up my first Christmas tree.

It's kind of a big deal, guys.

I mean, I've lived on my own for going on 4 years now, but this is the first time I'm ever able to put up and decorate my own tree. (Technically, it's my parents' old tree, but I've claimed her and named her Norma.)

Ready? Okay, friends, meet Norma:

Isn't she beautiful??

I worked hard to make her gorgeous, and I'm pretty proud of this first effort of mine. :) Just assembling the tree was an adventure in and of itself. But now, I'd like to draw your attention to a few of my favorite things on my tree. There are oh so many I could share with you, but here's a start, at least:

I'm not going to lie, my tree topper is one of the things I love the most about this tree.

It normally would cost $20, but I'm pretty sure I scored it for somewhere between $5-$10.

That's the beauty of shopping the after Christmas sales, my friends.

This ornament was given to me by my parents, and it hangs front and center on my tree.

In case you can't quite read it, it says: "Teachers make a difference."

Yeah, my parents are pretty great. I think I'll keep them.

This picture holds a couple of interesting ornaments. The wine glass in the top left corner

reads "Wine a little, you'll feel better!" and my parents picked it up for me when they went

on a vacation to a winery. The other ornament of note is the little white owl. I bought a set

of three of these babies during my after Christmas sale shopping. I couldn't resist! They're just

too dang cute! Also, with shannon*bear being one of my best friends, it just makes sense for

her to be represented on my Christmas tree, don't you think? Me, too!

This last one is special for a different reasons. That beautiful ornament you see in the center of

this photo was hand-painted by my grandfather, Robert Norris. I was allowed to pick any of

the ornaments he'd painted the last time I was up north visiting, and I was drawn to this one.

Pretty cool stuff, eh? Well, I thought I'd invite you into my humble abode to see how I'm getting decked out for Christmas. What's your favorite part of decorating at Christmas time? Share you thoughts!

Until next time,

♥ Marlee