'Tis the season to be jolly...falalalala...lalalala!"

This is a neat, little carnival that was begun by Katie over at This Crazy Life. Since I love Christmas decorations and decorating the tree is a big ordeal at the Bombardier house, I thought I'd join in the fun.

My tree is not a "themed" tree (although I love them!) but it's more of a mix and match of everything I love, which means a lot of "family" ornaments.

You may ask "What is that?" Well, it's not the most attractive ornament, but it holds loads of love. It's actually a hand painted Santa on a cinnamon stick. This ornament was given to me back in 1985 by my son's (Tito who is now 26) preschool teacher. This lady was in her 70's and just amazed me. She was a remarkable teacher, an amazing cook, and was just a total inspiration. She moved from Florida to Arkansas many years ago and I'm sure by now has gone home to the Lord, but she will forever live fondly in my memories.

Since I'm writing about our tree, I thought I'd take the time to give a little tour of the decorations in our living room.

This is our tree (sorry for the lousy picture!). It really is a beautiful tree. I'm thrilled to say that we have gone back to putting up a real tree after 2 years with the fake stuff. I hated it, the kids hated it and Scott finally admitted that there's nothing like that new tree smell! Mmmm.....

This is a unique little gift box that sits under our tree every year. I think I've had it for close to 10 years now. It was a very special gift from my sister and I love it. Click on the picture and you can read the message. When you open the box, there is a mirror glued to the bottom of it, for you to see your reflection in. I love this gift.

This is probably one of my most favorite items I display. It was originally sent to me as

a Christmas card, again by my sister. I loved it so much I framed it and now it always sits on our mantle at Christmas time.

This is a very old nativity set (my first one) that my Mom gave me many years ago. It holds a lot of sentimental value.

My nutcracker collection! I purchase a new one at the end of each holiday season. I now have 13!

My Old Santa collection. The very first one of these that I received was from my precious grandmother many years ago. Since then, I've tried to buy one each year. I love taking them out of the boxes every year. It fills my heart with many wonderful memories I shared with my sweet grandmother, who is now with Jesus.

Of course, Christmas decor would not be complete without Mr. and Mrs. Santa.

The mantle with 9 stockings; six for the kids, one for Mama, one for Daddy, and one for Kiefer (his wasn't hung yet when I took the picture, sorry).

The angel, surrounded by poinsettias, that guards our nativity scene.

This is brand new and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! My sweet friend, Keisha, shared this idea and I just knew I had to make one. Yes, folks. I made this sign and I'm really proud of myself. Isn't it beautiful? Thank you, Keisha!!!

Words cannot emphasize how much I love this nativity scene. It was (again) a gift from my sister and from the moment I saw it, I knew it would always be in the foyer of our home during Christmas season. I love the detail. Pictures truly don't do it justice.

The nativity with the sign hanging above it.

This is another gift given to us by our Godchild. I love the angels laying hands on the little girl. Whenever I look at it, it reminds me of how God sends his angels down to protect us and how we are His children.

This is at the entrance of the foyer when you walk into the house. The "new sign" hangs above it all.

This gingerbread house was given to me a few years ago also filled with cookies. Now we bake our own cookies with the kids and fill it for guests to enjoy during the holidays.

So, that's it. A peek inside our living room, our Christmas decorations and the very special meaning behind a lot of our goodies. Thanks for letting me share!