Sometimes the best laid plans are the plans that you've laid aside

I've decided my new Christmas tree lights are magical, and I may take all my pictures next to my tree even though I come out blurry and dim. 

I was happy to be able to make use of all my Christmas ornaments on this little guy. I was a little worried I would have too many! My mom and I have a tradition where she buys me a new ornament every year. We go on special shopping trips with the sole purpose of tracking down the perfect one. This started when I was very young, and even going back to a time when I was too young to choose for myself. It's pretty fun to look at my collection now and see the phases I've gone through. Lots of kitties, bunnies, unicorns and the like from my childhood. Lots of delicate blown glass, glitter and snowflakes from more recent years. Just last week I got my newest, a tiny blown glass Arche de Triomphe for the Francophile in me. I didn't have anything for a tree topper, so I snagged a little mitten ornament of indeterminate origin (maybe I got it at the library Christmas party last year?) and plunked it on. Overall, a little haphazard, and the tree's Charlie Brownish, the stand wrapped in a scarf that's for sale at my etsy store since it's the only thing I had that looks festive. But it's amazing how happy looking at my little tree makes me. Life may be weird right now, and I may not know what I'm doing with my life. But scent of pine and the whimsy of pretty lights helps. It's comforting in a way I never could have imagined.