Under the Tree...

Okay, I wasn't sure I was going to do this. But I had to clean out a closet and put the blaze orange hunting clothes away...then one thing led to another.
Soon I had boxes out and all over.

I figured if I just put up half of the tree no one but me would be the wiser. Less work right?
You just push it up against the wall.
Hmmm.
So I was unable to find the ornaments I wanted...
then I decided to forgo the red and blue glass ornaments...
then I found some ribbons I'd saved that Joy had put on our packages over the years with pretty ribbons...
the little hand made gift tags say 'Noel' and 'Joy'...they went in the keep pile.

I picked out a few special ornaments that always seem to get crowded out by having too many.
So I used just a few.
Hmmm.

I wasn't sure what sort of skirt to put around the tree [since I don't have one and never have]. For years I used a white baby blanket.
I rummaged in the 'linen closet' and came up with a lace table cloth.
Looks stunning!

Okay.
This is the weird part.
I took my hand made itty bitty button bears and started 'setting' them up around the bottom of the tree.
Suddenly what was going on under the tree became so much more important than what was on the tree itself.
The teddy bears are surrounding a snow man sitting on a bench. I'd like to believe that the little Christmas Bears are making the snowman feel welcome. There is even a small package there...
Yet the snowman is still holding his stick hands way up in the air.
I don't think the Christmas Bears are holding him up [but you never know with Bears].

I put everything away, satisfied that I'd done my decorating for the year.
When a pair of mittens caught my eye.
How had they slipped out of the bag I had them in?
Grandma Pearl's mittens.
It was destiny.
The brightly colored knit mittens reside under the tree too.

I don't know why, but I really like them there. In fact I look at what is under the tree more than the tree itself.

The Christmas Bears better behave themselves or back in the box they'll go!