What’s going on tonight at Chez Faler:

Happy New Year!

I live in a Houston suburb.

We had 18° temperatures on Christmas Day and it was 78° today.

So, I don’t have a snowy scene or icicles, but I do have a mantel that is entirely new this year. The sequined trees were purchased, the ribbon trees were made by me, and the garlands are from Amazon. I’m exceptionally pleased with the colors and the mercury glass ornaments.

See you back here for day 365.

It iscurrebtky cloudy and raining.

This quote by Elizabeth Gilbert came across my IG the other day and I saved it for future use. Today is that day.

I happened to save this by @iamhayleykaye before I saw that today’s challenge was Words. I really like her work, go check it out.

I have lots of Fitz photos with the tree. I like this one.

I am immensely grateful for Jesus, my family, and all we have. That sounds lame, but it’s true. Here’s my Canadian child, home for Christmas.

I opened the best gift I’ve gotten in years this morning — a book that’s been out of print for years that I found at a thrift bookstore across the country. I bought it for myself.

No photo today.

A clip of my favorite Christmas Eve movie. I usually post this part in words, but I found the isolated clip of the The Bishop’s Wife where the Bishop (David Niven) delivers a beautiful roughly one-minute sermonette written by the angel, played by Cary Grant.

Each year we have Christmas Eve service, tamales for dinner (Houston tradition), usually play a game, and after everyone is in bed, I put on The Bishop’s Wife. It’s just the best.

Enjoy.

This is my silver sequined glittered star. I couldn’t get a decent photo in color — it looked greenish. So, I set it to silvertone.

When I was very young, until I was seven or so, we went to my Mammaw Lewis’ (my only living great-grandmother at that time) house on Christmas Eve and had dinner and opened gifts with my cousins and great aunt and her kids. My Mammaw had a small tree on a table and presents were underneath. I wish I had a photo. We’d stay until the weatherman on the 10 o’clock news said Santa was near the Ark-La-Tex, then we’d head home.

That’s my favorite Christmas tradition.