This is the first tree that I put up, I try to do it for Thanksgiving…It’s in our living room in front of our bay window and you can see it from the street!!This year I got it up but didn’t decorate it until Thanksgiving Day…I thought my company would like to help me decorate it…you know like they do in a Hallmark movie and have such a great time doing it?  My, sister, Marilyn was the only one willing to help and she lost interest after a while…let’s face it, no one really enjoys decorating their trees, that’s why I like to do it early because I really enjoy looking at it!!This is one of my favorite ornaments on this tree…I got it at the Dedham Exchange and I like the shape of it and the polka dots, it’s fancy yet whimsical!!This little gold jester sits on the table in front of the tree and holds a tiny gold present  This white and gold rocking horse, next to the tree, is waiting for little hands to play with him, but for now he’s happy that a ballerina is dancing on his back!! Several years ago I bought 60 0f these ceramic ornaments at Joann’s, for favors at a family bridal shower!!

I painted them lightly with gold accents, added the beads to the bottom and tied a gold bow on top…they open up in the middle, just perfect for a Lindt Chocolate in each one!!  So each person went home with an ornament and chocolate to remember the event!!!

This is our family room tree, I have it on an end table covered with a gold lamé tablecloth, then I placed a black shall over the trunk of the tree…my color them for this tree is red, gold silver and black.  Some of my favorite ornaments on this tree are:From the movie Christmas Vacation, Sparky holding the burnt turkey, when you press the button Aunt Bethany says “Grace”…It’s very funny, you’ve got to see this movie if you want a good laugh!!

Next is my Rockette ornament…We bought this and one for Gina, the first time we brought her to see The Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes, it’s one of her favorite ornaments too!!!My mom made this ornaments and many like it…she knew I liked black and gold and made me a few in that color scheme…I’m so glad I have this memory of her, when she was more vibrant and able to work with her hands!!

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Now for an easy meal to make…this chicken pot pie meal is not really a recipe, but I will tell you how to put it together…

The crust is Pillsbury, it comes already made in a tube, it couldn’t be any easier!!I actually used the chicken and vegetables from a chicken soup that I made and had left over…see this recipe from a later post in this blog…  I placed the chicken and vegetables in each ramekin without the broth, then added some frozen peas and cream of chicken soup to each dish…you could also use cut-up rotisserie chicken and frozen vegetables!!I cut the crust out by tracing the ramekins a half inch larger, place it on the filled dishes, then crimp the edges along the rim…I cut leaf shapes from the left-over crust and place them on top…make slits on top of crust to let the steam escape.  Before putting them in the oven, I rubbed the crust with egg white, then place them in the oven at 375 degrees until top is lightly brown!!  Tip: Cover the edges with strips of foil if the edges seem to be getting too brown! And there you have a yummy easy one dish meal to serve during these busy times!!

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“What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future.  It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.”

Agnes. M. Pahro (1904-1985

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