It's the holiday season...

I can tell it's July because I've been thinking about Christmas a lot. Usually about this time I run through our shelf of Christmas movies for a middle-of-the-year fix, but since Seth has insisted on watching Krimmis Frog (The Muppet Christmas Carol) the whole year through, I haven't been pining for them as much this time 'round. I'll probably make it until Halloween, when Joel lifts the moratorium on Christmas movies and music - he is quite strict on this. I am starting to get into the holiday shopping frame of mind, thinking about what to get for all the nieces and nephews - besides books I mean. And now I just have to wait for the weather to cool a bit before I can make pumpkin bread and spiced cider. Here are some pictures from past holidays at our house, although it looks different now after painting and redecorating. The stupidist kitty in the world, framed by Trogdor. If you don't know who Trogdor is.... it's probably just as well. Or ask Joel some time.
Thanksgiving a couple years ago. We didn't have too many people for our partial china collection so we dusted it off and ate in high style. Notice that we only had four pies for five people. Must have been poor planning - I wonder what we had for breakfast the next morning without enough pie.

I keep having to buy more semi-matching balls for my Christmas tree. The kitty is a brazen hussy (especially at Christmas time when there is so much fake tree greenery to eat), and Seth is pretty hard on decorations too. His MO is to smash a ball on the dining room floor and then point at it and pronounce "naughty ball" with great indignity. I think it actually bothers him that they don't bounce like any good ball should.

So we are enjoying the summer, but as always I have my eye on the coming holiday season with all of the glorious baking and gift giving it brings. My favorite pastimes...