Christmas at Annie's house

Annie's clever husband came up with a solution (years ago) to the problem of having both a Christmas tree and cats (not to mention no floor space either of us is willing to give up):  the tree goes on the mantle!  And this is no puny table tree, it's a full 55 inches high.  Clever, clever David!

Even with the back branches cut off there's plenty of room for lights

And ornaments.  Oh look!  It's the Christmas sperm!

Underneath the tree there is room for crystal lights

And little glass baubles among the crystals

And our blessed family, parents of us all.  They are Australopithecines (Australopithecus afarensis, I presume).  They serve as our nativity scene.  If I had some Pliocene fauna I could make a manger scene.

David and I are happily celebrating the start of the Christmas season with champagne and Annie's incredibly good chicken liver pâté.  It works like this -- David decorates the tree, and Annie blogs about it, which is a fair division of labor in Annie's opinion.  David is enjoying himself, but he's pretending not to. 

Soon it will be time for more traditions:  the annual reading of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (in the original thank you!), the annual watching of Alistair Sim as Scrooge, the annual overeating of pâté, clam dip and mincemeat cookies, accompanied with lashings of champagne and the annual complaining about fat tummies. Annie is dropping hints as heavy as bricks about what she wants, and David can't think of a thing he wants.  We will have dim sum in China Town with Andy, Peter and Bob, and Annie's friend Pam and her husband will come for a late Christmas at New Years.  I am happy.

Meanwhile there is sewing.  I positively yearned for a project that I could get through without a lot of hassle, before I go back to the 49er jacket, and I have hit upon this (Butterick 4928):

No fitting issues!!! I'm using a lovely olive green wool with a subtle diagonal stripe (from Nancy's Sewing Basket), and I'm going to try a flannel backed lining to make it very warm.  Might be too heavy though.  I spent some hours on it this morning, but while helping David put up the tree I got sap all over my hands and I can't get it off.  And I'm not touching fabric until it is off.