Getting ready for Christmas: Our tree, a display, and some crabs

So we went to get our tree Sunday afternoon. Since we were out of town for Thanksgiving, we didn't have time to go down to Half Moon Bay and cut a tree like we usually do. But were able to benefit the homeless men's shelter Delancy Street, which sponsors Christmas tree lots throughout the bay area. Big S. and I bickered a little about price and met somewhere in the middle. The most important thing is that Sophie approved. They even gave her a child-sized tree to take home.


On the way home, we picked some live Dungeness crab. (Yahoo! Crab season opened after being delayed following the big oil spill in SF Bay.) Into the pot they went. Some sliced baguette and a green salad rounded out a perfect tree-trimming dinner.


We got the lights on the tree, and Sophie made a "display." We usually have one of these in our house all holidays. Isn't it lovely? And complicated too.


We hung our stockings with care. Which turned out to be a good thing, because the elves visited Sophie's stocking later that night when we were asleep. (Sometimes I wake up in the night to a small tick-tick-tick, which are elf feet, but they always get away before I can sneak up on them.) They brought her a beautiful nutcracker ornament. I don't know where it is, but I'll ask her when she gets home.


Pictures of our tree coming up!