Christmas Angels

Saturday afternoon a group of our closest friends descended on our home to decorate for Christmas. Lisa, Alice, Tina, and Jill are part of the accounting crew that I worked with at Shelter. We took a girls' weekend to St Pete Beach when Lisa turned 40 and nowadays have monthly lunch gab-fests. Tina and I with our spouses traveled Europe in 2000, skiied, and have tailgated for years. We have the unique tie that we all slept together in a tiny sleeper compartment on a night train to Prague and were shaken up in the night by a visit from German border patrol with their AK47's and German Shepards.
Carrie is my dear wonderful friend from Investments. We had our children together (much to the consternation of the three guys that made the rest of the department), and can talk forever on any topic.
Susan and Kathy, more close friends from accounting days and lunch group, Susan's husband Bruce who is an incredibly handy guy, Jill's husband Brian, also a Shelter friend, Tina's husband Mark, also part of the Europe memories, and Don & Kae Duello. They own the property I wrote about Oct 29 or so where Bree and I had our last all-out, wind in our face gallop for a while. They are Shelter friends (Don ran Investments, then the company, and now is Chairman), as well as horse friends, and as nice of people as you will meet.
Anyway, here they came with ladders, cookies, popcorn covered in white chocolate (yum), and beverages, and transformed our house.
Friday after my therapy Bill and I got a new fake tree. I really wanted a nice one with lights attached, that goes up in sections and looks really full and pretty if we were going to do fake trees. Last year we did a real one, which began with Bill and Andy covered in scratches and ended in my carpet full of pine needles and with a water stain. Oh, and Bill and Andy with more scratches!
The girls whipped out that tree and helped the kids put on ornaments, hang stockings, you name it. They made up wreaths for the door and around the house, and Kae hung wreaths on the entry to our driveway and greenery on the mailbox.
The guys helped Bill hang lights on the house, which takes a bit but is so beautiful. Afterward we all had snacks and caught up. It was a wonderful afternoon and the Christmas Spirit is all around. I finally have Christmas carols in my head!