25: A simple snowflake

I joined the 25 Days of Christmas and so here begins my journey through the 25 days.



It may look like a simple snowflake, but it has a story. But our story doesn't begin with this snowflake. It ends with it ...



Noel comes first in this story ...
2 years ago we had just moved into this house with my husband's grandparents. They were in Florida - being the snowbirds they are - and we were left to have the family Christmas party here. Mostly by choice, but also under the pressure that Christmas was always at this house!
The house we moved from didn't have much furniture in it. We were poor, broke and barely able to make it through the month so we didn't buy much and most of our holiday decorations were hand me downs or small, inexpensive things.
And then we moved in here - with lots of surfaces to decorate, but more importantly, a mantel! I had always wanted to decorate a mantel. This was my dream come true. I promptly went out and bought decorations for it - and most importantly stocking holders. I hemmed and hawed and hawed and hemmed about what to get. Noel caught my eye - they were simple, looked nice, and I thought it would be cute to have the word spelled. And I thought it would be perfect for my family of four. We didn't plan on expanding the family anytime soon. We didn't rule out another baby, but figured it was several years away! So with great excitement I bought my NOEL stocking holders and decorated.
Fast forward just a mere 4 months later. And what to my wondering eyes should appear? But a "You're pregnant" on my digital pregnancy test. I was shocked, surprised, and yet excited. With great joy I went for my first ob appointment, figuring I was due around December 1, to find out the due date was December 12. I had gone late with my first and second and so I reasoned this baby would be late as well. I also assumed with my luck, my water would break during the annual christmas party, once again at our house. So I didn't really plan on baby being here before Christmas with all honesty. We had one present just in case.
Of course, this baby, came one day early on December 11. By that time it was too late to really shop and frankly malls and stores with an infant weren't high on my priority list.
But this year, this year, I knew we needed another stocking holder. And I worried. Would I find something that matched? Would I find something so crazy I would really need to get everyone a new holder? [Yes, I know, I overthink these issues] So off to the store I went and saw this one and knew it was the right one. A simple snowflake for my darling babyboy - who came out so much like his sisters, yet so different as well - a perfect snowflake in our family - very similar, but yet unique as well.



Here is the mantel today. With 5 stocking holders, that although don't match perfectly, I can't wait to hang up 5 stockings and fill them all up!
And I'm glad that although dh and I thought we would remain a NOEL family for a few more years, someone else knew better and turned us into a snowflake NOEL family!