I've asked Jake and Maisie to please sit still for a sec in this photo so you can see how happily one of my previous Christmas trees has adapted to life at the barn.

And here's this year's tree, warming the house with its spicy scent, and with icicles and lights and flying Santas. My favorite part (a little cheesy, I know) is the real nest I found after a storm one day, and the real egg shell, from which a wild bird once hatched.