Life is beautiful, yes? Today is my #BeautifulSunday hosted by @ace108. You can read his post here and share in his beautiful Sunday also.

I know that I dabble too heavy into the ornaments and such, especially around Christmas, but, there is so much joy to be packed into such a short period of time. Don't you agree? So today, the final touches on my house and my neighbors as she wants me to help her decorate. Who am I to turn down touching more ornaments????

The subtle lighting adds to the ambiance, the warm, wrap-me-in-a-blanket-of-Christmas kind of feeling. The beauty of the day, the promise of fresh-baked gingerbread later in the day and music in the background, filling my soul. Come on! It is time for a good old-fashioned sing-along!

Cue the Music, Maestro! We need some Christmas music!

Rummaging through a box of Christmas, I spy the festive chandelier that goes in the room where most people will gather during the Holidays. It adds a festive touch to the room and just hanging it brings a smile to my lips. I put my jacket on and go out to the woods, bringing back a few branches of pine to decorate with. They have such a distinctive smell. As soon as you walk in, there is no mistaking that it is a pine.

All that glitters is not gold. Sometimes it's just holiday bling. Yes. I took these and stuck them in random places in the Christmas Trees. Ahhh! Inhale the Spirit of Christmas! It is truly a wonderful day. Random and eclectic. Which is why I also love #SublimeSunday by @c0ff33a

All, that is gold, does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong, does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost.

J. R. R. Tolkien

Though few Americans still bother with it, the burning of the yule log was at one time one of the most firmly entrenched customs of Christmas. Everything to do with them Fireplace was fraught with ritual — certain formulas had to be followed very carefully lest disaster befall the household in the upcoming year.

It was unlucky to buy a yule log. Lucky ones were obtained from one's own land or from a neighbor's wood. Often a stump or a root (not necessarily a proper log at all), it was brought home on Christmas Eve and laid in the hearth.

The first step towards lighting the yule log was fetching the carefully-preserved scrap of the previous year's log from under the homeowner's bed. Having done its job of keeping the house safe from fire and lightning since the last festive season, it was now used to light the new log. The new log had to catch fire during the first attempt at lighting it; its failure to do so was a sign of misfortune coming to the family. Such an important duty had to be handled gravely. And clean hands only, please — to attempt to light the log with dirty hands would have been an unforgivable sign of disrespect.

Once lit, the log had to be kept burning for twelve hours. This was not always an easy task, as special caution was given against stirring the embers during the lengthy
Christmas Eve supper. The log could not be tended as long as any scrap of the dinner remained on the table, or while anyone was still eating.

As the log burned, people told ghost stories and tales of olden times whilst drinking cider. Shadows cast upon the wall were carefully scrutinized, for it was well known that a "headless" shadow foretold the death of the person casting it within the year.

Similar to the yule log was the Christmas candle. It too was lit on Christmas Eve, usually just at dusk. Care was taken to keep it burning at least as long as the hosts were still up (if not all night, depending on regional custom). Like the yule log, a proper Christmas candle could not be bought, so grocers made a practice of handing them out to customers. A bit of the burnt-down candle was also preserved from one year to the next as a lucky charm for the household.

A much more popular version of the yule log is available to modern society — the "buche de noel." Rolled, frosted in chocolate, and decorated to look like a yule log, this sponge cake is served as part of the Christmas Eve meal in France called reveillon, which takes place after midnight Mass. Source

There will be a "Peace Log" burning in this house this year. renegade that I am. Peace be with all.

A flower. There must always be a flower, right? So be it!! A random #SundayPurple #ColorChallenge by @Kalemandra! Join me and hundreds of others as we post the color of the day! Just because we can.

Much as I dislike ending this post as I could keep posting about Christmas until next year, I hope you had a wonderful Sunday, sublimely so! A wonderful week to all!

¸.♥´¸.•♥¨) Let the sun shine in on your life
So the joy may touch your soul
(¸.•´♥ (¸.•´ ♥

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Don't ever forget what a wonderful world we live in, people. Let's hold hands around the globe and make this earth really spin. Some days, it is not as easy to see, so we must try harder to give everyone the proper focus.