Christmas 2001

 Welcome to Christmas as the Thompson Techno Grotto. I hope you enjoy your virtual tour of the holiday season as celebrated in our house. I love the Holiday Season. Pulling out all the ornaments and decorations is like seeing old friends again. 

Recent update 12/12/01

The tree skirt around the tree has cross stitch pictures of the The Twelve Days of Christmas. Bob's mom did the cross stitching and my mom put the red and green borders around them. I just lay them flat without attaching them to the skirt. 

My sister started my Department 56 village with one building as a Christmas gift. I only have five in all having purchased a couple myself and/or given as gifts. This is three of the buildings plus some of the accessories. They are on top of the book case and my doll cabinet to make one long surface to hold them all as you can see below.

  I am looking back from the dining room into the library and foyer. Notice the nice new gate across the door. We have used everything from storm door screens to a piece of sheet rock to keep the dogs out of the library. We finally broke down and bought a nice looking swing gate that we can step over yet keep the guys out of that area.

  The dinning room table was actually made by my father's brother in wood shop in high school. I refinished it a number of years ago. When I was growing up we always created a little village scene using a couple of houses and those place card holder figures in the fore front of the picture. I am not sure how old they are but my parents had them before I was born making them well over fifty years old. The two little choir figures were also part of the scene. The houses and other stuff on the back part of the table I have added over the years. I painted the other set of little figures one year just for fun.

The library table holds my Santa collection along with some other special items. 

  The mantle in the den.    Stockings hanging over my special bear tree in the den.

       Close up of the bear tree.

Marcia Bilbrey makes beautiful homemade ornaments. Here are a few close ups of this years creations. 

  The soldier is the ornament. Marcia also sends me a "dog warning" for my tree every year. The new one is below the soldier with the little Christmas bulbs and bells. Directly to the right is last years. These, of course, are hanging at the bottom of the tree.

  The cardinal, sled just above and right of the cardinal and the lovely garden hat. I will have to watch that one carefully when my sister comes to visit. She will love it.

  About this time of year we always get a visit from a very strange looking "Rudolph". 

New pictures added December 30, 2001

Updated Saturday, April 26, 2003