It's a good thing that I am Jewish, because if not, my love for the beauty surrounding the Christmas holiday would have me in a decorating frenzy. Being partnered with someone who is not Jewish, and celebrates Christmas, has given me the liberty to buy beautiful things like gift wrap, decorations and those adorable tiny houses. And of course, lots of lights! It has now become a tradition for all of us to paint tiny houses the Friday after Thanksgiving. I search for the best wooden houses, buy new colors of paint and lots of decorating items. We gather around the table and paint away. Each of us now have our own little villages, but mine is the best and the biggest, because I get to have one from each person every year. As with ornaments, I unwrap the houses and the memories of past Thanksgivings come alive. Being surrounded by all these houses warms my heart.