For Christmas, I received a Quantaray QSX-Digipro tripod. A whole new world has opened up to me!
This photo was taken last night. The room was in darkness with only the Christmas lights on the the tree lit. I was playing around with my camera’s manual & macro modes, learning what happens when I adjust the aperture and shutter in various settings. I got several nice shots… I think this is my favorite. 
BEAUTIFUL! You've inspired me to grab my tripod before the decorations come down!