Christmas Home Tour

I thought I'd take you on a Christmas decoration tour through my house.  Beware...it's a little bit of picture-palooza....

 

I've been enamored of anything Jim Shore lately.  I love how colorful his statues are and the detailed picture carvings within each piece.  This year I bought this nativity and set it up in  my front entry way.

These are the shelves in my study/computer room.  For years I'd been trying to figure out how to decorate them in a way that was festive and pretty...but had some consistency rather than just random decorations placed on each shelf.  This year I found some unfinished picture frames at Hobby Lobby, spray painted them red and filled them with favorite Christmas photos from years past.  I'm quite pleased with how they turned out and how they tie everything together amidst the other various carolers and Santas I have up there.  (See my Jim Shore Santa?  My friend Mylissa gave me that one last year.  I've decided to start a collection and add one each Christmas.)

I looped garlands all across and down the banister and then added poinsettias and berries.  Julianne spent oodles of time making that huge pom pom out of newspaper...mostly just to see if she could.  She hung it there and although I never intended to leave it up the whole month, I've never got around to taking it down... 

Remember my epic Christmas tree fail a few weeks ago?  My big and grand pre-lit tree that we bought when we moved here specifically to take over the corner next to the fireplace wouldn't light, no matter what we tried.  My plan B had been to bring the small Christmas tree that we use downstairs...the one that we bought for our very first house 16 years ago...and just have a smaller, more simple Christmas display upstairs this year and then buy a new, big and grand tree on after-Christmas-sales.  Well, I will definitely be buying a new Christmas tree next week...but not a big and grand one.  I'll be buying another small tree for downstairs because I couldn't be more pleased with  how my living room turned out this year!  I've loved having the tree look more full of ornaments because it was smaller.  I've loved being able to keep my little apothecary chest in the corner and have my Willow Tree nativity on it.  I originally thought the smaller tree would be dwarfed by the vaulted ceilings but somehow it's not.  I don't think I've ever had a year where I've been more happy with my tree.  Go figure.    

Here's a close-up of my Willow Tree nativity next to the tree.  I added a bunch of spanish moss...which will be super messy to clean up but gives me the look of hay in a stable for right now.

My mantle is rather simple....a lit green garland with brown, twiggy balls and berry sprigs, two red taper candles in tall candle stick holders...and then all my sweet Willow Tree angels that I brought up from the basement.  (Normally they spend the rest of the year on fireplace mantle downstairs.)

                                                                                          

 I wrapped berries around the pendant lights over my counter and also around each light in the chandelier hanging over our dining table.  Can you tell I've got a berry/poinsettia theme going on?

This is my mantle downstairs with our stockings.  My original plan had been to make all the kids matching stockings.  But after the two years it took me to get Rebekah's done (only after much help from my friend Lori) I decided to bag that plan.  A couple of years ago I let go of the unfinished stocking plan guilt and took the remaining kids shopping to pick out their own stockings.  Done!

This is the door that leads to our storage room downstairs off the family room.  I love hanging there, all of our Christmas cards and pictures that we receive in the mail.

I have to admit, I have greatly missed having a Christmas tree downstairs.  It's absence meant that I did not get to bring out all of our sentimental ornaments this year...the ones that my mom handed down to me when I got married, the ones that I've made over the years at my Aunt Jana's party, the ornaments that my great-grandmother made for me, the ones that the kids made in school when they were very young, etc.  I am looking forward to remedying that next year and have already been running through options in my mind.  Three skinny alpine trees all arranged together in that corner by the fireplace?  A flocked tree?  Maybe we buy a REAL tree for downstairs every year??  Ahhh...wouldn't that be awesome?  I think it would take a lot of persuasion to get Bryan to agree to that.  Stay tuned next Christmas to see what I decide.  :)