Decking Our Halls
I am making a few gifts for friends and wrapping several other gifts, so my living room looks like Santa's workshop right now...so this Christmas tour will be called Christmas close-ups to avoid capturing my mess haha. It has been hard to get in the mood this year, but I finally got all the stuff I wanted out and up. I lot of my Christmas decorations have been given to me by my mom or my grandmother, but there are several that I buy on sale each year to add to my collection.
In Lafayette there are so many amazingly large garlands around the doors, but here in Texas I haven't seen as many (at least where I live). This is my first attempt to recreate one without any instruction...I will have to improve for next year. I really wanted green mesh, but the red and white check was all I could find at the time. I love berries and liked them on the garland when it was on the ground...when it got put up, not so much. Oh the stress of Christmas... ;)
My mantle is always pretty simple...I need Debbie to come help me with it! As in most of our house, my Christmas decor is a modge podge of hand-me-downs, old purchases, and new. I bought the gold stockings when I first moved out of my parent's house. I only bought two so, in 2009, after Christmas I bought two red to alternate...there are only three up at the moment; one for Matt, me, and the dogs...the fourth will be put up whenever God decides the time is right. :)
My mom collected Santa figurines throughout my childhood, then got sick of having so many and passed a lot of them down to us...I have become a Santa snob and only like the "legit" ones...you know they must look genuinely "santa". This year I didn't put them all out, but I love tradition at Christmas. The idea of having my family's bits-and-pieces of Christmas tie into my home's Christmas is really special to me....here are just a few of my fav's placed around the house
Lastly, our tree...we just have one. I have no clue how people manage to have the energy for two! I don't decorate with very much red in my home...actually barely any. My "warm" color in my home is orange, but at Christmas time red floods our house. I have really been wanting to do a neutral Christmas pallet, but I just don't have the money to switch it up every year. I just continue to buy silver and gold ornaments in the hopes that eventually there won't be as much red, but I have to admit the pop of color is nice...I love color! I am not big into ribbon or garland around the tree...but I love sticking branches and berries in it. I LOVE to fill it with pretty ornaments, and this year instead of our cheap start I just made a big bow for the top out of ribbon I got on sale last year. Matt came and put my Santa gift by the tree Monday (notice the bike to the side), and took a minute to check out the tree and said, "Our tree looks so good!"...that is all that really matters to me; that WE love it!
I'm joining in The Nester’s Tour of Homes this year...click on the link to see more beautiful homes!
Merry Christmas!
- The Tags