Merry Christmas! I love this time of the holiday season when everything is finally ready, and it’s time to really just take a deep breath and enjoy the next couple of days of relaxation and celebration with family. Some of you may have completed your holiday preparations days or weeks ago, but I usually slide into Christmas like I’m late to a party… but, every single year it all comes together just in time for me to wake up early Christmas Eve morning to spend some quiet moments to reflect on the past weeks of preparation, and anticipate the coming days of excitement. For all of you who have used your time, talents, and heart to festively prepare your homes for the holidays, to build long-lasting traditions for your families, and to create memorable moments for your loved ones… I say, cheers to you! You made it! Now take your own deep breath, and enjoy every moment of this Christmas!
I wanted to share a little peek into my own home decorated for Christmas…some of these photos taken during my favorite time of the day, when all is quiet and dark, lit only by Christmas light. I hope you enjoy…Merry Christmas!
This year I decorated my own Christmas tree… I feel like such a grown up saying that…but if you have kids you know what I mean. Our only Christmas tree for a number of years has been the kids’ tree.. filled with their own home and school-made ornaments, randomly placed wherever they choose (as I sit on my hands and remind myself that I will NOT completely redecorate it when they go to bed)… every year it turns out beautifully and just how it was meant to be in our living room. But this year, I thought I’d decorate one of my own trees in our foyer, a spot I always thought would be the perfect place for a tree. I had fun with this snow-covered tree, and think it was a nice addition to an area that greets guests into our home.
The kids’ tree turned out so pretty… It always amazes me how an assortment of mix matched, homemade ornaments filled with memories and meaning can truly be one of the prettiest areas in our home… and is the focal point of our Christmas, as it’s the first thing my kids see when they look over the upstairs railing on Christmas morning, to see if Santa came… it’s these sights I hope they will always remember of Christmas time from their childhood.
The tree they wanted…
The tree they got…
My staircases are areas when I designed my home that I knew I would really enjoy decorating at Christmas time. I love the ambiance and the festive feel they bring to my home at night and on early mornings during this season. I’m always a little sad when I take this decor down after the new year, missing that extra bit of coziness it adds.
We host Christmas Dinner every year, and like my Thanksgiving Dinner Table I blogged about in November, I like our Christmas dinner to feel festive and special for the day. My Mom bought me these Christmas dishes years ago and every year, I love pulling them out and using them for our meal.
I like adding new decorative pieces to our home each year, and really enjoy receiving special gifts for our home as well. My mother in-law made us this beautiful cocoa bar centerpiece to make some decked-out hot chocolate drinks this winter…how adorable is this!
And each year my kiddos receive a new Christmas decoration from their grandmothers to add to their collections… My mom gives my kids each a new Nutcracker and tree ornament they pick out with her on their annual trip to Bronner’s each year, and my husband’s mom gives each of my kids a new Snow Globe each year on Thanksgiving Day. They look forward to receiving these treasures and growing their own personal collections. My oldest daughter also decided this year to start collecting her very own Village from Department 56 and is excited to add to it each year…she is only 12 so by the time she moves out one day, she will have a beautiful collection from over the years to begin decorating her own home. These special gifts are great keepsakes and rich in tradition that my kids really enjoy receiving.
There you have it… a few areas of my home decorated for the holidays…I hope you enjoyed taking a look around. Merry Christmas to you and thank you for following along with me here on my blog. I have a lot of great ideas for the coming new year, so stay tuned! Wishing you all of the blessings of this beautiful holiday!
From my Family to Yours… Merry Christmas!
