I'm having such a great time prepping my house for the Holidays!
I even had a neighbor drive by yesterday, roll down the window and shout, "Merry Christmas!" That made me seriously happy!
I read a quote once that said, "We spend our entire lives trying to recreate the magic of Christmas." I think in some small way, that's true. Christmas is such a beautiful, peaceful time of year for me. I want my Children to grow up with the fondest memories of Christmas. I want them to know that I did all I could do to make it extra special.
So why do I decorate in November? Logistics, really. When you put up as many trees and various decorations as I do, it really can't be done in one day, one week, and sometimes even one month. It's a process that goes on and on. But also, I love what Christmas means...and I want to celebrate it for as long as I possibly can. I'm not alone, either. There are many of my blog friends that start early, too. I'll post links to their pages at the end of this post :) You need to check them out... They make what I've done look like nothing... You won't be disappointed!
Yesterday I showed you my entry, my dining room, and the front "living" room. For that post, go here.
Today I want to share with you these two areas:
My Kitchen:
This is the baker's rack in my kitchen. (Side note: I bought this baker's rack BRAND NEW at a yard sale for $25.) I wanted to keep it simple, but still decorate it a little.
I chose a balsam fir garland with pinecones. L-O-V-E! Then I added 3 wire framed, glittery Christmas trees with tiny little red and green bead ornaments. I bought them at The Dollar Tree, but I love them.
Our sweet neighbors gave us cookies in this little box last year. It's really sweet and I couldn't get rid of it. So I use it for decoration purposes, now. Isn't he cute?
I bought these corks at Target in the vase filler section... I thought they were natural and earthy and I was drawn to their simplicity...
I liked them a lot. I just added a berry garland for the base (Target dollar bin).
This is my Yankee Christmas Pine candle. I know, I know...I did a whole post on why these are toxic.
But! Everything in moderation, okay? I can't be a huge hypocrite about it. This is my 4th year using this one candle, and it's only 1/4 gone. There is only about 1 inch of the candle that's been used.
Each year, I put it in a Ziptop freezer bag and store it away for the next year. I only burn it for a while...but it really does make the house smell like there's a fresh pine somewhere in the midst.
Each year, I put it in a Ziptop freezer bag and store it away for the next year. I only burn it for a while...but it really does make the house smell like there's a fresh pine somewhere in the midst.
And on the bar separating my kitchen from our great room I have this little 4 ft tree - decorated with candy cane garland, peppermint bows, candy themed ornaments, and gingerbread boxes beneath...
It's really very festive! A little closer to Christmas I'll hang candy canes on it and the kiddos get to eat one on their way to school in the morning!
Come on! Like you don't feed your kids candy canes for breakfast at Christmas....
It's really very festive! A little closer to Christmas I'll hang candy canes on it and the kiddos get to eat one on their way to school in the morning!
Come on! Like you don't feed your kids candy canes for breakfast at Christmas....
Our Basement Family Room:
Our basement family room is pretty neutral. The walls are taupe, the sofa is taupe, the carpet is taupe. I've decorated with black furniture and ecru decor items. My husband had the bright idea to throw in a pop of color. He chose dark orange. Surprisingly I didn't hate it!
You can see the style of our room here. It's simple, and some might say, "bland." But we like it.
Our family room tree had to match the room. The ornaments on this tree are silver, taupe, dark gray, teal, and dark orange. Take a look at some of the close-ups...
We have glittery snow flakes, orange balls, gray birds, silver balls, blue and silver icicles.
There are a few blue glittery stars, some blue and white beads, and various shades of silver.
This is one of three giant silver glitter stars. I bought them at The Dollar Tree... I love them. They are huge...about 8 inches from point to point.
And a couple more silver glittery bobbles...one star, one flourish. Beautiful the way the lights sparkle.
As I said before, there are several bloggy friends who decorate early too...and they do a marvelous job. Please check out their blogs. I'll add more to the list as more ladies begin to do their Christmas thing.
In the meantime..check out Liz and Ally. Great eye candy!
Liz @ Savvy Seasons www.savvyseasons.com Liz decorates her home early as I do. She has WAY more stuff to put out, and her trees look amazing -- in fact, they are very professional looking...lots of deco-mesh and bows. If you like bling on your trees, you have to check her out.
Ally @ No Place Like Our Home www.noplacelikehomeally.blogspot.com. Ally is a sweet mom and has a lovely home that she shares at her website, No Place Like Our Home. Her latest post shows you how to decorate with faux gift packages. Really! Check it out... pretty cool stuff.
Only By His Grace,
Billie