Making it Christmasy

Like many of you, decorating our homes for Christmas is a family tradition.  We unbox years worth of trinkets, bulbs, wreaths, candles, ornaments.  Over the years I found collecting irresistable.  I have collected santas, snowmen, reindeer, angels, and nativities.  I can't resist treasure hunting for more.   (Do you KNOW how many garage sales have Christmas items?  ALL of them!  I have developed some discipline over the years, but ocassionally something does come home with me.  It's all good.)

Do you ever say to yourself, "this year I'm going to keep it simple"?   I do, now that my girls are living on their own and we travel over the Christmas holiday.   (I haven't decorated a Christmas tree in three years.)  I do love the look of Christmas, though!  The lights, the candles, the smell of pine, the special ornaments, all are wonderfully delightful and help create that special feeling as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.     

On Sunday night, I hosted a Christmas party for more than 30 Young Life friends.  It's an annual celebration and it's been at my house for the past few years.   My sister, Sandy, helps me decorate my home for this party.  She's awesome and I need her honest opinion and crafty eye.  What I don't have, she brings with her.  And usually it's the perfect touch.  So, here's my simple Christmas decorating for this year!

This is my IKEA wall.  I call it that because the shelves and black iron candle holders were purchased there on separate trips.  I just discovered this week that the candle holders fit perfectly in the shelves!  What a prize!

Add a few sprigs of holly berry in glass vases and it's complete.  Instead of real candles, I used the flickering-light battery operated ones.  They give a nice warm glow and create no mess.  Now, that's simple!

The name collage was a gift a couple of years ago. I love it! It's personal, simple and has a great look. Check out Endearing Gifts if you'd like to give one as a gift or order one for yourself.

               

This is the table in the entry.  The red tin I just picked up last week at Goodwill.  The pinecones have been used every year for 30.  They are from the farm my husband grew up on.  A nice family heirloom.  The star sticks I bought at a moving sale  - homemade and charming.  The tree I also found at Goodwill, when my daughter, Emily, was shopping for snowmen to start her collection.  (I offered her mine, but she wanted to collect her own.  Oh dear, do you see a pattern here?)  The candle is homemade, too.  I used a clear glass container.  (I bought a box of these at a garage sale this summer for $2.  They cleaned up great!  You'll see more throughout the house.)  I wrapped it in twine and then spray painted it in white, removed the twine and voila!  Check out Pinterest for all kinds of ideas!  Easy and simple and pretty!
 

This is one of 10 nativities I have.   Many of them were purchased at Sinsinawa Mound near Dubuque IA.  I try to retreat there once a year, usually in January.  They always have a spectacular display of nativities from around the world.  I fall in love with one (or more) every year.  This little sweetie came home with me last year.







This is a simple and pretty setting.  I made the  three kings counted cross-stitch years ago and it comes out every year.  The pointsetta and some cut boughs make it cozy and fragrant!  

I have about 10 inches of space above my hickory cabinets in the kitchen.  I thrifted all these different wooden trays and woven baskets over the past couple of months.  This is where I used more of the clear glass containers.  Filled them with dark blue and purple ornaments.  And I have a string of white lights up there too, to give it a really beautiful glow.  The B E L I E V E blocks where a Christmas gift last year.  Perfect colors and they fit great above the bay window.  So pretty!

This is my Advent wreath this year.  Garland with white lights swagged below them.  Purple and pink ribbon wrapping the candle holders.  (Yep, do you recognize these?)  I used a little glass candle holder inside the big one for the votive.   It's resting on a handful of ...rice? no.  cottonballs?  no.  mini marshmellows?  yes!  I decided these would be just right!  

This is my bay window in the kitchen.  I always love decorating this space.  Every year it has a nativity.  This year it is home to the most traditional nativity I own.  And the biggest.  When my girls were little, I would have the three kings 'en route' to Bethlehem.  We'd find them on the bookshelf across the room 'traveling' as Christmas drew near.  Baby Jesus was placed in the manger on Christmas Eve.  This year, it's all together from the start.

I brought out one collection in full this year: snowmen.  Mostly because I can keep them up after Christmas.  And because they're so adorable!   I don't decorate every room in my house, only a few.  These little happy-faced snowmen make their home in the powder room.  They make me smile!The counted cross-stitch is one of my favorites projects.

 

There you have it.  I like that I have some old favorites to be nastalgic about and some new finds that can surprise me.  I hope you have fun decorating your homes for Christmas! 

It can be simple!  And it will be beautiful!  I wish PEACE to all who enter!