Decking our Halls!!!

Lots of people think Thanksgiving should be enjoyed before even thinking about decorating for Christmas.  I am not one of them!!!  As soon as the Halloween stuff is packed away, I'm ready to get to work and my cute, wood Turkeys are usually packed away before their day even arrives.  Perhaps having approximately twenty totes and a dozen or so trees to decorate affects this decision, because it does take a lot of time.  Here's a little glimpse inside.....

Our living room is always the first to be done, likely because this process involves a fair amount of chaos and it's nice to have a place for people to actually sit.  Or at least stand! ;-) Love the framed "Believe" sign I designed when I first started teaching classes and think it's the perfect compliment to our nativity scene and big star.





Three alpine trees fill the corner, all of them decorated with white lights and these darling red basket weave balls I'd love to find some more of! The largest tree features snowmen and snowflakes, the middle one is all angels and stars and the smallest is primarily santas and elves. What's so fun is over the years friends' have given me ornaments for each of these themed trees and every year as I decorate they make me smile. =)

We place our big family tree next to the fire place and spend a lot of time snuggled up here together reading, watching movies and just hanging out.  This tree is decorated with plaid ribbon, mini rusty bells and some large rusty jingle bells, in addition to our special family ornaments. Each year, each child receives an ornament that represents something special to them from the year and we also add one of family significance.  Combined with lots of cute homemade ones from the kids, this tree is really eclectic and fun to look at!  This time, much to the boy's delight, we placed his electric train underneath and he thinks that's the greatest thing I've ever done! =)  Love finding him just sitting by the tree, playing with his train.....

I also spruced up our mantle, taking our old, saggy garland and filling it in with some pine boughs, red berries, pine cones and mini ornaments.  

Love the way it turned out!

I totally have a thing for lanterns!!!  Love the symbolism of a light in darkness and just think they're cool.  So, I have a LOT of them!  Here, I've gathered several together on top of our entertainment center with some garland and other random stuff.  This display is a little bit different each year, and I really like it this time.  The "Believe" sign is five feet tall and rests on the side with another little tree.

Here's a close up of the big jingle bell up top .  Adding in random ornaments is my new favorite way to incorporate a little color and bling, and they are all over my home.....

.....including filling some of my lanterns!  I found this lantern at IKEA for only a few dollars, and Walmart always has great unbreakable ornaments that make a perfect filler.  Gotta love a beautiful decoration for very little expense!

By the time I get to my kitchen, I'm usually left with a rather odd assortment of decorations I never know quite what to do with.  I have great plans of making a quilted wallhanging to go above this shelf, but, alas, it didn't happen again this year! ;-)  Whenever I'm trying to arrange a grouping, I start with a focal point.  Here, it was the tree picture, and my wood Santa with the tree seemed to go well with it.  Then I balance out colors, textures, etc. so there's a little variety and visual interest.  For a shelf I usually end up not liking very much, I was pleased with the changes this year.

 And, finally, my very favorite new thing.....
















We remodeled our kitchen this year, something that was desperately needed, which I will post about after the holidays.  I sooo LOVE my new black hood.  And I didn't think I could possibly love it any more..... until I spruced it up for Christmas!  It makes me soooo happy to walk in and see this every morning!  Sheesh, I simply adore our home at Christmastime.  Everything feels so warm and cozy.  =)

And there you have it.  A little mini tour of some of our favorites.  Yes! We are spazzy about Christmas. Hopefully it gives you some new ideas.  Or at least an understanding of why we get started so early!!!

What are some of your favorite displays and/or decorations?