Christmas in My Home This Year

I love to decorate for Christmas and enjoy creating a new fresh look for each year.  This year my initial inspiration was An English Christmas.  I'd planned a sort of Dickens Christmas Carol, but as always my initial vision be it holiday or seasonal home décor.

So I started this year with my little sheep, which don't look quite so little upon the tree!

They really filled in space on the tree.  I've no complaints about it.  I have to say that this is the first year EVER that I haven't redone the tree three times or more.  I was completely satisfied with it from the start and it's exactly what it was the day I first got it decorated.

Then I thought I'd add the pinecones and red birds.  As I opened up the box of ornaments I realized I had brown beaded birds as well...

and sparkly redbirds...

And so my little tree became more about nature than anything, lol.  I have to share here that I bought the brown beaded birds a few years ago after Christmas.  They'd been marked down to about $2 a piece and I thought that extravagant but loved them so I bought them anyway.  The redbirds? I paid full price and they were VERY expensive. The week before Christmas they went on sale for about what I'd paid for the brown beaded birds.   Those frosted glass pinecones I paid full price for as well.  However, having spent the money I've had NO regrets.  They've all held up well, they look great after three or four years and each time I pull them from the box I am delighted in them all over again.  They were worth every single penny I paid for them!

I added the plaid ribbon as garland at the end. It's just 5/8 inch wide but it's the right amount for this year's tree I feel.  Hint number two: REAL ribbon, cloth or velvet is initially expensive but you can wash it by hand and iron it and reuse it year after year.  Worth the expense, truly it is.

While I struggled  with decorating  the mantel piece, I did at least have a clear idea how I wanted the wall above it to look.  Naturally that changed as I decided to work with what I had and not print out the Dickens' illustrations I'd meant to use.    I like the overall arrangement of the pictures on this wall and see little reason to change anything about that, but I do like something fresh in the frames each season or holiday.  I used Christmas cards in five of the frames...Always nice inexpensive seasonal art.

You'll almost always see red birds on my walls this time of year.  Granny loved them so and it's my way of bringing a bit of her into my Christmas.

This ad torn (tried to make a copy on my printer but it just wouldn't come out right) from a 1949 Woman's Day magazine filled the big frame nicely.

And this big thrift store platter went nicely alongside.   The platter is so pretty, but has a crack and chip along the bottom edge.  I typically try not to buy the chipped and broken pieces but this was too pretty to pass up.  

Here's the arrangement of framed items and platter above the mantel.  The other two larger frames are to the left of this:


The mantel finally came about.  I did rearrange this several times over.  What bothered me was that the whole area came up looking dark at first.   The garland is almost a black green, the lights seem to be dark and the mantel is black.  It looked heavy and awkward.   I think I'd like a frosted garland but having tried doing a tree myself, it flakes off and pretty much makes a mess.  Perhaps I'll find one and put aside for next year or perhaps I'll forget it, lol.

I added John's childhood stockings (on the right) and his mother's (on the left).  The Santa on the right of the mantel is from John's childhood as well.  It belonged to his beloved step mother and she passed it to him in his childhood years.  Santa actually lights up but the bulb has burned out and I couldn't  get to it so I could change it and in the end decided it was enough to just have him sit there.

That was where I started.  Eventually I brought in his mother's candy dish and the two diamond point glasses I'd bought at a thrift store which make such pretty votive holders.   I knew I was getting nearer making it pretty but something was still off...

 I realized that it needed a live green element to bring it to life, literally speaking, and so I pulled a couple of my houseplants from the kitchen window to use here.  I added a White Christmas cactus after a trip to Aldi last week.

The bookcases were kept fairly simple...


I just added a red bow to the cat's neck.  Isaac loves that cat and often meows at it, lol.  He noticed the ribbon right away and smiled and jabbered to me as he pointed at the kitty.

I used the white pheasants I bought ages ago as raw pottery pieces that I had painted with semi gloss paint.  Red velvet ribbons about their necks and greenery with some plaid ribbon made a very pretty but simple arrangement for the top shelf here.  I'd love some light here, perhaps a string of fairy lights but I declined to buy any when I saw them at the store.

I didn't take a photo of the third bookshelf which is to the right of these two but I am putting Christmas cards on the shelves as they arrive.  

And here's my little table between the two guest chairs.

This is something I won't mind if little hands touch and play.  Isaac has startled me more than once this fall picking up that heavy ceramic acorn dish.  I'm trying to be mindful that this area always draws his attention. And so the Tante Gnome now has only one sheep by his side as Isaac needed to take one home the other day...

Then I decorated my buffet.   John was very pleased with how this came out.  I'd love to add crystal trees too but haven't found any just yet.

This consists of two glittery silver trees and two cones with silver stars that I bought half price at Hobby Lobby two years ago, a galvanized tree (in the middle of the buffet) which I think I bought at Dollar General well before galvanized anything was popular.  The two reindeer are solid metal and heavy, a full priced purchase from Target two or three years ago.  I'd been looking at resin ones but each of them was broken and unlike my chipped platter, I just didn't see added more broken items to my collection.  I had plenty of those!  These deer are solid and heavy.   The tiny pierced silver metal cups with the votives were dollar store purchases a couple of years ago.

The dining table was easy enough.  I really loved how the table looked for Thanksgiving and wanted something similar.  This is what I came up with:

I used two old heirloom crystal sugar bowls either side of an heirloom pitcher filled with greenery I clipped from the yard.  I'd ordered red beeswax candles (something John wanted) but they haven't arrived yet.  At least they are meant to be here before Christmas. Here's hoping.  I don't have green candles that would fit my candleholders (WHY is there no standardized sizing amongst candles?!)  

I used the ornament wreath on the back door this year:

This is a photo of the wreath on the front door last year.

This is the wreath I ordered for my front door.  The same wreath that Target sent x3.  I think it's quite pretty and a little simple which seems to be something I am leaning towards of late.  It's a nice size as well.

I haven't decorated any other areas of the house this year and I'm not sure that I shall now that the family festivities are over.  The main living areas are where we spend the bulk of our time and that is what is decorated so it's enough...for this year at any rate.

Merry Christmas to everyone!