Christmas Decorations

Today I'm participating in Kelly's Tour of Homes - Christmas style! :)

 

Here is my annual Christmas decorations post. 

 

This year was a lot different -- 750 SF condo to 4,000 SF house.  We don't have much furniture to put decorations on, if that makes sense?  Nor is our house anywhere close to being how we want it. 

 

For example in the below picture, the walls are painted the correct color but none of the trim has been painted yet.  But anyway, we did the best we can with what we've got and that's all that matters right?! 

 

When Mom was here over Thanksgiving she helped me decorate.  It's sort of a tradition now.

 

They brought her prized and true Dickens Village pieces down.  She has SO much of it.  I had the best time putting this up (I did this by myself after she left).  The pictures below show most of it.  I hadn't put the snow on top of the road and houses yet but I've since added that.

 

Dickens is special to me because it reminds me of growing up.  Mom always put hers up in the bay window.  In this case, we had to buy a table to put it on, ha!

 

 

Not sure why I didn't turn the light on but this is our front table in the foyer.  A new pretty lamp, a gorgeous Santa and an amazing smelling candle thing my friend Lauren gave me a few years ago!

 

These I got on sale somewhere after Christmas last year.  They are Caspari napkins and I think the saying is just so cute!

 

So this year, Kevin and I didn't do a tree.  We decided with so much going on and how little I'll be in town in December, that we'd just wait until our first married Christmas to do a real tree.  So until then, this lil Target one will do.  Mom and I jazzed it up with some lights last year and the pretty gold bow.  I added all of my White House ornaments from years 2002 on.  Do any of you collect these?  They are so pretty.  The president picks the design each year. 

 

We threw some fabric around the bottom of it and have enjoyed it on the kitchen island instead of in the living room where we have no furniture, ha!

 

Onto the den bookshelves! 

 

I love all the carolers!  Mrs. Claus, a Maryland Santa with crabs and a beach chair and this year a wine lady was added, thanks Mom!

 

The mantel.  We used fake garland with pinecones already in it.  I added lights and Mom stuck some fake berries in it. 

 

Soon we'll have our stockings hanging from it.  Work in progress friends.  You can tell ole Mills loved his stocking already...he wouldn't hardly let me take the below picture!  I got stockings made from Pottery Barn.  It took me forever to find the classics but I found them.  And I may have bought 4 of the same (2 monogrammed and 2 not) so we have them for children one day.  Eeks!

 

 All of my favorite ornaments in a hurricane that my friend Beth gave me years ago.

 

The other side of the mantel. PS - we may end up painting the bookshelves white one day.  I need to do pictures of all of our rooms and what we've already changed and get yall's opinion.

 

Christmas tree my Mom made me the year my condo was on the holiday home tour (2008). 

 

One of our end tables.  My friend Suz gave me rudolph forever ago but I love pulling him out each year!

 

Coffee table.  Do yall like the Mariposa napkin holder with my last name initial on the napkin and Kevin's last name initial on the weight that holds it down?

 

Wreath Mom made!  We got the bow made at Michaels by their floral designer.  We picked the fresh wreath out at a roadside stand.  She hot glued the berries and pinecones on it.  It's a 27" wreath or maybe even a bit larger.  It's huge but necessary to see from the road!

 

Ugh I hate our whole front door...one day....

 

We put garland with lights around the light pole.  These are the only lights outside.  We don't do lights on bushes or any of that.  No offense to those that do, just not our style.

 

Spot light on the front of the house. 

 

Candles in the windows.  Although we got the battery operated ones and they drove me nuts so I already took them back to Walmart.  I need to find good plug in ones that are actually bright enough to see from the street.  This may not happen until next year.

 

And the mailbox decorated with fresh greens from our yard.  A v-shaped magnolia branch and also fresh holly.  I believe Mom also added in some fake berries that look pretty real to me.  Big ole red bow of course!

 

Hope you enjoyed the home tour electronically!  Now I have all my secrets of how to decorate our house from my Mom so I can refer back to this post next year in case she doesn't get down here.  ;)