Our Christmas Decorations
Since we had such a busy December, I never took the time to photograph and share our holiday decorations throughout the house. I was nervous this year about decorating for two reasons--#1, my mom had packed every single Christmas item for us last year since we were moving about two weeks after the holiday, and #2, I worried about trying to find a place for each item and how it would all look in our new home.
Well, it turns out I worried all for nothing. Since we didn't know what was in each box, we actually had the house decorated faster than ever before since we emptied every single box all at once. And the final result--well it's no professional decorator's job, but we found a place for everything and our home had a very festive atmosphere for Christmastime.
Before I started taking everything down to pack away until next November, I took photos so that I'd remember where to put things next year and I thought I'd share these with you tonight. Besides our stockings and their hangers, our advent calendar, and a very small number of other items here and there, all of our Christmas decorations have been handed down to us by my mom and my Grandma Lulu. A few items, such as our tree (we have a very real looking fake), were also gifts. So I share this because I'm amazed at how things come together pretty well when we haven't invested much money at all.
So here is what our home looked like for those of you who didn't see it...
I have many Santas / Kris Kringles which I decided to put in the kitchen. Here are the island shelves filled with trinkets (and the kids' workbooks and CDs):
One of our pantry doors & our hand print tree hanging next to it:
The side of one cupboard where I hung some artwork of Jaden's and Sienna's. I love to hang their artwork to go with the seasons:
Our other pantry door with a wreath made by Sienna, Santa stick and tree made by Jaden, our own Christmas card and Jaden's reading chart:
Santas hanging and on the shelf above our stove (The star-shaped Santa hanging on the wine rack was made by my great-grandmother in her nursing home. She was over 90 years old when she made it!):
In our family room I had our nativity sets, framed Christmas photos from each year and snowmen. Here is the girls' nativity set which they played with daily throughout the month it was out:
The shelves above our TV which had our ceramic nativity set, some of the toys Jaden and Sienna made last year with "Santa's Elves" and a few of our framed family photos from Christmases past:
Our other shelf was full of snowmen among our books:
Our fireplace mantle filled with stockings, framed photos from years past, etc:
All of our holiday books get stuffed into this big basket on the hearth. I pack these books up with our decorations and only pull them out for the holidays which makes Jaden and Sienna appreciate them so much more!:
Here is the back wall of the family room with the window into the kitchen (all things were hung with removable sticky strips so as to not mark up our walls!):
A close-up of the window sill between the family room and kitchen where we have these cute dancing characters (my mom bought them at Hallmark a few years ago; they are a huge hit with the girls!):
Another fun snowman above Jack's cage and our blaknets:
In the family room is our tree. Some day I'd love to have a second tree with a set color scheme, but for now this tree filled with family ornaments (some of which were even given to Scott and I when we were children) is perfect for us:
The Dining Room, which was very simple this year. Next year it will be totally different because my stepmom gave me some gorgeous decorations that match the curtains and I can't wait to use them:
Going downstairs to our basement we have this perfect ledge for my P. Buckley Moss ornaments which each highlight a verse in the 12 days of Christmas:
In our bedroom we have just a few small things, my favorite of which is this sign hanging on the picture above our bed:
In the Den I put a couple of gingerbread things:
Jaden and Sienna of course had their tree that we decorated in early December together:
I also hung my brother's and my stockings from when we were little in their room:
And I have no idea where this came from, but I put this adorable little purse on their door handle. They kept their Polar Express bells in the little bag and then the door would jingle as you opened or closed it:
Bristol inherited the soft, baby-safe tree this year and I put it on the floor so that she could enjoy it when we were playing in her room:
In each bathroom I had these plain trees. Next year I'd like to decorate them; I've had these since we got married and have never put more than the red bow on them because I can't commit to a specific theme for each one:
So there you have it. It's impossible to show every nook and cranny, but at least next year I can look back at these photos and know exactly where to put most things again. It's all coming down now!
Well, it turns out I worried all for nothing. Since we didn't know what was in each box, we actually had the house decorated faster than ever before since we emptied every single box all at once. And the final result--well it's no professional decorator's job, but we found a place for everything and our home had a very festive atmosphere for Christmastime.
Before I started taking everything down to pack away until next November, I took photos so that I'd remember where to put things next year and I thought I'd share these with you tonight. Besides our stockings and their hangers, our advent calendar, and a very small number of other items here and there, all of our Christmas decorations have been handed down to us by my mom and my Grandma Lulu. A few items, such as our tree (we have a very real looking fake), were also gifts. So I share this because I'm amazed at how things come together pretty well when we haven't invested much money at all.
So here is what our home looked like for those of you who didn't see it...
I have many Santas / Kris Kringles which I decided to put in the kitchen. Here are the island shelves filled with trinkets (and the kids' workbooks and CDs):
One of our pantry doors & our hand print tree hanging next to it:
The side of one cupboard where I hung some artwork of Jaden's and Sienna's. I love to hang their artwork to go with the seasons:
Our other pantry door with a wreath made by Sienna, Santa stick and tree made by Jaden, our own Christmas card and Jaden's reading chart:
Santas hanging and on the shelf above our stove (The star-shaped Santa hanging on the wine rack was made by my great-grandmother in her nursing home. She was over 90 years old when she made it!):
In our family room I had our nativity sets, framed Christmas photos from each year and snowmen. Here is the girls' nativity set which they played with daily throughout the month it was out:
The shelves above our TV which had our ceramic nativity set, some of the toys Jaden and Sienna made last year with "Santa's Elves" and a few of our framed family photos from Christmases past:
Our other shelf was full of snowmen among our books:
Our fireplace mantle filled with stockings, framed photos from years past, etc:
All of our holiday books get stuffed into this big basket on the hearth. I pack these books up with our decorations and only pull them out for the holidays which makes Jaden and Sienna appreciate them so much more!:
Here is the back wall of the family room with the window into the kitchen (all things were hung with removable sticky strips so as to not mark up our walls!):
A close-up of the window sill between the family room and kitchen where we have these cute dancing characters (my mom bought them at Hallmark a few years ago; they are a huge hit with the girls!):
Another fun snowman above Jack's cage and our blaknets:
In the family room is our tree. Some day I'd love to have a second tree with a set color scheme, but for now this tree filled with family ornaments (some of which were even given to Scott and I when we were children) is perfect for us:
The Dining Room, which was very simple this year. Next year it will be totally different because my stepmom gave me some gorgeous decorations that match the curtains and I can't wait to use them:
Going downstairs to our basement we have this perfect ledge for my P. Buckley Moss ornaments which each highlight a verse in the 12 days of Christmas:
In our bedroom we have just a few small things, my favorite of which is this sign hanging on the picture above our bed:
In the Den I put a couple of gingerbread things:
Jaden and Sienna of course had their tree that we decorated in early December together:
I also hung my brother's and my stockings from when we were little in their room:
And I have no idea where this came from, but I put this adorable little purse on their door handle. They kept their Polar Express bells in the little bag and then the door would jingle as you opened or closed it:
Bristol inherited the soft, baby-safe tree this year and I put it on the floor so that she could enjoy it when we were playing in her room:
In each bathroom I had these plain trees. Next year I'd like to decorate them; I've had these since we got married and have never put more than the red bow on them because I can't commit to a specific theme for each one:
So there you have it. It's impossible to show every nook and cranny, but at least next year I can look back at these photos and know exactly where to put most things again. It's all coming down now!
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