Tis the Season

There are definitely some clues around our house that Christmas is coming. The other day, I hung my customary boxwood wreath.

I decided to go with a green ribbon this year instead of my usual red. Not sure why, I just liked it. I'm thinking of possibly sticking some white berries in the wreath for a little contrast as well. 

Of course, I still need to add some seasonal greenery and berries in my urns and a garland around the door to which I usually add white lights. All in due time, along with the tree which will be a Saturday project. 

Another sign the holidays are coming is the arrival of this little guy . . . 

Yes, it's the Elf on the Shelf, or in this case, the Elf in the paperwhites. His name is Elfie (my kids aren't that original with names). And while he may be the bane of my existence (as he, ahem, flies off to the North Pole every night and then shows up in a different spot EVERY morning), my kids love him. They were counting down the days to his arrival. How can you disappoint these sweet faces?

Elfie the rock star. The kids had to pose with him. They left him a cookie before school.

Elfie showed up in a dense fog and brought the frost with him.

Our frigid backyard this a.m.

In other totally unrelated news, today I bought this fabric . . . 

It was $8.99 a yard. Holla. It's going on these stools that I have had forever. 

I kept moving them around my house, and then changing my mind about fabric. Design ADD is real, people. They're now at the end of my bed awaiting their makeover (along with the rest of my house room).

 

Is anyone else sprucing up their spaces for the holidays?

In the Spirit

I'm barely treading water over here. The holidays can be brutal but I'm trying to get it all done. My Christmas cards are just going out today, I've still got a couple of gifts to get and a few more to wrap, and my kids are out of school at noon today for the Winter Break. Yikes. As I mentioned, we hosted our supper club on Friday night so I did some speed decorating around here. I snapped a few photos this morning of our holiday decor . . .

These are my favorite new little decorations. I got this pack of three ornaments at TJ Maxx for $5. I just snipped the ornament string off and am using them as table decor.

They're sort of across between a star and sea urchin. Very Kelly Wearstler, I think.

Just threw a garland and some greenery and poinsettias up there with some candles and owls. Those are $1 stockings with glitter names for our pets that my children made. They're so proud.

Some people have a manger, I have a big yellow lamp. Kind of like a star, right?

Added some glitter and white pine cones and some sparkly deer to my usual dining room decor.

More greenery and another boxwood wreath to hold our Christmas cards. I love getting cards.

Breakfast area. Light and airy.

A little holiday on my coffee table.

A golden berry wreath and some more sparkly deer. My dining room is all "Silver and Gold" as Burl Ives sang.

My kids and I also hit this holiday tradition on Sunday, and it really got me in the spirit . . . 

Whatever holiday you're celebrating, I hope it is filled with wonderful and happy memories!

Check back later in the week for the reveal of my newly upholstered pieces . . .

May Your Days Be . . .

Best wishes to you and yours for a very, Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah or just a joyous holiday season! 

Thank you all for coming to my blog and showing the love - you're all like little Christmas presents to me. I've had a great year and can't wait to see what the new year brings. Until then, take care, be safe, be well and enjoy this special time with your family and friends.

It's Beginning to Look . . .

a little like Christmas around here. Now that the tree is done, I've been decking the halls a little more. This weekend we finally took a photo for the old Christmas card (yes, I'm a bit behind schedule). I've ordered the cards online, now I just have to wait for their arrival and then disperse them post haste. For those of you on my Christmas card list look away now, as I am about to share the photo that won the coveted spot:

Yes, my children are shoeless, but this is the best we could do. Honestly, getting two kids and two dogs to cooperate long enough for a photo shoot where we got maybe two useable photos about sent me over the edge. Oh, by the way, we have a cat but there was no way he was getting anywhere near this bunch.

We also got in the Christmas spirit this past weekend with some holiday traditions. The kids visited Santa at the mall . . . 

Such natural smiles.

And Matt and I watched this . . . 

We LOVE Love Actually. Every year, we have to watch it to kick off the Christmas season. If you haven't seen it (which I'm sure you have), you must. This is definitely not a kid-friendly film however, so the children were watching Ramona and Beezus in another room. 

And here are some little bits of Christmas I've sprinkled around the house so far.

I just dragged these out of a box and onto the dining room table. Not really styled or cohesive.

I've had these old-fashioned snowmen for years. I move them around the house every year, but put them on the entry chest for now. I like to stick Christmas cards in my mirror so it's the first thing I see upon entering. Makes me happy.

The mantel needs more sprucing. This is just some roping I bought at Trader Joe's with some other random things and our stockings of course. I bought these wool felt Hable Construction stockings from Garnet Hill a couple of years ago. Love them.

And last but not least, some yummy treats I found at Whole Foods the other night. I know people make these but I'm too lazy. They are delicious!

Throw these in a bowl, and you're ready to entertain!

How about you? Have you gotten in the Christmas spirit yet?

How to Decorate a Christmas Tree in 22 Seconds

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We returned from Memphis yesterday, promptly bought our Christmas tree and decorated it with abandon. My children are not the patient types.

Matt loves to play around with the time lapse function on his camera and this was the perfect opportunity. Here is our family decorating the family tree in 22 seconds.



The actual decoration time was more like an hour and a half. We put the Christmas mix on our iPod and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I still need to decorate the rest of the house and put the boxes back in the attic, but at least we've got the big thing done.

I don't know about you, but I do not have a "themed" Christmas tree. I take great joy in the eclectic variety of our ornaments. Of course, my favorites are the ones my kids make . . . the glitter stars with their preschool photos inside. Priceless.

Now, I've got to get on the Christmas shopping. I've done some but there is much more to be done. But first things first. I've got to get my hair cut and colored tomorrow because while I love the color gray I do not like it in my hair. 

Best wishes to everyone as you embark on your holiday preparations. May our days be merry and bright!