My favorite Christmas things

I know most of you won't be coming over during this season, so I thought I'd have you over virtually! I love the Christmas season, and really love to decorate for it! I have a lot of great family memories that surround Christmas, so I think it's a way to help me feel like I'm with them.

I will say, my decorations aren't those you'd see in any Southern Living magazine (except the first one). I think those are beautiful, but that's not my house. I'm attached to what I have, random as it is!

Come on in!

This is actually my Southern Living at Home door vase. I try to keep it full with season things. This is the only thing I actually keep up with at my house. The red berries were a dollar last year and the holly leaves are off our bush in the front yard. So this year it was free! It's not totally symmetrical, but I got really tired of poking my hands with those holly leaves, so I gave up.

Here's my nativity scene the kids play with. My mom got it for the kids last year from Plow and Hearth, but I've seen it here too. Both kids play with it, and Mattie was singing "Rock a Bye, Baby" to Jesus today!

I have always loved nativity scenes. If I remember right, my mom said I used to play with ours for hours when I was little. When my grandmother died, all I requested was her nativity scene. When we went through her house, they realized it was stolen when she was robbed 3 weeks before she died! I'm still sad I don't have it.

Here are some Christmas dishes I have with some more holly from a different bush in our yard. My mom has Christmas dishes as well, and I guess that's one reason I love them. My aunt got these for me a few years ago for Christmas! The kids and I use them for hot chocolate, and we've been using them for dinner during this season too. One of my favorite things is to eat at a beautifully set table. Actually, it hasn't happened much in, ohhh, about 6 1/2 years! I'll have to get back to it now that the kids are a bit more civilized.

This is our table centerpiece... more free holly and a random red candle. It's usually surrounded by school or other childlike clutter, but I like one square foot of grown up prettiness on the table!

My mom has done this for a few years in her dining room, and I decided to try it in the kitchen this year. I love looking out my windows (I have three like this all next to each other) to look out front and seeing these happy ornaments hanging!

These are some happy blocks I got on a great clearance last year at Mast General Store because the letters were falling off. I got four sets, one for me, my two sisters and my sister in law. I like this country/ farm house style of decorating, but it's not really my house style so I can't do more of it.

This isn't as much Christmas as winter, but I painted it a few years ago... well now 8 or 10 I guess! I love, love, LOVE to paint ceramics, but just don't have the time in my life due to a certain little girl who lives here. I absolutely cannot fathom having the time to do one square inch of this right now. But I miss it!

And this is one of my total favorites. I love snowmen, and my brother-in-law, Peter, hand made this for me after Robert and I got married. The hat can be lifted up to reveal a hole for a candle. I keep him out until spring. :)

Here are our stockings on our bare mantle. I need to put something on it! (Some more holly, I guess!) My mom bought the kids' stockings from Pottery Barn. Jacob's we bought after we knew he loved trains. And Mattie's we bought her first year, not having any idea she'd end up being a little ballerina. I love them, but they are huge... definitely something to think about before you purchase! I fill them up with socks and undies if need be. Robert's is from Duluth Trading Company (a really cool catalog that sells unique things for tradesmen). His name is written on the metal tag that's shining so brightly! And my stocking was handmade by my grandmother when I was little. You can see it has definitely seen better days! One year it had Jolly Ranchers that melted and then stained it... then washing it made the colors all bleed! But it's still here. I need to watch for a new one on sale after Christmas I guess.

And our tree... it's a very family friendly tree! It has hand made ornaments and colored lights this year at the kids' request. Jacob wants "a colorful tree, not a dull white one!" Jacob set up his Thomas track around it too and created a snow scene. Of course, the train ends up off the track 15 times a day behind the presents, but he's determined, I guess, because it's still there!

After we got married a made a tree skirt that I got tired of very quickly. And last year I wanted a new one but didn't like to commercial ones for all sorts of reasons. Then I was in WalMart and noticed this beautiful brocade round tablecloth... for nine bucks nonetheless! :) I was a happy camper!

So there are my favorite things this season. Thanks for coming!