Christmas Decorating!

December 4, 2018

by saradwells in Holiday, Home Post Comment

I apologize in advance if this drives you crazy but our family is “one of those families” that decorates for Christmas as soon as it is barely socially acceptable. There. Deal with it. I say, if it makes you happy and brings Christmas joy into your home juuuuuuust a little earlier than my goodness DO IT.

^^^I made this simple centerpiece for our table last year. I took bottle brush Christmas trees in both single shades and ombre, hot glued them to a simple white cake stand and then wove some faux garland in and out of the trees. Trees are from Target. It is so simple and makes a beautiful impact in our kitchen.

*^^^View from the kitchen table into the living room with the main event, the Christmas tree 🙂*

For our 2018 Christmas season, our tree and all of the decorations went up in stages between November 9-11. That is pretty late in the game for us. This year, however, it was so unseasonably warm right up until that time frame that we couldn’t get into the Christmas mindset. Suddenly the weather turned cold, the Camp Fire blew horrendous smoke into the Bay Area and we couldn’t be outside and so decorating for Christmas seemed like a great way to create a bright, happy atmosphere in our home.

*^^^I bought this sequin ornament from Anthropologie when I was first married and it is still one of my favorites.*

*^^^This was a happy evening spent decorating the tree. I know that I say this every single year but our tree is my favorite THIS year 🙂*

*^^^This delicious pompom wreath is from the Opal House collection at Target. Valance is kantha sari fabric from Pottery Barn from a few years ago.*

Each year I pare back in some areas and go a little bigger in others. I feel like this year is relatively sedate for us. This is mainly due to my energy level and general need for no additional clutter/decor in the house. Our tree always lives in the same spot. We always cluster the nativities on the mantle in the teen living room. There is always a small tree surrounded by nutcrackers on the larger dresser in our foyer. And finally, we have a kitchen table centerpiece and a few select bits in the kitchen. That’s it. My teenagers have Christmas trees in their rooms that are about 3 1/3 feet tall. Those trees are the extent of any decorations upstairs. It all seems like the perfect amount for our family.

^^^This is the mini tree in our foyer. It has twinkle lights but for some reason they weren’t lighting up when I took this photo. Most of the ornaments are on the small side from Target, Joanns or Michaels.

^^^Sophie is holding the first ornament I ever bought when I was just 14, the same age she is now. I bought it after Christmas in Williamsburg, Virginia while shopping with my mom. I wanted to start a Christmas ornament collection and this was what started it! We thought it was appropriate for her to hang it, although when she picked it out she had no idea the history behind it!

*^^^We have nine-foot ceilings and a nine-foot tree. It scrapes the ceiling every single year 🙂*

*^^^View from side of tree into our kitchen*.

Our house is colorful all year round and we have multiple strands of garlands that hang between our kitchen and living room always, so things look festive around here all of the time. We add a little more color, a few more sparkly lights, light some yummy Christmas scented candles, fire up ALL of the Hallmark Christmas movies (we used to make fun of these movies mercilessly and now we cannot get enough of them) and it feels like Christmas. Also, we have always had a fake tree. It is mainly for convenience because we really like to decorate early and while we occasionally volley the idea back and forth of having a real tree, we have yet to do it. We probably never will which I am OK with. I was raised for most of my life with a fake tree so I don’t really know any different.

*^^^I made that aqua ornament years ago. It is a clear glass ball that I dripped paint inside of, turned upside down to dry and then finished with some ribbon I got in NYC.*

^^^This sugared looking candy dish is my all time favorite ornament and I would grab it if there was a fire. It was from my grandma from the 1940’s and after she passed away my mom gave it to me. I adore it because it makes me remember my grandma and all of the wonderful Christmas’s I spent with her and our family growing up.

*^^^I bought this felted ornament from Anthropologie last week.*

*^^^This Christus stays up all year on our ledge but takes on extra special meaning when nestled among the nativities.*

I still need to put a few lighted trees around our front porch but honestly I keep forgetting so I’m not sure it is going to happen. I don’t want to feel overwhelmed (which as a mom is really easy to happen over the holidays) so if it isn’t necessary I’m not doing it.

*^^^One of my kids drew this years ago and I made an ornament out of it. This is such a great activity AND keepsake to do with your kids!*

I’m really thankful for the warmth and color and comfort of our home and for this season of love and service. It is so easy to get caught up in the STUFF and ACTIVITIES of the season…but really the birth of the Savior was simple and quiet and majestic and that’s ultimately what this time of year is all about. It is about HIM.

That’s all for now. I hope that your holiday season is beautiful and full of love and service and peace.