One of the things I have looked forward to the most in the nine months since we moved was decorating our new home for Christmas.  Oh! How I love to bring out the boxes full of treasures we have collected as a family for the last 17 years!  From ornaments to trinkets, each box is a delight as we pull one precious item after another out.

I so love Christmas! 

I love the sparkle and glitter, the twinkle of lights. I love the smells, the sounds of laughter, music and children.  I love the time with family, music concerts and parties.  I love the joy in the hearts of my children who keep a sparkle in their eyes, the sneakiness of my husband, and the smiles of friends as you wish them a “Merry Christmas!”  I love carols, songs from time gone by when Bing and Frank sounded so much more sincere when they sang “Oh Holy Night!” and “White Christmas” than some of the more modern artists.  I love thinking about the birth of Christ, and while I know we truly do not know when He was born, He was, and He came to save us. 

   

“Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home!”
~Charles Dickens

With everything going on as we prepare for our oldest daughter’s wedding this weekend five hours away from home, we kept our Christmas home fairly simple, using mostly what we already had with no new additions (except for ribbon & a Mark Robert’s fairy) and kept to only decorating the living and dinning rooms.  I kept to my traditional (and favorite) reds and greens, with whimsical delights that bring out the childlike desires that are found in all of us.

And I am a big child at Christmas and a very sentimental and traditional person!

I just love our red and green Christmas tree with its peppermint garland and lollipop topper!  It takes me back to my childhood where the piano top held ribbon candy and peppermints.

The reproduction shiny brite ornaments are also a nod to my first Christmases.  My mother still uses hers, so I have collected Christopher Radko’s version to use and hope one of my children will treasure one day.

I love adding little touches of Christmas throughout the room from jingle bells on the doors to Zeus wearing the garland.  A stack of our favorite Christmas book sit on the fireplace.  Even though my kids are now teenagers, we still read these stories all throughout the season.

“It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.”  
~W.T. Ellis

Thanks for stopping by for a peak at our holiday home!  After we return from Samantha’s wedding I’ll share our dinning room and plans for our Christmas celebrations!

Until then, Have a wonderful week!