Christmas decor 2014 ♥

Hello Friends!

 Welcome to my Christmas house! I thought today I would share with you some photos of  my Christmas tree and a few of my favorite decorations. 

We've all been busy decorating this past week. 

All of a sudden the holidays are here!  

♥♥♥

This is my family room.

Here is my view from the couch. We switched from a real tree to a fake tree a few years ago.  I'm still not over it.  Rob pushed for the fake tree because it's cleaner (no messy pine needles) and we can keep it up longer. Agreed.  However, there is nothing like a real tree. That smell! A candle just isn't the same.

  I've had a love/hate relationship with my fake tree.  This year I'm finally starting to like it a bit more.  She's growing on me  : )  

Rob says our ornaments make the tree, and I think he's right.  They are memories, they tell stories, and are reminders of Christmas's past.

 

Three little kittens that lost their mittens! There is the mommy and three babies - aren't they adorable?! My mom made these for me and they are my favorite ornaments on the tree : )

I was lucky enough to inherit all of my Nana's vintage glass ornaments after she passed away.  She lived with us when I was little and at Christmas would decorate her own tree full of these beautiful, glass, sparkly, treasures. Every year I would help her decorate, and I thought I was SO lucky because we actually had two Christmas trees! For a nine year old, that was a pretty big deal!

 These ornaments remind me of her and some of the best Christmas's of my life. 

This pink one is my favorite.  I always put it at the very top of the tree ♥

John is only 7 and already our tree is full of his memories too.  He made this in preschool. 

Some ornaments are ones that I've picked up on a whim, here and there.  This Santa I got last year.  I thought it looked vintage.  I think I paid .99 at the Christmas Tree Shop! I love it!

The carolers are singing! I have these cuties on my side table next to the tree. My mom made these too.  She painted them years ago.  They have a little music box in the back that plays White Christmas!

Here is our kitchen table.

Last weekend I treated myself to these kissing Mr. & Mrs. Clause salt and pepper shakers! I thought they were so cute. John keeps flipping them around so they are back to back because "kissing is gross" ♥♥♥

Another treasure from my childhood is this ceramic tree.  (I bet some of you out there have one too!) I think my aunt made it in a ceramics class before I was born.  Growing up we had two and my mother put them in our front bay window.  She gave one to me and one to my sister.  I love this tree!  You knew Christmas was getting close once the ceramic trees came out! ♥

I have bits & bobs hanging everywhere! (drives my hubby crazy!)

On our side table in the kitchen I set up a little Christmas village. 

That tree in the middle looks like something out of Whoo-ville, but I kept it anyway.  John likes to get his little action figures and "play" in the snow here.  Sometimes I find a random guy sleeping in the gazebo! LOL

View of the kitchen.

I always wanted to hang lights around the kitchen window and this year I finally did it.  It makes the kitchen feel cozy, especially very early in the morning when it's still dark out.  I stand here in the wee hours and pour my coffee.  Now I don't turn the big light on, I have the warm glow of the fairy lights. 

I'm thinking about keeping these up all year! ♥

The Christmas before I got married my mom gave me a set of Christmas dishes and a box of ornaments.  I still think that was the best gift ever! I wasn't even married yet, and was all ready for our first Christmas!

I've been using the dishes ever since. They come out the day after Thanksgiving and I usually don't put them away until the end of January. 

Snow people are everywhere..... : )

And the ELF is always watching! This guy tells Santa everything ♥

Never lose HOPE.

Believe in Christmas!

Thank you for stopping by today to see my Christmas house!

I wish I could have you all over for a real life Christmas party! How do you feel about eggnog?

Personally, I love it! ♥

Already, we are a solid week into December and time is ticking.  Still so much to do, but we must not forget what's really important.....

I hope you are all doing well with your holiday preparations!

Enjoy the season!

Love,

Danielle xoxo