Christmas Spirit

I love decorating my house for Christmas! It looks so cheerful and festive, and the red and green and gold tones go with my everyday decor. I try to get everything up as soon as possible after Thanksgiving, and I procrastinate taking it all down again well into January (I'm not sick of it by New Years, and I don't like the actual work of packing it all up again).

This year my house looks pretty much like it did last year, as far as decorations go, but I do have a few new items.

Come on in, and check it out...if you were close by, we could make some hot cocoa and chat for a bit!



My Christmas tree sits in the front room, where we can see it from the living room or the front door. It's over 9 feet tall, and thank goodness, it's already got lights on it! The Colonel doesn't like to help me decorate it, but this year was his last free pass...after Little Major gets here, it will be a family tradition to decorate it together.



I have this amazing fireplace, hearth and mantle that I love to cover with garland and lights and hang the stockings. Next year there will be another stocking up there (there are 4 b/c the dogs get one, too...I should actually fill those up with something for them, shouldn't I??).



Right next to the fireplace I have my Willow Tree Nativity set displayed. My mom got it for me for Christmas a couple years ago, and I love it! I love that they're faces aren't complete...it lets me imagine what they were thinking on that wonderful night.



I have another Nativity set displayed in the front room. It's a wooden carved set that we got as a wedding gift from some favorite people in Texas. It was my first Nativity set ever, and I love it. Our friends who gave it to us collect Nativity sets, and they have dozens of them displayed in their house -- from all over the world!



Like I said earlier, my house is always decorated in reds and golds, so my red breakfast nook table is perfect for Christmas decorations. Here's something funny about the placemats on the table. I don't think they will wash very well, so I make hubby and I eat on plastic placemats we put ON TOP OF the nice ones. Am I anal or what??



I got a few new decorations this year, and I'm loving them. I have a lot of stars in my house year round, since I use the Americana theme a lot, so this Christmas star I found seemed perfect for my living room.



And I saw (and fell in love with) this centerpiece at a craft show with my MIL, so she bought it for me for my anniversary.



I got this charger with the cool message on it at the bazaar I hosted last month.



And I got this little tree at the same craft fair I went to with my MIL.



One more photo, and then I'll be done, I promise!

Growing up, we never believed in Santa Clause...and I don't think I missed out on a thing. See, Mom and Dad worked very hard to give us what they did, and they wanted us to know that someone had worked to give us gifts...that we didn't just get them because we sat on some man's lap and asked for them. But, Mom and Dad recognized that the history behind Santa Clause is an important story -- the story of St. Nicholas. So, every year, we would all gather around and read the book below together. It tells the story of St. Nicholas and how he would sneak around leaving gifts, in stockings, for people that didn't have much. I loved the book so much that I went and bought my own copy when I moved out on my own.



I will read this story to my children and explain to them why we see Santa Clause around at Christmastime. And I will let them know that The Colonel and I work hard to give them the gifts that they get. Oh, and you won't see any Santa decorations in my house...there are too many other wonderful things about Christmas to celebrate besides Santa.

Have a blessed and happy Christmas! Let me know if you post about your Christmas decorations, so I can go check them out!