Christmas Decorations & Much Fun
One of the magical things about this time of the year is the ability to create a brand new space with all the Christmas decorations and colors that have been sitting on bins for the last 10 months or so.
{Christmas decorating for a joyful holiday season.}
I LOVE changing things around the house, but nothing really compares to the cheer and light that comes with decorating the house for Christmas.
This is also the only holiday that I fully decorate the house for, while for all other holidays I’ll only decorate a small area of the house or even just the dining table.
I confess, this takes a lot of my time and I could complain how much work it is, but as I always say “the kids are kids only once”, and I want them to have a great time and create sweet memories as a family.
Back in 2011 when we moved from Maryland to California 3 of our Christmas decorations boxes “disappeared” during the move. God knows where they are!
It was so sad and upsetting to find out that our decorations were gone, not to count the financial loss. Then, in 2012 we spent Christmas in Rio and we really didn’t decorate the house. So, this year is our first time “getting back in business” when Christmas time arrived.
We have a Christmas decorating tradition in our family that we started when the boys were still very young. We decorate the house on the weekend after Thanksgiving, while eating yummy chocolate cake and celebrating my birthday!
I learned to let the tree go up -we use a fake Christmas tree- let the boys do their thing and then later the elves go in and “organize”! (I know… I’m a little obsessed! Haha!)
It has spared us from endless arguments and has given them the joy of decorating their tree. 😉
While the boys decorate the tree I start placing the other ornaments around the house.
The Christmas Tree
There are many reasons why I use a fake tree but sparing my husband and me of the “can you please go buy a Christmas tree” every single year is on the top of my list.
He’s an amazing husband, but the poor guy is busy at work and if I can make it simple I will.
This little Santa is so cute and happy! He’s one of the additions I had to make to replace the many items that were stolen.
These birds are one of my favorite things and I’m so happy they “survived” the move to CA.
“Don’t have a mantel for your seasonal decorations? Don’t worry. Use your stairs or a console!”
My Fake Mantel
Well, I really had to give up on decorating the mantel in this house and here is why.
First, this house is soooo different from our other (five!) homes. The rooms are spread out, and in California’s “open plan” homes you have fewer walls which result in less space for your bookcases and storage. That led us to…
Install our TV that took center-stage in our family room right above our fireplace. So, I had to just agree that there would be no mantel decoration in this house. At least for now. 😉
Decorate the side table for your dining area with something you can easily remove when entertaining.
Christmas Tablescape
I love playing with items and create small vignettes on the dining table. Keep in mind that I have 3 young boys and we like to keep it a little whimsical.
I love the bright red of these lanterns and they “sing” Christmas as you enter our home!
A mix of IKEA lanterns and Target Christmas decorations keep our dining table festive.
Sitting to Enjoy the Tree
I have these little rituals in daily life and one of my favorites is to drink my coffee early in the morning while enjoying the view from the window.
Well, now the tree is on “my spot” and because I’m up so early now I get to enjoy my coffee watching the Christmas tree’s lights. Everything is so quiet and so nice.
I hope you enjoyed our Christmas decorations and I look forward to seeing yours too!
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Have a fabulous holiday season!