Christmas Decorating Around the House

It's been crazy around here since Thanksgiving...non-stop Christmas decorating. I'm getting ready for a party!! For the past two years, I've had a Christmas Dessert Party with all the ladies in my family, neighborhood and the girls I work with. I serve appetizers, punch, wine, tea and coffee. All the women bring a dessert for all to share. I also have a raffle. Right after Christmas I shop for all the bargains of adorable Christmas things. I store them away and use them for the raffle. Each item has a little cup in front of it and each person gets a long strip of raffle tickets. They put the tickets in the cups and then we draw for the prize...(no money is involved) just a lot of fun to see who wins.
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I also make party favors. The first year I made the tissue holders and last year I made everyone scarves. I'm still debating on this year's gift. Typical me, waiting to the end and then I'll be sewing all night. I think I secretly love the pressure of doing things last minute. It's like the adrenaline rush that athletes get and since I don't exercise...procrastination is my adrenaline!!!
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Here are a few pictures of rooms around the house. I still have to do the girls' trees in their bedrooms, but if their rooms aren't magically cleaned by some cleaning fairy, you won't be seeing those!!
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This is the tree in our family room. It's 12 feet tall and has all our family ornaments on it. We bought this tree last year to replace our 16 year old one. I have some tips on what to do with old artificial trees, so stay tuned.


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We all get a new ornament every year to represent something that happened that year or a vacation we went on.
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This tree is in our master bedroom. I always have this tree in here, but this will be the third year it is decorated with my mom's wooden Steinbach ornaments from Germany.

These little people were her most favorite things. She had a large collection...the tree is filled with them. I know you're looking down on them and smiling mom. Something special just for you.

This is our Dicken's Village collection. Scott and I started this the year we were married in '87. Haven't bought any in years...too expensive now. Wow, that greenery sure looks "green". It's not that green in person...looks like frozen broccoli.

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The railing change every year. Sometimes they have stockings, sometimes pine cones and berries, but this year is sugared fruit.

I reuse all my decorations in many different places each year. Last year in the dining room, the tree was filled with all these sugared fruits.

If you change it up a little, it's like you are working with all new things.

I made these last year to fill in the large wall in our family room. I just took heavy duty wire from the hardware store, shaped it into the letters I wanted and then attached evergreen garland to it. I already had plenty of garland from years past, so this was a freebie. Hey, that was a quick Tool Time on a Sunday. Now you're off to the hardware store for wire...you can also use coat hangers.

This is our nativity set in the front foyer...the true meaning of Christmas right as you walk in the door to our home.

These next few pictures are in the dining room. This year I tried a woodland theme in here (which I usually have in the office).

The tree is filled with berries, red cardinals, pine cones, bird's nests, snow flakes, tree twigs and little clip on candle holders. I love the look of the old fashion candles on the tree (we don't light them though).

Here's the fireplace...still not sure about this, it looks better in person. I hate my camera.

and this is the hutch in the corner. I put a few of my Christmas dishes in there, but I really use the rest of it all season long. I've learned life is too short to keep the china just for decoration.

If it breaks...it breaks. They're just things after all.

This last tree is the tree in the office. It's our gingerbread tree.

I seriously re-use things for years. Those red checked bows are soooo old (I'm thinking at least 15 years). I just keep them nicely packed away in their own box so they don't get crushed and they look good as new each time I take them out.

If I do add something to a tree, you better believe it was on sale from the previous year or from the dollar store. The red pom pom garland was the only thing I added this year and it was only $2.99 for 9 feet. Do the galvanized tubs look familiar? They're from my sewing room. See just look around your house for things that you wouldn't think to use.

I have been making or buying things a little each year since we were married. You need to build your Christmas stash slowly. I never pay full price for anything...always after Christmas bargains, 75% - 90% off. You'll have the urge to go right away, but then it's only 50% off. If you wait a little, they drop the prices pretty fast. You might miss out on some things in those first few days, but the bigger bargains are worth it. Except for our 12 foot tree, I have 7 or 8 other trees that are about 5-6 feet tall. Some are even pre-lit. I paid $3.00 dollars for the regular trees and $8.00 for the pre-lit trees...all at Walmart.

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Well, I hope you enjoyed this part of the tour. If I don't run out of time, I have plans to do a few more trees. I finished one in my husbands office, but didn't take a picture of it. It's a tree with all his boyhood memories...big colored lights, colored glass balls, the silver garland and tinsel. It's his favorite!!

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I'll see you on Tuesday. I have another Christmas Tool Time, but you can also use all year too!

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~Karen~