A Little Home Tour, And Announcing A Christmas Break

I'm going to be taking a blogging break starting today. But I wanted to leave you with a little Christmas tour of my home. My decor is nothing fancy, but it's meaningful to us. Almost all of the decorations I use have history. 

This is our tree in its new home in our den. We used to have it in our living room so that passersby could see it from the front window, but realized we didn't get to enjoy it because we never went in there. This new location is much better for us. Our tree is filled with ornaments we've collected through the years. 

This is our mantel. The figurine in the center was my husband's first Christmas gift to me. It has four bears and was supposed to symbolize the big family we would one day have. Little did we know that we weren't thinking big enough back then! I love all the kids' stockings hanging in a row. 

This is a full length view of the mantel and fireplace. I created the arrangement on the left using a sprig of berries I got at Michael's for half off and some discarded branches from a local tree lot. The Santa is one I've had for years. 

I made a set of these rag wreaths for my kitchen windows a few years ago. I love how festive they look hanging in the kitchen. The little figurine has 8 bears-- one for each of us-- and was a gift from my mother in law. 

Even though this photo is a bit overexposed, I like it. This is our kitchen table with a simple centerpiece of a pine bough and brass candlesticks we received when we got married. You can see one of the little wreaths in the window. 

This is our dining room table. The silver things are angels and the centerpiece is a large hurricane filled with silver and red ornaments. I have had those placemats for years. I also have votives that we light while we eat. It adds a peaceful feeling to our meals. When we have Christmas Eve dinner I use silver chargers and our Christmas china. 

This is our nativity set, made by a relative years ago. I am always delighted to see that it's held up for another year. 

This bookshelf is a catchall for the little odds and ends I've collected. The Santa was in my home as a kid. And the figurines on the bottom are from NC State, our alma mater. The candle in the center is my favorite Yankee Candle, Mistletoe. 

Well that's my little tour, such as it is. I love putting up Christmas decorations for us to enjoy throughout the season. And I love using items that mean something to us, especially since Christmas is all about sentiment. And family. And memories. 

I hope your Christmas is filled with all of these. I'll see you back here January 5th!