Deck the Halls.....

Mercury Glass Santa,
one of many Santa's that live
on my tree..

     I love decorating for Christmas.  When I was growing up in Oklahoma, we didn't have "real" Christmas trees.  The few lots around had some very sad specimens that belonged in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" special, not your living room.  We used the same, tired old fake tree year after year, but it was still magic for me.  My Mom would not let anything Christmas enter the house until Thanksgiving was done.  The second the dishes were finished and put away, we would start begging my Dad to get the decorations down from the attic.  Every year we would ooh and ahh over the same ornaments, the crude ones made by childish hands, the Life Savers dolls one of my aunts would make for us and my favorite, the teeny tiny nativity scene.

     These days, I have my own home, my own family, and like my Mom before me, I want no Christmas decorations until Thanksgiving is done.  The artificial tree that lives in my memories is a thing of the past and my girlies get to experience the lush scent and beauty of a Grand Fir, freshly cut.  Right now, we have a favorite lot we have returned to for the past few years, and next year the girls will be old enough that we hope to go out and cut our own tree.  I have one ornament salvaged from childhood, a plastic train I painted when I was five, but we have collected some beautiful and cherished memories of our own and our tree is populated with many little beauties, some fanciful, some made with little hands.  I just wanted to share some pics of what decorates our home and puts us in the Christmas spirit!

My Elf on a Shelf - way before the book came out!

The Claus's (and a photo-bombing kitty)

  One of my favorite things these days are the decorations designed by Anna Lee.  They remind me of the lighted elves my Mom used to hang in the front windows of our home growing up.  I have collected many over the years. 

Elf & Reindeer

Elf, Reindeer & Caroling Mouse

  I just love the painted faces!  They always make me smile!  I also have a few of Anna Lee's ornaments hanging around my tree:

Little Elf

Santa

     I love to collect Santa's.  I had an aunt who collected dolls.  She had one whole wall dedicated to different Santa's she had gotten.  She kept them up year round and I was drawn to those Santa's every time I visited.  I always knew that when I grew up, I wanted a collection of my own!

     My entryway is probably my favorite, second only to our tree.  The tiny porcelain wreath hanging in the center of the larger wreath is the first ornament my mother-in-law ever gave me.  It hangs there year round, and I always think of her for a moment whenever I see it.  She also gave me my wonderful Nativity Scene (Willow Tree).  The poinsettia "garland" that is around the mirror is made up of the pew decorations from our wedding.  We were married December 4, 2004, in a small historical church in Enid, Oklahoma.  I had always wanted a winter wedding!  By the way - the mirror ($10) table ($10) and lamp ($3) were all thrifted, as was the "Rejoice" picture ($3) hanging on the right of the picture.  I love finding great things and giving them a new home!!

     So that gives you an idea of what our home looks like for the holidays - I hope you enjoyed it - we sure do.  Our favorite thing at the end of the night, after the girlies are in bed, is to turn out all the lights but for the Christmas tree and the fireplace, and just spend some quiet time together.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given: and the government shall be on his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6