20 Dec Christmas Decor 2012
We are keeping it simple decor-wise around here for Christmas. Last year, I hung up more garland, and gussied up the house more in general. However, this year, we have a tree, a decorated mantle, a simple dining room centerpiece, and a festive front porch.
I do love our front porch this year. On the right side are the “NOEL” moss letters (did you make any? send me some photos!!! submissions {at} AStoriedStyle .com), and on the left is the front door decked in simplicity. Fresh cedar and noble fir mixed garland, pine tree topiaries (chopped down from the woods of East Texas and shaped by my sweet hubby), and a dainty fresh wreath.
Welcome.
Pretty, yes? Makes me happy every time I see it. You can’t beat fresh…well, anything! Nothing like it – it smells delicious when you get up on the porch, too.
On to the tree.
Nearly every year (we haven’t done it every year because for the past four years, I have just had a baby or am about to have one shortly), we head out to East Texas to the land my husband’s family has owned for generations, chop down a tree, and bring it home. Our trees have varied over the years, ranging from big pine bushes to stately cedars. We have tied two (ahem, or three) trees together to make one tree (for trees to be filled out all the way around, they need sun on all sides, which is obviously difficult in the woods), and usually have to finagle our tree one way or another to make it work. But that is the fun of it, and our tree has achieved a bit of notoriety with family and friends. You just never know what it will look like (ha!). It definitely never looks like the trees at your local tree farm, but I love our tree each year.
We chose a cedar for 2012, and I think it may be our prettiest one yet. Since I wanted to keep things simple, I placed a couple of strings of white lights on the tree, and added ivory satin ribbon tied in a bow at the end of each branch.
We thought it would be fun for the kids to count down the twelve days of Christmas by getting to eat a treat off the tree every morning, so I went to Joanns and bought a few bags of small organza drawstring pouches. Now if I had thought of this sooner, I would have made cute little burlap bags and stamped numbers 1-12 on each one to count down. But I guess I will have to table that idea for next year. I went to my local grocery and filled each bag (12 times 3 kids old enough to eat little yummies).
The chocolate covered Oreos look the best to me.
So yes, my children are eating a little something sweet every morning before breakfast. Granted, oftentimes, it is yogurt covered raisins or honey roasted pecans. But there is no time of year like Christmas. It is special. And magical. As it should be.
With the lights and the ribbon and the treat bags, our tree looks perfectly full to me.
A view from the stairway, where I suspect some little munchkins will be peeking on Christmas morn.
Is your home decorated for the holidays? Have you started any new traditions this year? I’d love to hear about them!
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