It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Greetings! Welcome to my Holiday Open House! The festivities begin in the foyer, where a natural swag made from cedar and berries from our yard festoons the mirror. Below, the reason for the season is highlighted with my Fontanini nativity scene. A garland (not natural, and kind of pitiful after looking at the Nester's inspiration garland--oh, well, that's something to aspire to for next year!) graces the stairwell bannister. Here are some close-ups:

These pieces in the nativity scene get rearranged a couple of times a day by creative little fingers. That's okay because they won't break!
I received the creche and Holy Family figures at a Christmas shower before our wedding almost ten years ago, and my mom helps me to add to my collection each year.
Come on in! To your right is the living room, where the formal tree resides.

The children picked out the angel tree topper, which is lovely--except for the fact that it blinks, which drives me crazy!
When we first got married, we had very few ornaments, rather than some of our childhood ones. Here are some of my favorites that we've collected over the years.

Those silver photo-frame ornaments are from Exposures and are dated on the back with an engraved silver tag. My sister has given us those, and they are my favorite ornaments on the tree! (Sorry for the glare of the top one; that frame houses last year's Christmas card pic of Will--he's just so bright!;)) The brass Celtic cross was a gift at my Christmas shower and holds even more meaning because of our honeymoon trip to Ireland. The gold and red crown ornament suspsended by a red ribbon was a souvenir my husband brought me from a trip to London. It commemorates Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee. The white ornaments (gingerbread angel and star) are part of my daughter's Wedgwood ornament collection. It is a tradition that each year she and her brother receive a new ornament, as well as a Christmas picture book and a pair of Christmas pjs.

Here atop the piano is a nativity scene that my grandmother gave me. I love the purity of the all white. My mother-in-law gave me the angels that spell Noel, and I think they go together perfectly!

This is our Advent wreath and the book that we're reading each night, Jotham's Journey. This is a new tradition for us and has already become such a special time for our family. Mom found the wreath for me, and I put the candles in various crystal candlesticks I had and just placed them inside the wreath.



Here is the dining room with its holiday decor.
When I was registering my china at a local store, the owner told me that Federal Platinum had Christmas accent plates and mugs but that they were going to be discontinued. If I liked them, she had enough for a setting for twelve. I registered them and am so glad I did. I love the silver filigree ornaments on the white.

Here is the buffet decorated to coordinate. I just put some glass and silver ornaments in a crystal bowl, tied a silver bowl around it and then put it on an upside down bowl to give it some height. I found the sparkly silver branches at Wal-Mart the other day.
Here is a corner of the kitchen that I've filled with an unintended collection of items with the Believe motif. They make me happy to look at them. In years past I've put a small poinsettia in the flower pot, but I thought I might want to put something more kitchen-related in it this year. Maybe some candy canes?

Here are a few pictures of everyday Christmas accent pieces displayed in the hutch. I've accented with cedar and berries again, along with red ribbon.

I love these whimsical Santa frames for the children's Christmas card pictures. Would you believe that I got them from Wal-Mart?
All the ornaments that the kids have made grace this tree in the playroom.

Here is the mantel in the den. I kept the same arrangment from the fall, simply changing out the mini pumpkins for red ornaments.
When I read the Nester's tutorial for a fabulous garland, I had already hung mine and was too lazy to take it down. Instead, I added some fake berries and feathers (Wal-Mart strikes again) and then tucked in some cedar and natural berries from my yard.

Thanks for dropping by! Good tidings to you and all of your kin (or kids, as Emily Anne likes to sing it!)!