Hi friends! I hope your December is off to a good start! It’s been a busy month so far, as December always is, but being new to this community, we don’t have a ton of commitments or obligations this year. If your December is crazy this year, consider moving half way across the country to a place where you know like 2 people and I’m pretty sure for at least your first December, your social calendar won’t be too full ;)
I thought I’d share a little bit of Christmas at our new house! I hate to admit it, but I don’t love love love decorating for Christmas. I love when the house is all done and cozy and twinkly, but the actual manual labor of decorating a tree is just a bit exhausting to me. I do like putting up our little Christmas village and this year I did have fun decorating our smaller tree in our office with my kids. It’s the tree that’s filled with all our family ornaments. This was the first year that the older kiddos were very interested in which ornaments were theirs :)
So welcome! Come on in! If you stopped by, I’d have a pot of coffee on and I could make you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich if you got hungry. You probably would need to dust off the crumbs on the barstools and step over stray Legos, but I would be so glad you were here!
I picked up a little monogrammed door hanger, and now I feel a little bit more like I fit in ;)
I added all our family’s previous Christmas cards on the door to our coat closet. They have since all fallen off that ribbon, so I’ve got to find a ribbon that will work with the tape. I found them all in a pile on the floor!
This year I added some bows to our Christmas decorations. Growing up, my mom would put cute little bows on her tree, but I haven’t really ever used bows. At the nursery where we bought our tree, they also make bows. I went with some bigger ones for the banister and the tree. I had a couple extras made that I ended up using on the tree.
similar shearling booties // minnetonka cassie slipper
I couldn’t find any greenery that was what I had in mind for the posts so I made my own. I gathered together a few faux greenery stems, tied them together with greenery wire {that was wrapped with floral tape so it doesn’t scratch the wood} and then wrapped them with the ribbon to finish them off. I added the bows and attached them to the posts with extra ribbon.
I wanted to do garland down the banister, but all the garland I found that I liked was only 6′ in length {I would have needed quite a bit} and more than I wanted to spend this year. So I opted for the simpler route and just did the boughs on the posts.
Our needlepoint stockings are probably my most treasured Christmas pieces. My aunt needled pointed my stocking many, many years ago, and when we got engaged, my Christmas present to Jason was his stocking canvas. They come in canvases that you purchase and then you needlepoint the entire canvas and then send it in to have it made. It was too much for my aunt to take on in older age, so my mom started learning needlepoint to do his stocking. She has since made my dad a beautiful stocking, and 2 kids their stockings. She’s currently working on stocking number 3 {they take about 3 years to complete} and we already have the 4th stocking purchased and waiting in line. The intricacy, detail and different stitches are so beautiful and I know it was made with a lot of love!
I had some faux garland left over from a couple of years ago and it was the perfect length for our mantle. I filled it in with a few more single faux stems like I used on the boughs.
I found a couple of little wreaths to add to my great grandfather’s scale.
On my oldest kiddo’s first Christmas, I started collecting the Department 56 North Pole villages. Each year I add to the collection and try to find ones that I think they would love. I love the North Pole village best just because they are fun and whimsical and what I would have loved as a child. My plan is to let them pick their favorites when they are up and grown and if they don’t want to, I guess I’ll have quite the Christmas village display! I haven’t picked out one this year because I haven’t found a place that sells them here. I used to go to City Lights for you San Diegans and pick one out, and I may have to order one online this year. I’m going for the Elf Dormitory or one of the construction ones this year since I try to buy one that is representative of that year, and we can relate to dorm living and construction zones!
My kids love reading a Christmas book or two at night. Some of our favorites…
Mooseltoe {from the school scholastic book orders} //The Reindeer Wish //Merry Christmas, Little Critter// How to Catch Santa
The Night Before Christmas //Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree // Christmas Wishes {scholastic}
Does anyone else hate Christmas tree lights???? Why are they so terrible?! My Christmas tree lights aren’t my best this year. I had a super frustrating time with lights that lasted about a week. I had both LED pure whites and warm white lights and I didn’t realize they were different until the tree was about 3/4 of done and my hubby plugged them all in to help {because I had plugged them in on the wrong end and couldn’t plug them in to check them all together…another stellar moment} and on they went…Pure White, Warm White, Pure White, Warm White. It looked awesome. And by awesome, I mean like a silver and gold striped Christmas tree. So off to Target I went to buy more pure white lights. But I didn’t get enough and I ran out. I called all the Targets in the area, and there was one box left. So then I ordered them online after driving to Ace and Walmart to see if they had any similar lights. Are you as exhausted as I am just reading this?!?! UGH! So finally, my lights arrived. About 5 days later. At that point, I basically was just throwing them on the tree and calling it a day, I was so over it.
This tree in our great room is made up of all our Christopher Radko and other glass and crystal ornaments.
similar wool hooked Christmas pillow
This cute Christmas pillow was an early Christmas present from my mother-in-law! We were out shopping over Thanksgiving weekend and found this pillow and she was sweet enough to make it an early present.
Lori Mitchell Nativity
I have been looking for a family nativity set that I loved for quite some time and I found this one at another cute shop in town while shopping with my mom. I just love the whimsical Mary and Joseph. This was the first year this company made a nativity, and they only had one shepard and one wise man, so I decided to start with the key players this year and hope that more is added to this collection next year!
My cute decorating sidekick.
That’s it for now! I’ve just got a couple of little trees in the kids’ rooms and the our tree in the office, and this is the first year we’ve had outdoor lights. Our neighborhood looks so pretty all lit up at night!
And on a side note, some exciting things are coming to Living Solutions Interior Design in the new year!
A new website design is in the works, and will be launching in early 2017 and virtual design consultations & design services to LSID clients will be offered after the first of the year.
An email newsletter will be coming with all the details soon, so be sure to subscribe just to the right on the sidebar of my blog if you’re not already. Your info is never shared, and it’s a good way to stay in touch with all that is going on here at Living Solutions!
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Gina! Your home looks absolutely stunning for Christmas! I’m crazy about what you did at the bottom of your stairs on the posts. So gorgeous! And those stockings! What a family treasure. I love them so much. Your tree looks beautiful, but as far as the lights go.. k.. you are crazy! It’s time we get you a fake tree with lights already on and all set to go! I know it’s not as fun as having the real tree smell, but seriously.. you pop the tree up in 2 minutes and plug the lights in and DONE. Time to decorate. :) I’m coming over next year to help. I prefer peanut butter and honey vs. jelly so be prepared. ;) LOVE YOU! Merry Christmas my beautiful friend! xo
HA! I know about the tree…it may be a fake tree next year. SO over the light situation! It’s totally a deal-next year I’ll make you a peanut butter and honey sandwich and you come and help with the tree! XOXO