Bloggers every where are sharing their Christmas home tours, with trees full of homemade ornaments, mantels with swags of fresh evergreen and quilted stockings, tablescapes so perfect and glittery your heart actually melts. Well, I'm going to keep it real and show you what Christmas at our house looks like.
I capital letters, bold face LOVE Christmas. I have totes full of decorations in our attic. I plan all year the projects I want to do, from home decor to handmade gifts. I had a hard time dragging all of my Christmas stuff out this year. We had Renner's first birthday party at home a week before Thanksgiving, so I didn't put anything up until after the holiday which is not normal for me. Then I hosted my sister's shower this week, so I didn't even hang our stockings until after the party Wednesday. I also have a serious hankering for a load of new decorations. I didn't bring out half of my decor... I think I have the 7 year itch with my current stuff!
Another great reason for the scaled back decor? This little firecracker, who is picture above using his farm silo as a step stool to touch the buttons on our DVR receiver. He's already climbing on everything, so I left the Christmas village and most of the breakables in their safe place. I also didn't decorate the bottom two feet of the tree, save his own little area complete with his ornament for this year (a sock monkey baseball player), a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figurine and a soft cupcake ornament.
Are you a gifts under the tree before Christmas type of person? I'm not. Growing up, gifts didn't come out until my mom, dad, sis and I opened gifts Christmas Eve night. My husband? Wants gifts under the tree as soon as that bad boy goes up. What you see under the tree are the gifts he purchased. Oh and I almost forgot! Bloggers are also showing off their wrapping scheme. I love a good wrapping scheme and have had some great ones in the past. Aforementioned husband always has his gifts wrapped at the mall for a charitable donation, so any planned scheme is thrown out the window. And you know what? I kinda like it. I actually caught myself looking for Yo Gabba Gabba wrapping paper for Renner's gifts. While it isn’t his first Christmas, it is the first Christmas he which he will be an active participant.
I usually cover the mantel in all sorts of greenery and floral picks, but this year I not only wanted something clean and simple, but I knew I wouldn’t be decorating until the week before Christmas. I drew a big fat blank. I think all my mantel decorating skillz went to the two parties (more on those to come) and here we sit, with the most clean and simple mantel ever (not quite what I had in mind).
The jars that have been up since the first of November stayed, my DIY chalkboard stayed and my old stockings stayed. The St. Louis stocking was originally Renner’s, but I started filling it up and not much fit. So it became my husband’s (not like he put up a fight) and the plaid stocking I bought him for our first Christmas together became Renner’s. Mine is the sweater stocking from Target years ago (they still make them) and Daisy’s stocking is the sad cheap-o velvet one on the end. I make this vow to you right now… next year, if I nothing else changes, we will all have new stockings.
Is there a wreath on my door? No. Are there lights on the outside of our house? No. I have a few trinkets on my china hutch and book shelf, but that’s where it ends. I’m just keeping it real, folks.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!
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