It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

 

Good Monday morning, my friends! Today I am sharing our Christmas home with you. I like to document our house each year at Christmas, so I appreciate you allowing me to share it here. I'll start with our favorite Christmas candle. I have been burning this Yankee Candle "Home For The Holidays" candle for so many years that my children say they think of home at Christmas as soon as they smell it. That is what it is all about, isn't it? Creating simple moments that turn into precious memories for our children to carry with them long after they are grown.

This is our first Christmas in this house, and I had so much fun finding the best places for each of our special Christmas items. Our decorations are special to us; some of them we have had since Steve and I celebrated our first married Christmas together, ahem...some thirty-four years ago! Taking them out and unwrapping them year after year always brings me such joy. 

So, pour a cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa, grab a couple of cookies, and snuggle in! I am happy you are here! I'll start in the kitchen, which I decided is the best place for my Santa collection. As a fifty-six-year-old woman, I am proud to say that I still believe in Santa. : )

My mom had a pitcher very similar to this when I was little, so when I found this online years ago, I knew I had to get it. I think of her every time I look at it. The little mugs came from Pottery Barn.

This precious Santa was a gift from a student in 1994. It reminds me of my teaching days and the joy of those seven-year-olds at Christmas.

Getting artificial Poinsettias from Pottery Barn was the best decision ever. No mess. No danger to the dogs. Just shape and set!

Does that one crooked purple candle leaning out haphazardly from the Advent wreath bother me? Nope. Not in the slightest. Not one. Little. Bit.

This is my spot on the couch where I am right now. This is my favorite place in the house. It is right by the fire, and from it I can see the tree and the bay beyond.

Madison gets us a Danish Christmas Candle that we light every evening. Nicolas is Danish, and this is one of the wonderful traditions he shares with us. In Denmark, families light the candle every morning or evening as a cozy way to bring light to the dark winter.

The tree itself is new this year, but almost all the decorations and ornaments are ones we have collected through the years. Each has a special meaning and evokes a specific memory every time I see it.

Flynn found this for me this year, in memory of my sweet and beautiful momma.

And of course, this is the real reason we celebrate Christmas. 

Thanks for visiting, my friends. Have a cozy Monday, and remember to be still and allow yourself some quiet and calm to reflect and rest this beautiful Christmas season.

Billie Jo