I'm SO excited!

I really, really wanted to have Christmas at home for our first year in the new house. Not an easy trick when family is spread from coast to coast.

But, that's exactly what we are doing, and we are going to host a Christmas afternoon desert party just to liven things up! So, I've been decorating.
Tree will come in last since we do a live one and try not to keep it in the house too long before it goes outside to be planted, but most everything else is done.

This is the view as you come in the front door:


I like how the garland looks draped in front of the two little windows on either side of the fireplace.

The white lump in front of the patio doors (to the right and sorta behind the table) is all the tree decorations covered with the table cloth I use as a tree skirt.






Pretty much my favorite part of the decorating is getting out my crystal tree forest. Most of the trees were collected by my mother-in-law. I've added a few more, especially last year when everything was in storage and they were all we had for Christmas decorations. I've learned ebay is a great place to find them.

A few tiny green balls in the bamboo and it becomes part of the decorating scheme too, as does the fiddle leaf fig with some big red bows added. It had to move away from the patio doors to make way for the Christmas tree.


In the window to the right are my tumbling Santas that I bought when my kids were little! Let's see, Jeff's almost 41, guess I've had them a while.

When it's night, the candles are lit, and the lights above are on dim, this will sparkle! Other than 3 lace trees, everything is green and white crystal & I stuck with that theme for the ones I bought. I like that Ruth's and mine are now mixed and no one can tell which are which.




This tree moved from the corner to the base of the steps to give the top-heavy fig a safe place to live for the duration.

Amazing what a bow and a couple of oversize balls can do to make a tree look holiday-ish.


These two balls were part of the group that hung in my library corner in New Mexico. Everything the last year there was Silver, Green & White.




Since I'm such a sentimental goof, I have some stuff that's old, really old.




My little Charlie Brown tree for instance is a twig tree, all brown and homely. It has tiny ornaments and bows, and every year it gets stuck in a big box after Christmas without removing any of the stuff. Next year - just pull it out and it's ready to go. I may spend a bit of time this year and take stuff off and re-hang it a bit more pretty. Or maybe not.












At each side of the fireplace are the pets stockings - two per side. Right now they are on with scotch tape until I pick up some of the removable hangers that stick on. I love how the clear, oversize ornament looks in the window. For the party we'll light some of the old laterns too.

Friend Yvonne made the big stockings, one for Scottie and one for me. Quite cool. And large enough to hold BIG presents should you want to send me something!



And, yes, the bathrooms get decorated too. This is the half bath downstairs. It doesn't get a lot - just a little tree covered in tiny wrapped packages and a few candles.

Wonder how many candles I can light for the party?













Moving upstairs - yes, I decorate that way too - We have the Christmas cat boxes on the steps.

Think I need to put a big bow on the old highchair and something on the rail.














In our room all I've done (so far) is take down the painting above the bed and replace it with a grape vine wreath decked in silver ribbon and with a single glass ornament in the center.

I may do a touch more in this room, but I like my bedroom quiet, so no reds here.







Guest bedroom has my stuffed moose (or mousse for our old dog) that plays music, and the Christmas bear that is his girlfriend. May have to put a bow on Lucy Cat. Nahhhhh.













The guest bath has the oldest thing of all. This is a big pine cone that I decorated when my kids were tiny. It's a bit worse for the years but still stands up if leaned on something, and still has most of its tiny, tiny ornaments. Call me sentimental.











So far all I've done in the laundry room/studio is
put out the box where I store Christmas cards. What? You don't save them? I have maybe 3 years worth, but since the box is full, I'll have to get rid of a few this year.


So, the tree is yet to come in. The steps need more work. Nothing in the master bath yet. Outdoor stuff to be finished too.

But, I'm mostly there.