My Little Cozy Christmas

 

After dealing with the flood in my house and having to move out for a month and then back in again right before Thanksgiving I was so exhausted and sick of boxes and unpacking, etc…..I didn’t think I’d have it in me to do any Christmas decorating at all.  And with the passing of my beloved father – there’s definitely a lacking in the air this year.

But, when it came right down to it I just couldn’t not decorate.  We didn’t do it the weekend after Thanksgiving like we normally do – we gave ourselves a break.  But the next weekend we hauled more boxes out of the attic and began unpacking and decorating……starting with the front porch.

I always love a cozy entrance and to me garland and a wreath always does the trick.

I put artificial poinsettias in my pots and embellished them with these metal Christmas picks my friend, Barbie, gave me last year for Christmas.  (Thanks, Barbie!)

I added my age old sleigh…..

and filled my basket with Christmas greenery and berries.

In the entry good old Santa and a Christmas tree greets guests as they walk in the door.

And, of course, I embellished the stairway with greenery and gold.

Just inside the front door I added two more trees where I normally have my ferns and embellished the candleholders with Christmas greenery and a bow.

The landing – with my antique stroller than stays there year round – is the perfect place to use these cream poinsettias and Christmas birdcages. 

Here’s a view of the entry from upstairs.

Normally I have two trees in the dining room, one in each corner, but this year I just didn’t have it in me to add those.  So I put extra detail into the table and other places in the dining room…..

And it still looked Christmas-y and festive even without the trees. 

In the den we always have a tree in the corner of the room along with my Christmas Teddy…..

And extra Christmas touches here and there….

Of course, we had to have a tree in the family room, too — it’s our main hang-out area after all.  (I should have turned off the TV in the background for this picture….oops!)

This year I opted for a slim line tree instead of my bigger, fatter one that I’ve used for years.  We had to do a little rearranging with the tree this year and the new spot wouldn’t warrant a larger tree.

I was worried about it being too wimpy to be our main tree, but I actually like it…it’s much less cluttery.

Gotta have the stockings and greenery on the mantel.

I love this Santa book box I got in New Braunfels.  Adds a nice cozy Christmas touch.

On the breakfast nook table I added all different sized Christmas trees like last year.  Kind of looks like a little Christmas tree forest.  (The only reason this is feasible is because we hardly ever eat there!)

Greenery and pine cones on the chandelier for fun…..

And greenery and berries on the pot rack.

Just adding a small touch of Christmas décor to your existing decor is easy and cost effective and it sure adds that festive vibe.

And that festive vibe is a good thing.  It’s been a challenging six months, but I still have so much to be grateful for….. especially the reason for this wonderful season.   Decorating the house just brought the spirit of Christmas to our home and it’s just what we need right now.

I want to always count my blessings in the midst of life’s challenges….what better time than Christmastime.

Happy Decorating!!!