Christmas comes to my living room

I may be behind in my blog posts, but for once I'm on top of the Christmas decorating. The bay window is decked; the tree is up; and the mantel is sparkling.

Our house has many issues. You've already read about our kitchen challenges; the previous lack of backyard living space; and the ginormous yard full of destructive creatures. We bought a definite fixer-upper plopped in a gorgeous setting with lots of land. It was a trade off that I (mostly) still think was worth it.

But for all the things wrong with our house, it manages to look respectable every now and again. I feel like Christmas is one of those times. There is something about our living room that just begs for a fresh-cut Frazier Fur (oh that wonderful smell!) and some old-fashioned white twinkling lights. It's just so darn... cozy.


Here is a shot of the bay window (it always seems funny to call it that when there's no "bay" in our front yard), decked out in my mini tree trimmed in White House ornaments. My grandma Dilley has given all the ladies in the mid-generation of our family these ornaments for at least 15 years running. They are beautiful and eye-catching and absolutely glimmer in the sun. And, they're perfect for my tiny tree. The glass "present" under the tree is the ingenious work of my aunt Peg. Cute, isn't it?


Our tree this year—very simple, very safe. Knowing my son and his level of discovery/destruction, I went out and bought two large boxes of plastic red and gold bulbs for the tree this year. Aside from a few "anniversary" ornaments at the top of the tree, the rest is all safety bulbs, lights and ribbon. It's a little bare, but I think this year's tree (the branches and such) are the best we've had yet! Apparently Lowe's buys from a rather reputable tree farm. We had every intention of going out and cutting down a tree ourselves, but it was so darn cold last weekend that didn't happen. No matter, the final result is lovely I think.


And finally, my favorite part of the living room—the mantel. If there is a saving grace to our living room, it's our (almost) full-wall mantel/fireplace. I just love it. And with the lights, stockings and some Christmas "stuff" (wish I had more), it couldn't be merrier. Somewhere down the line, I'm going to make or buy a nativity set just like my mom's. It's ceramic, and all the characters are a pearly white. It's absolutely beautiful (not tacky at all), and one day its twin is going to look fabulous on my mantel.


This picture gives you a taste of all those elements put together (but I couldn't get far enough away to have it all in the shot).

Bring on the presents; we're ready!