With the festivities around the holidays winding down this week, we wanted to take a moment to share a few of our favorite shots from the season leading into Christmas here on the blog. From new and familiar decor, to Christmas Eve on the farm and Christmas dinner at here at home, it's been a full season to say the least — we hope you enjoy!
< + < + < HOLIDAY DECORATIONS > + > + >
In keeping with tradition, Basil (decked out in his holiday best) is ready to kick things off with a tour of this year's decorations:
We kept things simple and inviting on the exterior, decorating with two bow-shaped wreaths on the front doors. I'd found these at Michael's over Thanksgiving weekend and liked how natural & festive they felt as an alternate to the classic wreath shape:
Inside the entry, we displayed a few of our favorite family heirlooms like the snowman picture holder and trio of retro angels among our tabletops and regular decor.
Stephanie came over to complete her annual task of wrapping the stair railing in Christmas lights for us and we nestled the barnwood light trees into a couple dark corners to brighten them up. You may also notice the mistletoe ball hanging from the moulding below — a favorite heirloom from Tim's parents they handed down shortly after we moved into the house:
With almost no time left to spare, we got our holiday cards out the week of Christmas...
...and always enjoy the new greetings that come our way. I like to save the handmade cards from our friends to put out year after year (am I the only one who does this)? In any case, we displayed them in two formats around the house this year — first up, around the office entry using the kitchen twine and clothespins we'd made a few seasons back:
And secondly, we loved filling the reclaimed wooden card stand Tim made last year to showcase the majority of greetings with pictures of our friends and family on our living room mantle:
If you look closely, you'll see our little weim ornament hanging out next to a very old (but still cute as ever) kitty ornament at the base of the mantle stand. I had fun trying to reimagine new spaces to display some of our tree ornaments this year — and this little pair makes me chuckle:
We picked up a real tree this year, displaying it in the living room with more of our favorite ornaments, including a now 20 year old glass globe my best friend DIY'd back in school and the Himmeli style tree topper we made this time last year.
All four of our stockings were hung with care along the mantle, including my very own (backstory here) and the sparkly one for Basil hung along the blanket ladder next to the mantle. It's been four years in this house and I feel like we're just starting to get into our decorating groove with this space — meaning things feel more tied together and familiar as we continue to pull out the decorations each year.
< + < + < CHRISTMAS EVE > + > + >
We spent Christmas Eve in Prince George on the farm. My sister and family were in Virginia this year, so we enjoyed the chance to spend time with them at mom's house:
The weather was dreary, but that didn't stop us from opening up the grill on the front porch and taking in the almost haunting glow of fog trailing in along the land that afternoon:
The house will filled with boisterous sounds of children, smells of steaks on the grill and a sleepy dog who did very well with all the excitement (since, you know, Santa Paws was watching):
I'm going to have to say that this year "Uncle T" took the prize for most popular on Christmas Eve :)
All the kids are entranced with our phones, Virginia in particular played photographer throughout the day. I loved watching her try to navigate the large phone size and was amazed at how much these kids know about technology:
While dreary, she & I walked the grounds in our muck boots and snapped pics/videos of one another for fun before dinner.
< + < + < CHRISTMAS DAY > + > + >
We hosted our fourth annual Christmas dinner at home in the city this year. By the time everyone arrived the stockings had been stuffed to the gills. As an added personalized touch, I'd ordered a set of hand-lettered tags from Erin McCue to pair with each stocking:
With that, you've seen the highlights from our holidays this year. We have big plans to stay at home New Year's Eve, ha. It's been a packed season and we're feeling happy and healthy. As always, we thank you for taking the time to stop in to see us here on the blog and wish you the very best this holiday season and into the new year.
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