Christmas in the House

The first thing up is those wreaths. That's because I get to them first sitting on top of the pile when I am unearthing the Christmas boxes.  

My husband found the lavish poinsettias at Costco and though I planned to put them on the porch, it was too cold. They really look beautiful in the kitchen.

The view from the kitchen into the living room. I love the evergreen garland. It smells so good and makes up for the plastic tree out of camera shot. 

Here is the living room from the entry way. There is another 30 foot garland hanging over the windows on the right. 

The entry table holds Christmas cards and my little musical Father Christmas that is 40 years old. 

A wider view of the entry way. 

The hearth in its finery. I love the burlap "Merry Christmas" swag. It was made by a friend. 

The Christmas stockings have served my husband and I well. Can you guess which of us is the dog and which is the cat?

My favorite red transferware tea set, just poised for an invitation to serve. 

The dining table with small trees and tall angels.

Getting ready to set the table. 

More window garland. 

And how it looks from a distance. 

The mantel from the straight on view. 

And the side view with the sectional and pillows and blue velvet ottoman

. Can you tell I like looking at it?

Nothing quite like the coziness of Christmas. Hope you enjoy yours!

Indoor To Do List

Dusty summer mantel and  full shelves

A cluttered entry way.

A disheveled office.

 Disorganized bedside stands. 

Thankfully the bed pillows are clean and effortless.

Windows need cleaning to shine up the view outside.

Outdoors, our lovely weeping willow tree.

And a hidden creek.

Back inside, my overladen dressing table--too many bottles.

Dusty shelves and a sweet baby chair.

I wonder if the bluebirds need to do as much housekeeping as me?

Winter Mantel

Exercise helps. So do fireplaces. And sunshine in a vase. Powerful medicine for the winter blahs. 

Winter blue mantel. 

Up close. 

I also have freshly painted walls. They look just like the old paint, but oh so clean and fresh. 

Hoping you all are finding ways to keep the winter blahs far, far away. 

Ready for the New Year

I love Christmas decor, but am always relieved to take it all down and pack it away for another year. My living room looks like it's had a haircut.

The mantel is pared down again. All of the layers and greens are gone. 

It is less cluttered. Just waiting for some creativity to be applied.

For now, this gift is going up there: a picture made of slatted wood.

The reds get put away, the blues come out again.

I love the window wall in this room. Even on a rainy day like today, it lets a lot of light in. I am content to sit and take in all the changing lights and shadows on the walls. 

I can see the forest and the trees, and the rain on the pond.
I am ready for a new year and all the new things it holds. 

Colorful Christmas

The front doors got their new fresh wreaths, and they smell so good.

Inside the entry, the doorways are draped in evergreen garlands. 

The foyer table has our very old Father Christmas on it.  I tend to prefer this vintage fellow to the Santa in the red suit. 

The kitchen window with greenery and stars and a Merry Christmas sign buried under it.  My dried roses from summer are tucked here and there. 

The kitchen goose is pulling a sled with a cardinal. We love cardinals. 

Greenery is framing all the doorways. This picture is showing the afternoon sun, but  it gives a nice view of my wooden ceiling in the kitchen. 

My mantel keeps evolving. I just keep throwing things up there as I find them. 

I found this little chair on the hearth at a thrift shop for $6 in the Spring. 

I found the stockings in Maui, when we first became empty nesters.  They suit us to a tee, or so my children say.

In winter, I change the blue sofa pillows to red ones. They look more Christmas-y and these lodge-style pillows add to the general coziness. 

A close-up on my little chair to highlight the chipped and fading paint. I tend to like imperfect chippy things.  

The plaid candles are new, from Target. I love 'em.  Just love plaid.

This heart is new, too. It has a story. It is a piece of roofing from a house destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Some of the proceeds from the purchase of this collection go to a fund for hurricane victims.

This is mine. Notice the fish tassel on her hat. 

This is husband's. Notice the doggy bone tassel on his hat.  

Some of the ornaments from our tree. A hodge-podge collection from 39 Christmases.

Our tree is 9' tall and slender. That was a mistake originally, but now I like it. It's well-behaved and stays in a corner and doesn't require me to move furniture to find it a spot. 

It represents decades of memories and decorating it is always a quick pathway to memory lane.

 The table gets more natural yule time trappings--twigs and cones and leaves and sprigs of holly berries.

The children put together this village each year,  just so they can pretend they are little and live in it in their imaginations. 

Looking down the village street.

Above, the view toward the fireplace; below, the view toward the foyer and kitchen. 

Deck the halls with boughs of holly. Fa-la-la.

 Welcome to our farmhouse Christmas. Wishing you a comfy cozy, stress-free and joy-filled holiday.