Christmas Vignettes

At last I think we're ready for Christmas, counting down the hours until the celebration begins. The house has been decorated, the presents wrapped, the grocery shopping done. And best of all we've picked up Daughter J from the airport! I can't imagine a better Christmas present!

Enjoying a quiet evening, I thought I'd share a few of the decorating themes and vignettes around our house.

I have been having fun decorating our new kitchen and especially the island. (I owe you a post or two about the kitchen renovation. I haven't forgotten, I promise!)  We purchased a small tree with multi-colored lights and hung sweets and desserts-themed ornaments. Next to it is an irresistible gingerbread house cookie jar and gingerbread tea towels serve as a tree skirt.

 

In the bottom of the stemware cabinet I placed the salad plates from A Christmas Table That's Casually Festive and a red glass bowl filled with snowflakes, pine cones and holly.

I added reindeer candle holders to the dining room buffet. I love their lifelike detail.

Into the living room, where we set up our main Christmas tree. We waited until J came home to decorate this tree. Pretty glass ornaments lovingly collected in jewel colors catch the light and sparkle as night begins to fall.

 

Hand-painted Kilauea eruption; the Big Island, Hawaii

Hand-blown using ash from Mt St Helens 1980 eruption; Seattle, Washington

On the side tables in the living room and on the French chest in the foyer is the Mistletoe Park village. It has grown in size since I posted it here, just like real villages do!

An easy treatment for the mantel in the family room, but one we've enjoyed in various forms for several years. I like its simplicity against the stacked stone.

Downstairs is a flocked tree, covered with naturalistic and whimsical ornaments. The ornaments we use on this tree have to be sturdier than the more delicate glass ones we use on the living room tree, since our furry ones take the hallway that leads to the stairs at breakneck speed!

The Labs have been known to remove ornaments that catch their fancy. This year it's a prickly raccoon in a striped hat who is frequently found on the floor.

Thank you, my friends, for spending the year with me. May you have a very merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years!