Posted inChristmas Decorating House Projects

‘Tis the Season to Decorate!

December 18, 2010

Of all the holidays, Christmas is by far my favorite time to decorate. We got married on Dec. 20th, so we actually spent our first Christmas as a married couple in St. Lucia! That was really fun, although it didn’t truly feel like Christmas – since we were on a beach, it was about 90 degrees, and we weren’t with our families.

So last year, we set out on buying our first Christmas decorations. We had a limited budget to work with, but decided to skimp a little bit on Christmas presents in order to get some real decorations in our house. We found the wreath above the mantel at Tuesday Morning while visiting Jason’s parents last Thanksgiving in Starkville, MS. I wanted a wreath that matched the colors of our living room, that also had lights already in it.

Since our wedding was at Christmas time, we were able to re-purpose  some of our wedding decorations. Like this little gold tree for example. At our wedding, we used it as an alternative to a guest book. We had little cards that people could write in and hang them on the tree. Also, the dark green satin under the gold tree is actually a chair tie that we used for the 8 high boy tables at our wedding. They have come in quite handy…Unfortunately, the one sad thing is that the gold tree has lights that are broken this year- half of the tree blinks! I can’t figure it out- so for now, the tree is unlit :(.

On the mantel, we wound lights through two garlands and tied them together in the middle rights under the wreath. We used a three way power strip to get all the lights hooked together. I love how this looks all lit up with a fire!

Here’s our Christmas tree all lit up at night! We bought lots of red and gold Christmas ornaments last year and sprinkled in some ornaments from our childhood and the many ornaments we got at our wedding!

On the coffee table, we wrapped red berries around some candles that we use year round, and added a little fake snow. The only flaw is that you can’t turn on the fan – or else snow flies everywhere!
Above the piano, we used three vases that were used for decorations at our rehearsal dinner. Under the candles is a swag that Jason’s mom gave us (she said she got them dirt cheap after Christmas – so I may be looking for more after Christmas this year). Then under the swag is more green satin chair ties and we sprinkled some little ornaments in the swag as well.

 On the day of the wedding, three of my aunts threw me a “Nutcracker-Themed Bridesmaid Luncheon”. As a gift, they gave me this cute Nutcracker (which now sits on our entryway table). The ornaments in the bowl are just extras that didn’t fit in the tree.

On our console table, I AGAIN used the some green satin chair ties, put another swag on top, sprinkled in some small ornaments, and displayed one of our  nativity sets – one of the cool things about getting married at Christmas is the Christmas decorations you get! I also put some scented pine-cones in the vase from Michaels we filled with fall decor in this post.

 In the guest bedroom, we displayed some candles (that I got discounted from a fall sale) and candle ring (that I got last year at an after Christmas sale) on a gold charger.

 Also in the guest bedroom, we have another very similar little table setting with another beautiful nativity we got as a gift, displayed with the bow ties, a swag, and some ornaments.

In the kitchen, we got a table runner and a candle/flower arrangement from T.J. Maxx – I love that place! We also got some gold chargers to make our white dinnerware look more festive. Plus, there’s nothing like some Yankee Candles to complete the table. I have Mistletoe (green candle) and Sparkling Cinnamon (red candle). I’ll probably wait til after Christmas to get some new cheap Christmas scents.
So that’s it! I love decorating for Christmas – and the added bits of Christmas spread around the house do make the holidays that much more special. As for the outside of the house- I’m still working on Jason to put some up for me…. 

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