Our Holiday House

Welcome to our winter wonderland. Would you like to come inside?



I'll take you on a tour.



Is it overboard? Yes. Of course.

Wait, I can explain...

Disclaimer: My mother, Jantastic, used to decorate people's homes for Christmas as a side business. She's good, people. She has wicked wreath-making skills, she's a bow wizard and she just has a great eye. I asked forced her to come help me again this year. We changed things up quite a bit from last year! But, I didn't really buy anything new. We just re-arranged and used more creativity. Plus, the house just looks a lot more complete and 'lived-in' now that we've been here over a year.

More disclaimin': I have NO idea how I came to acquire so much Christmas loot! When we got married, all I had was a nice collection of ornaments that my Grandma had been adding to (more to come on the meaning of my ornaments in another post). So, I think between my Decorator Mom and Has-It-All-Mother-in-Law (the woman loves a bargain), I somehow ended up with a bunch of decorations. I am not complaining. Not one bit :)

I will confess that I bought some things myself with my hard earned dollars. I think everybody needs a few good Christmas basics of their own like a quality tree, nice garland, a couple of wreaths, lots of lights and solid-colored ball ornaments. With those in hand, you can do anything!

Okay, I've given my disclaimer. Just didn't want y'all thinking I was some kind of freak that spent all my paychecks on glittery things.

Let's return to the tour, shall we?




So, this is the entry table. I used my sparkley trees here because I like 'em so much. They look nice with the pears, I think.


The runner was a new addition. Thank you, Target!


I was almost 100% sure these glitter candles would have ruined in the attic over summer because I put them up there like a total idiot! My Halloween ghost candle was a glob when I pulled those decorations out. But, I wrapped these so well they stayed in tact. Lucky me!

I just set them on a cheap gold charger and set a few cheap gold ornaments around.



To the left of the entry is our dining room. I really like this way this turned out. We decided to play up silver and a little green in this room.


The table decor was ALL my idea!! I saw something more elaborate in a magazine, and glittery deer are so popular this year. But, every time I saw them in stores they were like $20 a piece! No way! But, Target had these that were ornaments that stood on their own. $3 is more like it. Once again, thank you Target!


Up close and personal with that deer. Did you notice he is missing an appendage? I didn't when I bought him. Oh well!



This is our china hutch. Mom, once again, proved her mastery on the top of this.


I already had all of this stuff. I got lots of clear glass pieces as wedding gifts, so we decided to utilize as many as we could. We filled 'em with fake snow.


I wish I had taken step-by-step photos of my Mom making this. She brought 2 old wreaths from her house and just tore them apart and started all over. She combined some things, used some stuff I had from last year, and in a few minutes, she had made this! Wreath genius, I tell ya.


This vase was just sitting empty in the corner. Mother Jantastic didn't like that. So, she filled it. So simple and sparkley. That corner really does look better now :)



OH, I just love this!!! It's my hubby, Keith's woodland tree. He had this in his room growing up, so some ornaments have been his and some are ours from our collection.


It has anything to do with nature: animals, outdoor activities, Santa on skiis, etc.


Now, moving on to the main event: The Christmas Tree.



Ta-da! Oh Christmas Tree, how I love thee.


The candy canes are a new addition this year. Found 'em at Pier 1. That store is a slice of heaven.



Mom knows how to work with that holiday mesh ribbon you see everywhere in stores, she just tucked it in and fluffed it up. It really makes the tree look full.


Tree topper. We are big fan of picks in my family.



Next to the tree is our entertainment center. We took everything that was in it out and decided to re-decorate the whole thing to be more Christmas-y!


This is our nativity scene. It was a Christmas gift last year from Keith's Grandma. Oh my goodness, I just love it. Each piece is really beautiful metal. It was Keith's idea to put them in this spot. That was his decor contribution!!

Sometimes I stare at the nativity instead of the TV :)




I had totally forgotten about that red frame. It made me really happy when I found it in my box of loot. Like a forgotten little gem!


More festive stuff on the shelves.


Moving right along to the fireplace and mantle:



I think this may be my favorite area.

I bought the Santa canvas scroll last year but put it somewhere else. This time, I think he looks really fab up there in the spotlight. Santa likes being front and center!!


The decor was simple and easy here, too. This was my idea and I'm quite proud!
I used more wedding gift crystal and glass and filled them with small bulbs. I had to get just a couple more boxes from Michael's to fill the vases up, but they had them on sale for like $2 or $3 a box, so it was a cheap investment that really went a long way.


Then we added a few solid-colored bulbs to the garland.


I did break one of the tiny gold ones when I was dropping them in here. And, I cut myself. Decorating is sometimes painful.


Here are a few other small areas around the house:


To the right of the mantle, beside our couch. I filled a bowl with these really elaborate fruit ornament things (I think they're fruit?).


A little simple coffee table addition. I used a large silver platter, 3 glitter candles and a wreath from Michael's that already had red berries, pinecones, etc.


The view from the living room. Don't lights give everything a cozy glow!?


Now, let's walk to the kitchen...


This is our breakfast area hutch.
Penny (my Mother-in-Law) recently gave me that oh-so-cute red platter with the J on it. I'm in love with it. We added a wreath to the top of the hutch and this was done.



On top of the fridge, I added a few picks to our little piggy.

He likes it.



And this is behind the sink. Seeing this ski picture every time I'm in there makes me want to head to Keystone and hit the slopes!

I used a simple red place mat, turned the page of my cookbook to a holiday spread, and added a bucket full of red ornaments.



Dish towel hanging on the oven...

And this is in our front yard!
I got this at a local crafts show, they were painting names on right in front of you.

I hope you enjoyed the tour. I had fun telling you about it!!

Here are a few pictures taken 'behind the scenes' while decorating:



My Mom. Jancredible! Jantastic! Janerrific!


See the pipe cleaners? Those are essential!


Don't worry I helped her. She didn't do all the work!


Tree decorating with Keith. We saved this until the end and did it together.



Keith with his dentist Santa that I found in San Diego.

We had so much fun opening them up and ooing and ahhing over them. We'd seen them before, but it's really fun pulling them back out of the box!!

Merry Christmas, friends!

"For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor
Mighty God
Everlasting Father
Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9:6