{decking the halls!}

here are all of my decorations out of the boxes. i have to get everything out ever year and assess it. which is funny because rarely do i actually buy new decorations. it is basically the same stuff every year! but anyways – there are a couple of new additions. anyone spy my made over wicker lamp and candle sticks?

this replaced my thanksgiving vignette. i love my willow tree nativity scene but i’m thinking it is time to start adding to it!

i used silver deco mesh (isn’t that stuff just so fetch? yep – just threw in a mean girls reference. what?) under the nativity scene and tied each side into a little ornament adorned “bow”.

i put most of my decorations on the china hutch this year, including the yarn pom pons i mentioned a few days ago! admittedly the top still has a long way to go but i’m getting there.

i love love love these pom pons! they are so cute and whimsical. plus every time the hubs walks in he says “it is snowing!”

this is another nativity scene that my mother-in-law lori gave to me last year. it belonged to her mom and is so simple. i just love it.

the silver glittery bird came from kohl’s after christmas sale a few years ago. and the mason jar is currently holding the leaves that we painted silver, just waiting to be adorning a gift!

why hello fun turquoise candle sticks! 🙂 also – the basket was a gift last year and the star is usually our tree topper but i switched some things around this year.

so love these. thank you rhiann for forcing me to paint them before you left. because i probably wouldn’t have done it!

my cacti got plunked into some white snowflake buckets i got in the target dollar spot a few years ago.

my husband and i are kind of obsessed with hot chocolate. we even have special christmas hot chocolate mugs. the boot was a gift from a friend last year. she knitted (or crocheted? can’t tell the difference…) it for us! it has a plastic dish in it full of candy. because i can always use more chocolate in my life. chocolate to go with the hot chocolate.

speaking of the hubs, he is the “christmas tree fluffer” in our house. he is so good at it. plus he was an only child and he grew up doing it for his mom along with putting the lights on the tree. needless to say, he is very appreciative of prelit trees.

also, you can’t do anything in the floor at our house without a dog in your lap.

see – sadie loves to “help” with the christmas tree.

all assembled!

the dreaded christmas tree skirt. ugh. i have such a love/hate relationship with this thing. i love that it is silver but i hate beyond anything else that if you walk past it glitter falls off of it. not to mention picking it up or moving it. but it is pretty and sparkly at night. so i deal.

all lit up and glowing at night!

a few of my favorite ornaments.

{ps – yes i know i totally have a jewish hanukkah christmas tree. i love blues/greens/silvers and not a big fan of traditional anything soo…yeah.)

another ornament i love but clearly, it can’t go on the tree because it isn’t blue, green or silver. so i display it elsewhere. it was a gift from chris’ grammie and i love it. just not on the tree.

one place i have a hard time decorating is my coffee table. it is long and skinny and i feel like nothing fits on there. so this is what i got this year. any suggestions for improvement?

probably my favorite part of decorating is getting out the advent wreath. the tree, the gifts and the holiday itself is fun but i need something to remind me that the true reason to be in the holiday spirit is the expectant joy of Christ coming into the world.

hubs surprised me by taking a few pictures of the decorations for me and he took this awesome picture. i am so proud of him. you will be seeing this one again in the future! (hint: bible study)

so there you have the christmas decorations in the mclain household!

wait. what kind of fur-baby mother would i be if i didn’t include at least on embarrassing picture of my sweet girl?

probably a better one if i hadn’t included two. but i couldn’t resist!

i’m linking this up with unskinny boppy, where i got the awesome tutorial to take a glowing picture of your christmas tree! come see more beautiful trees!

also linking up at a woman’s haven: shades of the season!

& of course at the inspiration workshop over at gussy sews.

do you have any fun holiday traditions? visit my linky party and link yours up!