Happy Thursday, friends. It’s good to be back to regularly scheduled programming this week. I thought we had one more weekend before Christmas, but we are just down to one, my friends. My shopping is done, the stocking are hung and the festivities are in full force. I’ve got a to-do list miles long for work, but I’m just trying to knock things off one by one. I’m interviewing some candidates for a job today, and I’m trying to bring one specific project to completion. I’m also knocking off early two hours tomorrow so I can go to a holiday happy hour. It’s all about balance, as I’ve learned over the years.
I chatted with someone today for a story that I’m writing, and it helped fine tune my perspective a bit. She’s gone through some tough things – some of the toughest things, but she was all about the positivity. And you know what, that to-do list that’s been on my mind and all the little thoughts that tend to creep in, suddenly became unimportant. Refocus that mindset, my friends. And today, what brings me joy, is to give you a Christmas tour of my house. I’m savoring each and every moment of my holiday decorations because in early January, my house gets a reset. I put all my treasures away, and my house gets back to business.
My trees
I’ll start with my trees because they are themed. I love this little flocked tree in my office. I might get one more of these for our second guest bedroom. When Aaron and I got married, my mom gifted us a suite of wedding ornaments. And, they all go on this tree. There is a house, a heart, some flowers and other treasures that represent milestones in a home and a marriage. Those ornaments are perfect for this tree!
There’s a closeup of some of the wedding ornaments.
I’ve had this little tree since I was a single gal. The ornaments on this tree are some of my special ornaments that have been gifted to me over the years. It’s my “some of my favorite things” tree. I’ve got a Starbuck ornament, an ornament that someone sent me for Sawyer, the Dallas Cowboys, my sister ornament and more! This one is in one of our guest bedrooms.
And finally, here’s our main tree. This is my Baylor tree. It’s got green, gold, bears and Baylor ornaments all over it. It also has ornaments that Aaron and I have picked up on some of our special travels. My family always did live trees when I was growing up, and there really is something special about them. Aaron and I talked about it, and we are going to do a live tree next year.
I play around with how I do my mantle each year. The lights are a string of lights that I wove in between my garland, but that lighted church is one of my favorite Christmas pieces. My mother-in-law and I bought it in Salado when we were in Belton one year for Thanksgiving. She got one also. I had my eye on another one at the Nutcracker Market this year, but ended up passing. I’ll pick another one up in Salado next year!
My mirror finally got hung just in time for Christmas. This is the Pottery Barn Egan mirror that took its time to arrive. Once it did, it really needed to be professionally hung. So, we had someone come make sure it was mounted to the wall properly, and I really love it in my dining room. I stuck a wreath on it, added a table runner to my dining room table, added some trees and called it a day.
This little guy is one of my favorite pieces to rediscover every year. Aaron and I bought him at a Christmas Market one year, and I love him. Now, I’ve recently discovered that my father-in-law has learned how to make these, and I’m hoping I’m on his list of people to make one for.
Speaking of favorite pieces. This nativity is pretty special. My grandparents would collect nativities over the years. When my grandma moved to Texas last year, she downsized and began gifting her nativity sets. I was the lucky recipient of this one, and it’s a piece I’ll treasure forever.
The Kitchen
I added these bows to my built-ins to add some pops of color, along with a few other Christmas items on my shelves.
Do you even own golden retrievers if you don’t have golden retriever mugs? These are my absolute favorite Christmas items to put out every year. I only have two of the mugs because they were the only two left, so I hope they never break.
Christmas wine glasses are a must. I got these during a white elephant gift exchange one year, and I was happy to keep them!
This is my little bar set-up in the kitchen. I’ve got a whiskey decanter, some festive wine glasses and my wine rack close by!
I even switched out my fruit basket and added some holiday lights around the house.
Here’s another festive light. I put these in some of our guest rooms and the guest bathrooms for a bit of extra light.
And there’s my happy little snowman. He was one of the first Christmas decorations I bought when I had my very own place, and he’s stuck with me over the years.
And there’s my Christmas porch. I’ve also got some light-up trees directly on the porch, but I’ll have to take a picture when they are lit up at night!
That’s a wrap, friends. Enjoy your Thursday!
