Christmas 2010!!

Welcome to my home at Christmas...
This post is basically a remembrance for our family. But since I love seeing everyone else's decorations and finding out why they have that same tired, broken angel in the same place every year...I thought I would show you mine.
I mean seriously how often do you get to tour someone's house who isn't rich or famous? Just a regular gal...
I love Christmas.



A few years ago I toyed with the idea of painting my door red, but I chickened out, and then my dear friend Betsey painted hers red. I admired her courage.....and it looked perfect, so I did it too.
A red door looks good at Christmas, Fall is kind of a challenge...but Christmas rocks with a red door.










More decorations.....




















When Raymond worked in gaming he would do these fabulous giveaways at Christmas time. One of those giveaways were these Santa music boxes, the supplier would give us samples and I have about 9 of them. I put them all over, on bookshelves, tables and the dining room. Every year my sons bring them downstairs, complain about it, take them out of the boxes and complain some more. When Christmas is over they bring the boxes downstairs again and complain....they put the Santas back in the boxes, complain a bit more, and then take the boxes back upstairs...when they come back down they complain a bit more. That works.





Here is one of my favorite gifts, Just look at this! Three great canisters filled with Hot chocolate mix (with a scoop!) snow man shaped marshmallows, and chocolate sprinkles...She added lovely Christmas stickers, ribbon and candy canes. Don't you love this? Thank you Susan I love it! We also need a Bleacher shout out for her daughter Ashley who is also very talented. You can read her blog at Blush and Bashful (http://colorsareblushandbashful.blogspot.com/) I am expecting great things from her, she is very inventive and creates lovely things.


These pictures are just of here and there....I love Christmas trees, and try to make them as unusual as possible. The one in the fore ground is decorated from my herb garden, I put dried basil, oregano and some Eucalyptus. I enjoy using what is growing in my yard. I dry the herbs first, and they not only smell great, they have a lot of texture.


This year the decorating of the mantle really annoyed me. I take forever to put up garland, or design the top of a table, or do anything - not so my husband. He tackles a decorating job with very little emotion so it goes very fast. ...he is in charge of the mantle and it took him 20 minutes to do this, beginning to end.
Every year he suggests a week might be too long to keep the house upside down while I decorate every light, door and table. I wouldn't understand either if I could be as fast as he is...


He did a great job....minute man.









In the dining room are some of my favorite things...





I started collecting these fairies five years ago when my friend Janet Kelly gave one to me for Christmas. I was intrigued by the detail on their faces and costumes, and couldn't resist getting more. In fact I wired a few of them to garland that hangs over the doorway in the den. I would love to show it to you, but our new dog chewed the end of the garland and shorted out the lights. So this Fairy is an example of the rest of them....this one is just bigger...the smaller ones wire into the garland so easily..




Also in the dining room is my Radko tree. When my mother passed away ten years ago my friend Theresa called and said she would rather give me some Christmas ornaments than flowers. So she drove out to my house with some really beautiful ornaments. I have gotten one or two every year since. There is a story behind each one...and each story is precious to me. I think of my mother every time I put up this tree, and Theresa, and the story of each ornament.
It is a very sweet time for me...Christmas is about remembering. I try to just remember good things.






They are just beautiful aren't they? I used gold babies breath and gold berries to give it more texture...














Did I miss anything?


This is why I frustrate my husband so much...I find a way to swag everything within an inch of its life...
These are just random pictures of the rest of the house...the stairs... wrapping that garland around the railing is not easy, but doing it and then finding out the lights have stopped working is cruel.



This is another of my favorite trees, it is always in the entry way and always decorated the same....Red and green balls, red berries, little wooden green and red hearts that I cut apart from a garland (it was so cute but I couldn't do anything with it, after I cut it apart I discovered perfect ornaments) and pine cones, lots of pine cones....
...Oh and as many bears as I can find!! Big bears, little bears...bears and more bears.

























These ceramic figures were fired and painted by my dear friend Cindy...you can see her work all through my house. Of course, when I am putting them up I think of her......don't you love the Santa and Mrs. Santa warming up their rear ends? They are my favorite...
I wrote myself a note last year to do a better job on the Library Christmas tree. And I did, then the cable guy unhooked the lights and I was afraid if I hooked them back up he would have to come back...didn't want that, so no lights on the cool tree in the library.


Just some things on the bookshelves...add a pick of some kind and it softens everything up...
And yes of course I have read all of these books...












My beautiful Christmas tree....filled with every kind of ornament there is. Some from travels, some from great sales, some hand made, some from friends......all with love.
This year we had lots of opportunities to have people use our home. One occasion we moved 3 big tables in and 24 delightful teenagers had a formal dinner here before a dance. On another day 82 student council kids ate baked ziti and laughed all their tension about school away...on another day we had a cookie exchange, and several dinners, including one with Beef Wellington that was amazing. I love having people over, I like feeding them, I love hearing them laugh....it really is the most wonderful time of the year.
















And these are the wonderful people who live here...












Aren't they fabulous? My family, and the new dog. I hope he stops eating my stuff.

Hope you had a great Christmas......my fondest wish is that we will have another Christmas together in 2011!