Christmas Tour 2013

 Welcome to our home for Christmas 2013

I don't think I have the perfectly decorated house (far from it folks) but I sure do love to decorate and I sure do really love to put up Christmas each year! 

We also live in our home with 6 people (4 of them little) so it's not a showcase:). 

And since our downstairs is mainly one big open room, I really have tried to simplify what I put out since I don't want it to look like my home threw up Christmas decorations.

And I never do it the same which is why I love documenting it on the blog! 

Of course the most fun thing about this season is the Christmas Tree! 

Despite our best attempts to not make Christmas all about Santa, my 6 year old has already written a note to the jolly fellow and left it under the tree:).  Bless it.

 Samuel's crate that he built has been so fun to decorate with the last few months!  I love the fresh flowers, pine branches, and magnolia leaves.  There is nothing better than decorating with nature:).

This is our little entryway and that little holder has all our past Christmas cards (one of my favorite parts of the Holidays!).  I am running out of room on that though and am going to have to come up with something different soon. 

A Dayspring advent countdown and another nativity scene.

I really want most (if not all) of my decorations to point to the Savior and His birth.

Some of my mother in law's Christmas Village that she has handed down to us. 

So pretty! 

 A little Christmas love in the half bath:).

My DIY short and easy Advent calendar.  Our second year to use it and we love it! 

 

What a blessing it truly is to have a mantle full of stockings! 

Never would of thought this would be my reality! 

One more look at our tree!  I just love staring at it everyday.   We started getting real ones about 3 years ago and I just don't know if I can go back to fake anytime soon. 

Christmas Tour 2012

I love decorating for Christmas.  The past few years, I've simplified a little and used a lot of natural elements like burlap and tree branches.  This year, we are in a new home, so I was even more excited about decorating and seeing how everything would fit and work out in the new space!  Our house is very different from our previous home.  It's pretty much the same size (besides having an extra bathroom which was much needed with 4 kiddos) but just laid out very differently so it just works so much better for us! We have truly loved it and are so blessed to be in this home and neighborhood!  We feel like we are just where God wants us to be!

So, anyway, here is our house all decorated for the holidays...

{front porch}

wreaths on the all windows with burlap ribbon.  it goes with the more rustic look of our house and i love it!

just a few pillows on the porch

Front door burlap stocking

 {Family Room}

 Our new house is just one big open room that includes the

 family room, kitchen, and dining room. 

We love it! 

Some day I'm going to use this pic for a post on how this room is decorated with hand me downs, heirlooms, and garage sale finds.  I'll go ahead and say pretty much the only thing we have purchased in here from a store has been the sofa, two lamps, and the tv.   And I'm pretty sure those were purchased with money from something I sold or birthday/Christmas money:)

Here are some close ups of some of the decor... 

 

I really love using the leftover tree branches to stick in random places throughout the house! 

There is just nothing more christmasy to me than the smell of fraser firs.  

 

This is by the front door and holds all our past Christmas cards.  

a pretty full mantle!

Our tree that I could just stare at for hours!  

This is the second year we've had a real one and I'm not sure we will ever go back to a fake one.  

I love looking at all the Christmas cards we have received! 

 

 My holder on the door ran out of room, so I had to start putting more in this little basket...

 Another nativity that I got on clearance a few years ago after Christmas. 

 {Dining Area}

Our new home only has one eating area besides the bar in the kitchen.

I love this.  It is so much more functional for our family! 

Again, things are pretty simple in here.  

You can see a tutorial on my DIY advent calendar hanging over the old windows HERE

Once again this room is full of family pieces, garage sale finds, and my awesome farmhouse table that I had someone build, but then I got to finish it.  You can see that post HERE

I had a hard time photographing this space but I just love the garland up in my chandelier. 

some of our Christmas village from Jeff's mom with some candy cane garland and our 2012 christmas card

I even added a bit of cheer into our {Master Bedroom} this year...

{Half Bath}

a good reminder of what Christmas is all about on the pretty plate! 

{Kitchen}

I didn't take a pic of the whole kitchen (oops)

Always love having little towels out except I have to pick these up a million times a day off the floor because a certain 10 month old loves to pull them off:)

{Kids Trees}

 {Back Covered Patio}

I had some extra decorations that I didn't know what to do with

 and then I realized I could decorate on the back patio.

This is where we walk through from the garage 

so it is fun to have something pretty to look at out here!

I think that's it!  I love looking back over these tours each year.  It's fun to see how my style evolves and changes.   This time of year is truly my favorite, and it's a wonderful time of celebrating and cherishing the ones we love.  This year, esepcially, we are focusing on Advent and what it means that Jesus came to earth for us.  We anxiously await his return and are so so so thankful for our Savior! 

Go check out more home tours at The Nester!