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The kitchen, the heart of the home is such a special place, and especially so at Christmastime. As we enter the last full week before Christmas, I thought I’d share a few snapshots from my kitchen and dining room. It’s not heavily decorated, but enough to make it festive!
We will be hosting on Christmas Eve, so I’m also getting my menu plans in motion. I have to abide by the family traditions, of course, so figuring out what to serve is not hard!
Continue reading “My Christmas Kitchen”The temptations at Hobby Lobby are almost unbearable! ALL that beautiful Christmas decor pulls me into imaginative thoughts of turning my home into a scene from a Hallmark movie! I recently had to talk myself out of purchasing a giant, adorable sign that was shaped like a cocoa mug with cute wording on it.
“This would be so cute on the back porch near the fire pit!”
“We aren’t out there that often in the winter.”
I could put it on the front porch, too!
It’s not Christmas decor – I could use this all winter.
“Then where will I store this giant sign after winter is over?”
At that point the sign was placed back into its spot on the shelf. The thought of having to find space for storage was all I had to consider. I don’t want to keep buying stuff to make my home feel wintery and/or Christmas-y. I want my decor to be more conducive to the season of winter, adding little touches of Christmas and the birth of Christ. But we all know that the pull to keep buying pretty decor is strong and real! I have learned in the last few years that the best way to decorate is to decorate for whatever season it is and engage all the senses.
Continue reading “Winter Decor Inspiration”
Welcome to my home! Come inside to take a peek at some glimpses of my Christmas decor.
I added some little stacks of ribbons to embellish our stockings.
Fresh cut greens from my yard mixed in with artificial greens cover the mantle. For some twinkle, I added a simple strand of white lights.
On my kitchen island I have a collection of salt and pepper shakers my husband has given me over the years. Putting them all together in one place makes a greater impact than scattering them all over the kitchen. They just make me smile! Do you see Santa’s boots sticking up on the back side?
A tiny tree accented with blues stands on my desk in the craft/guest room.
My bedroom mantle has all fresh greens from my yard and a pom-pom garland found at Hobby Lobby this year.
There are other touches in the house, like my big Christmas tree in the family room. Most of the lights are still lit, but a couple weeks after we put it up, about 1/3 of the strands decided to go out! Sadly, we’ve been dealing with illness at our house, so replacing the lights was NOT a priority! Sickness also kept us from our scheduled vacation. We have been home where my husband has dealt with Covid for nearly two weeks. We thank the Lord that he is doing better each day!
I’m sharing this to remind each of us that we have to remember when we’re perusing the Internet that those that post pictures choose to highlight the best parts. No one’s life is always steaming cups of hot chocolate and snow flakes gently falling outside their windows. Life is hard for everyone at different times. That’s why we needed the Christ child born in the manger! He came to rescue us from our sin. He came so that we would have a way to the Father. He came to give us life – real life, eternal life with Him forever.
So if your lights burn out, your plans get changed or other hardships come during Christmas, keep in mind, that we live in a broken, fallen world and rejoice that we have something so much better than all of that – we have Jesus.
Merry Christmas! Let’s enjoy this special season, no matter what disappointments come. Christ will never disappoint.
Happy week before Christmas! I’m posting pics of our house this year, albeit, my house is NOT the overdone, beautiful Christmas showcase. There are a couple reasons my decorations are minimal. First is because my husband and I took two weeks vacation in December. Therefore, we’ve been gone a good chunk of the month. Secondly, I’m really scaling back on my holiday decor, and instead am trying to simply decorate for the season as I explained here.
But I do love all the holiday things, and have tried to add a little pop here and there to make the home Christmas-cozy. I’m reminded that it’s more than just what you SEE. I’m hosting our family (Lord willing), so all the smells, sounds and warmth of the season will also be present when everyone gathers! I can’t wait!
Here’s a little tour of what I have done so far…
My kitchen is the hub of our home. The counter just has a runner with my tiered stand. I used my red and green Fiesta Ware cups for my salt pillar and measuring spoons. A little sprig of fresh greenery was tucked in the top. Oh, and baked goods like this sour dough Cinnamon Bread add to the fragrance of Christmas!
My living room coziness starts with this rug that feels like the softest blanket you’ll ever wrap up in! I adorned the mantle with fresh greenery from my yard. I hope to add my white lights there when we return from vacation!
The fireplace in our bedroom adds such a visual warmth. Liza enjoys it, too! My little Memory Tree is a special treasure and the perfect size for a bedroom. My sweet friend gave me this tree several years ago. Each ornament has a special memory written on it – the name of a loved one, a place we’ve gone, or a ministry we’ve served in. What a precious treasure the entire tree is!
Our “big tree” is back in our family room again this year, but in a different spot. I’m in the final stages of redoing this room and I can’t wait to reveal the whole project, but for now, here’s a little corner for you to see. My new rug has pops of bright pink and light blue, so I added those colors of ornaments to my tree and I love it!
You just can’t have Christmas pictures without a Christmas Cat! Liza has adorned our Christmas tree for 15 years. I think she approves of the new room and the location of the tree! The next picture also gives a better view of the colored ornaments I added to our HUGE collection of “special” ones we’ve been amassing through the years.
Our tree is a very full tree, but it’s appropriate because Christmas reminds us how full our lives can be. His Word tells us that in the “fullness of time” God sent His son, born of a woman, under the law to redeem us out of the law and to adopt us as His own. When we trust in Christ, we become a child of God! We have the rights and privileges of a full-grown son! Now that is a reason to celebrate!!
I pray your heart is even more full that all the decor in your house because you know the Christ of Christmas. If you don’t know Him personally, let me just say, He’s waiting for you with open arms.
Merry Christmas, Friends!
Welcome to my home. My Christmas decor is simple – there are no lights outside, no blow-up characters in the yard, but it’s Christmas-y enough for me. Come inside and take a look around! Continue reading “Christmas Decor 2019”
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