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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”I’ve been adding Christmas/winter decor to my home like the Lord sends the new season…a little at a time. I’ve found it far less tiring and lots more fun! I’m getting ready – not just for Christmas, but also for a gathering in my home this week for the ladies of my church. I’m hosting my second Christmas Cake and Coffee party! It was so much fun last year, that I wanted to be sure to put it on the calendar again.
We go to all the work of decorating our homes so beautifully for Christmas that it only makes sense that we would open our doors and invite others in. It’s the perfect time to be hospitable.
I have loved having window boxes at my upstairs windows. It’s easy in the summertime to know how to embellish them with beautiful annuals, but when winter comes, I struggle with knowing what to add, aside from Christmas greens.
One day I was perusing Pinterest when I saw an idea that caught my eye. I adapted the picture I found and came up with boxes that I’m loving! They’re like little winterscapes.
Continue reading “Winter Window Boxes”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.
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