our house at christmastime.

i thought i'd share a few of the christmas decorations that are here and there around our house. as i've written before, this is our first holiday season in a house, so we've had fun decorating this year. i'm a sucker for pretty much all things christmas (okay, except for ugly christmas sweaters or tacky themed christmas decor). but really, i love decorating for the holidays.

here are a few touches of christmas found around the cornwell casa...

- the tree.
we inherited a larger, pre-lit tree this year from my aunt and uncle who were downsizing (thanks, guys!) what a timesaver it was to not have to untangle all of our lights and wrap them around the tree. needless to say, i'm a huge fan. growing up, we had two trees: one that held all of our elementary school and girl scout craft-time ornaments, and one that was my mom's out-of-a-magazine themed tree. although i'd love to have two trees eventually, i try to combine the both of best worlds in ours... the bulbs (red, green, silver, white and light blue) and bead garland give some consistency while the rest of the ornaments are a collection of ours from our dating and married life. nick gets me a new ornament every year for christmas; i love it. bella's got a few on there too, and next year emmy will start her collection :)

- the stockings.
since we have no fireplace mantel, i just took down one of our pictures on the wall and used the nails to hang nick&i's stockings. they were a potterybarn after-christmas-clearance find and i love them. i like hanging them in this corner with the woodstove :)

- anthropologie knock off snow globes.
you can read about how i made those here.

- garlands, of course.
i bought two sets of lit garland a couple of years ago and nick&i rigged them up on our dining room hutch this christmas season. i also found this cute little felt circle christmas garland at target for two-fifty. what a bargain.

- red berries&a vase.
this white vase is one of my *favorite* wedding gifts we got from crate&barrel. i have always had it on our dining room table from the first day we got married. this season i've filled it with some red berry branches i found at target (where else?), sitting on the mod-podged tray i made for bella's first birthday party. this was the perfect centerpiece for the fall and will stay on my table through the winter as well. love 2-in-1 centerpieces!

- christmas wreaths.
for the windows and front door. you can read about how i made those here.

- nuts&cranberries.
every year i've made this simple centerpiece using fresh cranberries, mixed nuts in the shell, candles and these vases i found at walmart. i fill the bottom with the nuts, and then top with the cranberries. usually i set a tealight in the top, but this year i just used some votives i already had on hand. i have them sitting on the windowsill over my sink for a festive touch to the kitchen!

- christmas card garland.
with a strand of twine and some mini clothespins, i created a fun way to display our christmas cards this year. here are a few of them hanging above our kitchen window.

- christmas candy.
vintage crystal dishes (one belonging to nick's grandma, and one belonging to mine) holding my favorite m&m flavors: peanut butter and pretzel... i'm happy to report i think my husband has eaten more of these than i have, pregnancy and all ;)

- nativity scene.
and last but definitely not least, my favorite: the willow tree nativity scene my dad gave me one year for christmas a few years back. mom always picked out all of our christmas gifts, but dad always loved buying one for each gretchen and i that was just from him. and they were always soooo special. i haven't been able to display it since it was kept at my parents house for the years i lived away, but this was the first year i could put it out. very fitting, i think. i love that i have this way to remember him and to display something that he gave me that is so precious.

so there's a little holiday tour of our home :) next year, i hope to add my christmas village that i've been collecting for a while now. i didn't have the time or energy to set it up this year... nor the surface space available that's not within the reach of a busy sticky-fingered-toddler i know.

and while said toddler is still napping, i need to go switch over my laundry. here's to hoping i get through the three more loads waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs... (sigh). merry christmas, everyone :)