christmas gallery wall.

i love christmas.

everything about it.  this warm & cozy season just warms my nostalgia-loving-heart.

i really enjoy decorating for christmas.  our tree, anthro inspired mason jar snowglobes, my beloved nativity and lots of cranberries, candles and lit garland.  i also have collected a christmas village over the years, but am waiting to set that up until little hands won't be so threatening.

this year, i wanted to incorporate more pictures into my christmas decor.  i've been wanting to put out old christmas photos from years past for a while now... i want the girls to be able to look back at pictures of them as they grow up (hence the nostalgic-loving part).  and truthfully, we have some really great photos that i just couldn't wait to get out.  one in particular that is ellen-worthy (you know, the kind that ellen degeneres features on her show because they are that hysterical?)  just wait.

i didn't want to make new nail holes in my wall... and i really didn't want to have to rearrange all my existing decor, so here's the solution i came up with:

i took our existing gallery wall above our couch and just switched out photos.  the large picture in the center was one taken by a good friend of mine for our first family christmas card.  here's a closer look of the others:

i wanted a word on my wall, so this is what i came up with.  i used an oval frame and just traced a piece of cardboard to fit.  i glued a white sheet of paper to the cardboard and drew the word "peace" with a thin black sharpie.

i am a *huge* fan of norman rockwell.  especially his christmas and holiday themed stuff.  i just love the bright colors, the vintage-ness and the sentimentality of his prints.  they just make me feel happy.  i bought this old saturday evening post cover at an antique bookstore on the coast a few summers ago.  it's my fav.

i also found a big book of norman rockwell's christmas prints at the christmas tree shop a few weeks ago.  it was only seven bucks and i figured i could cut out some photos to use to decorate.  there was a large village scene that i used in several frames around the house (i loooove christmas village scenes!).  the photo above it was a shot of bella her first christmastime.  we were living in texas at the time and one of our favorite traditions was going to a small little town (grapevine, tx) to look at their lights and christmas displays.  this is one of my favorite photos of bella's little face lit up, looking at the lights.

this photo was also of bella's first christmas, in her fancy little christmas dress at the mall visiting santa.  i love, love, love this picture.

i didn't really have anything that fit this frame, so i lined it with tissue paper and cut a norman rockwell photo to place in the center.

and, finally... (drumroll please)... this is the ellen-worthy photo.

is it not?  bella and her cousin, jude, were not so thrilled with their visit to santa last year.  bella was screaming and jude sat wimpering as his finger went further and further up his nose.

doesn't get much better than that, folks.  seriously.  the best santa picture ever.

there is my christmas gallery wall!  i love it because it's full of memories.  can't wait to add some photos of miss emmy's first christmas next year!

happy christmas decorating!