The BIG 2014 Christmas Tour

Welcome, welcome! 

I am excited to take you on a tour of our Christmas house.  I love holiday decorating.  I do it for every holiday, but Christmas definitely takes up the most boxes in the garage.

We'll start outside.

When we first moved into this neighborhood two years ago we had to quickly buy some outside decorations.  We have always done lights on the house, but that wasn't cutting it on our street, and particularly on our little corner.  All of our neighbors go all out.  We've slowly added a few things each year.

The skiing pig, the red lights and the green lights were bargain purchases after Christmas last year.

My in-laws bought him for me.  How adorable is a Christmas skiing pig?

Adorable enough to warrant a series of glamour shots.

I forgot to get a close up of the snowman at night, so daylight will have to do.

Once you enter the front door the entry way table is the first thing you see.  I used to put a little tree on it but I've always felt like it was too big for the table so I switched it up this year.  I generally do not put things in the exact same place year to year unless it is something that really only works in one spot.  Our Christmas cards go in the basket.

A close-up of the picture (picture borrowed from 2013).

To the right from the front door is the shelf where we display all of our family Christmas pictures and yearly snow globes.  There are enough spaces to keep doing it until Elliott graduates from high school in 2030.  Yes, I figured it out.

I bought the hat box at Hobby Lobby for something like $2 after Christmas last year.

Same with the big pillows.  They were another after Christmas find, but from Target.  I actually forgot that I bought them and then was giddy when I found them in the attic.  We've had the little pillows for forever.  I'm pretty sure I bought those the year we got married.

The tree!  We had major issues with the lights on the top section this year.  They just won't work.  So we finally gave up and wrapped a single strand around the top.  If you look closely you can see the difference.

All glowy and beautiful!

The new build-a-bears, Holly and Jolly.

The green tree on top was my grandmother's.  I took it when we cleaned out her house.  It is very, very bittersweet to have it.

The whole entry way/living room.  I noticed, after uploading the picture, that my exercise mat was out.  That really bugs me. 

So I took another one.

Looking into the dining room from the living room.

These are hanging in the entry way.

Hanging on the front door.

The nativity we bought on our honeymoon in the Vatican, almost 13 years ago.  It was blessed by the pope.  This is one of the things that is always in the same place each year.

We have had this for almost 13 years and this is the first year I have actually hung the angel from the ceiling with fishing wire.  I was feeling extra motivated.  We have really high ceilings so I might leave her there year round.

The other nativity display.  I found the picture at Hobby Lobby in MARCH!  It was the only Christmas thing in the whole store.  I asked about it and was told they found it hiding in the back.

I am so proud of what I paid that I am leaving the price tag on this year.  Maybe next year too.

This was also my grandma's.  I want to cry when I look at it.  

And my grandma gave me this one.  Strangely enough, it does not make me want to cry.

The dish hutch in the dining room.

On top of the wine refrigerator.

I tried really hard to crop these pictures in such a way that none of the mess and toys and clutter in our house was visible.  I would move something, take a picture and then move it back.  Sneaky, sneaky.  I ran into a problem with the dining room table though.  Half of it is covered with presents for Spencer's teacher, our sitter, my aid, my co-workers and Spencer's sensei.

The runner under the mess is pretty.

The other half is covered with stuff for Elliott's pirate party on Saturday.    There was just no way I was going to move this stuff for pictures.  Just imagine you don't see pirates and gold coins.  Done.

The coat closet door.

A little nook in the hallway.

We had to move one of Ginger's bed to the hallway to put the tree up.  She now sleeps on this bed every day.  In it's regular location she sleeps there maybe once a month.

The pantry door.

The island.  You will notice that I do not show you the majority of the island.  It was a FEMA- ready mess.

Above the kitchen sink.

Between the kitchen and the family room.  Elliott keeps hiding the figures from the Little People Nativity.  He also keeps changing the Santa countdown blocks.  According to him it is 79 days and 43 days (etc, etc.) until Christmas

The family room.  Notice you cannot see the train table or the floor.  Mess.  Horrible.  Embarrassing.  But not when cropped!

The mantel.  I still want to have our names or initials embroidered on our stockings.

The little tree that I used to keep on the entry way table.

And finally, because I don't have pictures of the bathroom, the little tree in Elliott's room.  He was given it in the hospital when he was born 9 days before Christmas.  He is the only one of us with a Christmas tree in his room.  I think it's only fair since he has to fight for birthday attention for the rest of his life.

Thanks for taking the tour!