Deck the {New} Halls

I'm one who enjoys sameness.  Sameness is easy.  Sameness means nothing has to change.  Sometimes, though, change is good and necessary...and so it was with our Christmas decorating this year.  Since this is the our first Christmas in our new home, nothing could be decorated the same way that it was last year. 

  
Last year, we had garland around our wrought iron bannister.  This year, we don't even have an upstairs.  Last year, all of the kids shared a bedroom.  This year, there is a boys' room and a girls' room.  Last year we hung a illuminated star in a window, and this year our windows are not equipped to hang things from...and so on and so on.  It's not that these changes are bad, but it means I have to be more creative and not just slap things in their pre-appointed places. 

Last December, we purchased a new wreath for our door and we wondered what to do with our old one.  I am not a saver so I was tempted to cart it off to the Goodwill, but before I did, I thought, what  if we move before next year and we have two doors instead of one?  I'm glad I tucked the wreath back in with our Christmas decorations because we did, in fact, move, and we do, in fact, have two doors.

That part was easy. After hanging our wreaths, the dining room was the next step.  The dining room is small so the dining room seemed doable.  A few springs of greenery, a few pine cones from the front yard and a bundle of cinnamon sticks completed the very simple display of Christmas in the room where we eat and school. 

The living room was much more difficult because the wide open space scared me, but I eventually decided to be content with small touches, rather that go all-out this year.  Brian reminded me that we have years to develop our Christmas look.  It doesn't have to be perfect this year.  When searching for a new place for the old bannister garland, we realized it was the ideal length to hang above our front window and I think it pulled the whole room together. 

This is another wall in our living room.  The plaque and wreath hang year-round, but the little tree hanging from the center Christmas-ed it up a bit!

On the back wall  of the living room, sits our live tree.  Its placement was one of the easiest of the whole decorating process.  It seems silly, but when we were house hunting, one of the questions we asked ourselves at each place was, "Where would we put up our  Christmas tree?" so this tree's spot was chosen many months ago, before we even purchased the house. 

At first I was unhappy with how it looked.  It wasn't until we brought the tree into the house and tried to adjust it in its stand that we realized the truck was crooked.  No matter which way we angled it, it looked like it was leaning.  Throughout the lights stringing and ornament hanging, I commented on our misshapen tree, until Maddie said, "Mama, I think it is beautiful," and I decided that indeed, it is beautiful. 

In our effort to make this new house a home this year, it was important to me that the kids be allowed to decorate their own rooms for Christmas.  Owen is all about planning and calendars, and by mid-November, I was tired of answering the question, "How many days until Christmas?"  I employed everyone's help and we constructed an easy paper chain to hang in boys' bedroom window.  We dated each link and, at the end of the day, take turns tearing off a link, signalling one step closer to Christmas.  Because Gavin's birthday is a another big event of our December, we included a special link marking that, too. 

The boys were link happy so they added another just-for-fun chain to their bunkbed. 

Their favorite aspect of their room is the Charlie Brown tree that was gifted to them by their Papa.  It was Owen's idea to add the blue blanket. 

On a fall trip to the Goodwill, Maddie spotted this pink Christmas tree and the rest is history.  The girls' walls are pink and their bedding is pink, so why not a pink tree, too?  The tree skirt comes courtesy of Alaine's wardrobe. 

The girls' bookshelf deviates slightly from the pink theme, but it still shouts Maddie's personality.  (Alaine was still too little to have much input.)

I hope that by next Christmas, our master bedroom has been beautified, but this year, it is still home to boxes of unpacked books.  That, along with the fact that I have yet to be inspired to hang anything on the walls, means I could not convince myself to decorate it.  The master bath, however, has a touch of Christmas cheer.  You must be jolly while brushing your teeth, you know. 

(And speaking of trees, on December 19, I'll be posting our very jolliest "Gather Round Your Tree" photos.  Won't you grab the button and join me?)

       








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