Scenes From My Christmas House

On decorating.

I’m so looking forward to Christmas this year. I know that some people find the holidays stressful (and they certainly are), but I also see it as a time to slow down and notice the small stuff. One way that I do this is through decorating. I find myself creating little vignettes of holiday cheer in various parts of the house that make me smile.

One of my favorite spots is the fireplace mantel. We recently installed a gas fireplace, and as soon as I hung the stockings and laced the garland on top, I knew I’d want to stare at it all day long. We’ve been watching Christmas movies with the fire going and it’s been so cozy. Have you all watched “Red One” with The Rock? It was fun to watch with our teenager. Also, don’t you feel like you have to watch “Elf” every single year?

Do you see this swowglobe that sits on top of my mantel? It lights up and the train goes around the Christmas tree. Sometimes when my mind wanders from the television, I’ll find myself staring at it in awe. It’s moments like this when the holidays can make me feel like a kid again.

I have a soft spot for Christmas ornaments, and every year we try to add another few special ones to our tree. This year, it was this sweet little mouse carrying a stack of books. We have so many woodland creatures on our tree! These small little animals have so much personality, and we get such a charge whenever we unpack them each year.

My good friend Sara held a cookie swap this year, and I made sweet and salty Dulce de Leche cookies. They were soooooo good (recipe here), but I left the swap with thirty new types of cookies. What a treat! Get it? ;)

We also threw a Christmas party with some of our dearest friends, and that was a wonderful way to show people we love how much we care about them. Tonight we’re going to see “It’s a Wonderful Life” at a local theater with the kids. Hopefully, they don’t complain that it’s in black and white.

Lastly I’m BEYOND EXCITED to see my little ones’ faces when they open their gifts on Christmas morning. My son always says that the best part of Christmas is the ten seconds that exist between when he comes downstairs and sees the tree with presents and the moment we begin to open them. I love that!

I’ll be taking two weeks off for the holidays, but I’ll see you in 2025 to talk about books, my books and all things reading. Have a wonderful holiday and the happiest New Year. xoxoxo