christmas tour

i love decorating for Christmas. a day or two after thanksgiving it all comes out! although i wish a i could have all my friends and family over for a hot cup of cider, i know that is not possible so i will give a virtual tour for those that won't be in our home this season!

i have a thing for colored themed trees.... this year is blues and silver!

remember this little nook that i loved at thanksgiving? i made it into a spot for the kids to play with a nativity. OH, and my apologies to my dad for not mentioning it the first time.... he made this bench and I LOVE IT! i had it on my porch when i moved into my very first apartment post graduation. on the bottom it reads "who loves ya?" a famous daddy phrase! :)

our mantel: the small red scrapbook is a gift from my mom that captures the special moments of Christmas 2006 (aka: Christmas in the hospital) the ornament wreath looks purple for some reason... it is really silver!
this was my first attempt at making a scrapbook paper tree.. i learned alot from the first one and i think i'll make a whole little forest!
would you believe that it only took me four years to finally get my kids' stockings done. these are crazy quilted.... so easy, and so fun!
this is my FAVORITE nativity!!!
this is our Christmas countdown/advent. each envelope has a scripture to read and every once in awhile an envelope will have a Christmas carol to sing or a fun activity to do. activities include drinking hot chocolate, driving through Christmas lights, watching a Christmas video, wrapping gifts for others, or decorating cookies.

KIDS AND CHRISTMAS:
this is elf on the shelf (can be found at hallmark)... he hides from the kids most days... today he was hiding in the tree!
this is one of three nativities that our kids are allowed to play with. i think it is so important that they can use these to act out the story of Jesus... we want our children to know that THIS is Christmas!
this book has been such a blessing during the holidays. it is full of ideas, stories, activities, and great explanations for the traditions of the season. (examples: baking reminds us of the bread of life, and the lights on our houses remind us of the light of the world).
and, of course, my kids have their own little trees because i have theme issues. they love using these as nightlights. they decorate them all by themselves... check out the bottom left corner of this tree (which is allie's .... mostly PINK an purple)!