Author: jennifer

Only those who know me best (or who’ve had the courage to ask) know how much I hate the mantel on our family room fireplace.  The mantel in our master bedroom, however, is another story.  I love everything about it, so of course it deserved some holiday cheer:


I use this garland on my fireplace every year.  I love the rich green color and how it plays so dramatically off the soft blues and whites in the room.

New this year is the gorgeous white wreath made from antlers.  I added a simple silver ribbon near the top.


Did I mention that I love this wreath?  It is just so cool!  Painted white, it’s one of my favorite things.


I added more of my silver wire balls to this garland, making the lights a bit more magical.


I kept the color scheme simple, adding only green and silver to the room.  It makes the whole room feel very calm and serene, which is just what I was hoping for.  I could use more calm and serenity in my life!  (who couldn’t?)


And the family room mantel?  Well, I gave my twelve year old daughter my all-time favorite nativity scene and let her decorate it for me.  I think she did a great job.


And the stockings are hung… it’s really Christmas, isn’t it?  Don’t you just love this time of year?

Jennifer shared here

My front porch is ready for Christmas… garland, wreaths and very long ribbons tied in simple knots.


I’m pleased with the overall feel of the porch.  It makes me smile when I’m backing out of my driveway or coming home.  I love the deep green and the bright red against the white of our home as well as the simple drape of the garland and wreaths.


I hope it makes someone smile and think happy Christmas thoughts when they drive by and see it.  I guess it’s my “Merry Christmas!” to the world.

Do you like it?

Jennifer

With all of these thoughts as my guiding principles, I approached my Christmas decorating this year with a main objective in mind.  I wanted a few magical spaces that would make us want to be together, doing simple things, appreciating simple blessings.  One of the most obvious is our evening meal together, so I tried to think of a way to make gathering at the kitchen table a special experience.

This is what I came up with:


I bought four strings of white lights on white wire and hung each of them in a corner of the room, then brought the ends together and wrapped them around the light fixture over our table.  I already had little hooks in each corner from this event more than a year ago.  I wrapped some gauzy fabric around the mess of lights in the center and hung some glittery bells beneath it.


A couple of years ago I bought these cool little wire things.  They’re made from very thin wire, all crinkled up and formed into a ball.  You just work a light bulb through one of the holes and they stay on (unless your teen-aged son gets his hands on them or your one and two year-old girls decide to unravel them).


These little balls are what make it feel magical.  They add an element of drama to an otherwise plain string of lights.  I love the way they glisten and soften the effect in the room.


I keep them on all day.  They’re so pretty that I {almost} forget how much I hate living at dusk.  When my children walk in the door after school I watch their faces as they look at the lights and smile.  It’s like they just walked into a backyard party with a canopy of lights, and they love it.


In the evenings we’re not even turning on the lights.  Every night has been a candlelight meal.  With this in the kitchen and the Christmas tree in the family room, we’re basking in the simple gift of twinkling lights all evening long.

So guess what?  I’m not taking them down after Christmas.   These lights are staying up until spring so we can keep our little wonderland for the winter.

I wish you were here to see them.  They really add a bit of magic to the night.
HH