I’m joining The Circle linkup at In its Time today, where we’re sharing our Christmas decorations and traditions. Be sure to check out the other blogs participating for more Christmas fun!
When it comes to clothes, I think I have my holiday style pretty well figured out. However, at home, I still feel a bit lost. My holiday décor is an eclectic mix of bargain finds, hand-me-downs, and family keepsakes. There’s a lot about this mix I like, but over the next couple of years I hope to make it a little more cohesive and reflective of my style.
{Christmas home tour}
However, I won’t let perfectionism get in the way of sharing my Christmas home work-in-progress with you.
We bought a real tree this year, a wonderfully scented Fraser fir. I love our collection of ornaments. They’re a mix of childhood ornaments of Aaron’s and mine, several we’ve received since we’ve been married, a few for Jona, and even a couple artistic creations thanks to Jona’s Sunday School class.
Handprint ornament Jona made this year | Jona’s “baby’s first Christmas” ornament
Our living room has some built-in shelving, so I added a few Christmas touches to the existing books and decor.
This year I was so excited to have a mantel to hang our stockings from, and I couldn’t pass up these cute initial stockings I found at Target. (Even the little stocking for Ellie, our dog!)
Every year I tell myself I’m going to DIY a wreath, and every year goes by that I don’t and we’re wreath-less. This year, I picked up this one for $8 (!) at Michael’s. It’s nothing too exciting, but it works until I can get my DIY act together.
My nativity set was my mom’s Fontanini set that she passed along to me. I love getting it out every year and eventually would like to get a little stable for them to sit in. Jona loves looking at it too and always asks to hold baby Jesus.
This year I decided to get a little crafty and make a card holder display. Stay tuned, I’ll share more details about this DIY on Friday.
{Christmas traditions}
I’ve mentioned before that since we tend to be in a different place every year for Christmas (alternating between families), we haven’t really started too many traditions. However, I love traditions, especially for Christmas, so I came up with a wishlist of sorts, for future traditions I hope to start.
{one} new pajamas. This is a pretty popular tradition, but it’s one I really like. I love the idea of giving everyone in the family new pajamas on Christmas eve night, so everyone has new PJs to wear on Christmas morning. We may start that one this year, at least for Jona. I’m thinking about picking up a cute set from Old Navy.
{two} baking day. One of my favorite traditions growing up was baking cookies with my mom, and I hope to continue that same tradition with Jona. I’d like to make a few different kinds, some old favorites and some new recipes (like these salted chocolate pecan pie bars, and make plates of treats for friends and family.
{three} advent calendar. I think advent calendars are so much fun, and I love all the different ways you can be creative with them. I’ve seen Christmas book advent calendars, Bible verses, even beer advent calendars! I like the ones that have a little bit of everything, from family activities to little treats. I’d love to make this sweet, simple version from Jen Loves Kev.
{four} one new book. I don’t buy a lot of new books; I typically prefer to make regular library visits instead. However, I love the idea of building a Christmas book collection, so buying Jona one Christmas book a year sounds like the perfect way to do it. I think I’ll start this year with The Polar Express. It’s such a classic, and since Jona has developed a love for all things “choo choo train” I know he’ll love it.
What are your holiday traditions?
