Deck the Halls!

I just love decorating for Christmas.  Preparing for that day when we celebrate the birth of Christ.  I like to color coordinate everything at my house.  Our one exception is that our girls have their own small pink tree (I'll post about that another day!)

I'll start by sharing our tree.  Red and white is the theme, red to symbolize the ultimate sacrifice and white to symbolize a new life that we're given by accepting his sacrifice.  This small, slim tree was great for our last house.  We just never did buy a bigger one, which is perfectly fine with me. 

We bought this one on a budget one year, and have been adding to it each year to try to fill it in more and more.  I started out by using tulips and poinsettias for filler, then bought more poinsettias and some mistletoe for more filler.  It's a sparse tree on it's own. 

Our mantel is filled with berries, snowflakes and candy cane colored candles and candle holders.  I just love the random combinations and how they sparkle and all somehow work well together.  I actually use snowflake napkin rings up there, a single beaded snowflake garland, berry garland, crystal candleholders...
I also have a berry wreath suspended from the mirror.  we have a wreath suction cup hanger, it has worked successfully for the last 3 Christmases!

I pulled out an old unfinished project to put on top of the piano.  The piano was a new addition to our home this year.  I had this red velvet fabric embroidered many years ago to make a mantel cover, but never followed through.  It ended up being a perfect no-sew topper to protect the piano, and Christmas cards are sitting nicely on top.

I love to take time to prepare for a celebration each year.  We have been given such a great gift.

²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, "God with us."(Matthew 1)