There are a few things that we place in our house every year. Of course our box tree, but the tree has ornaments that must be on our tree. There are other things that we always have out. Then there are activity traditions. First our tree.
These little men came from John' s brother when he lived in Germany. The detail for each little person is amazing.
These little men came from John' s brother when he lived in Germany. The detail for each little person is amazing.
I have no idea where this ornament came from but I just love how it has an old fashion bulb look to it. If I could find more I'd snatch them up!
This is a Christmas moose that my mother made for us. It holds all of the Christmas letters and photos that we receive each year. After a little while I take the Christmas photos and place them in this album that I made. Cut some tag board or cardboard a little bigger than the largest photo card. Cut a sheet of paper 1 1/2" larger than the tag board. Then glue using "Zip Dry Paper Glue" (the best for not bubbling) the decorative paper over top, folding over the edges to the back. Next cut another piece of paper 1/2" smaller than the tag board and glue onto the back. Make 2 for each book (front cover and back cover). Punch holes in the covers. I used my crop-a-dile. I made sure that I wasn't punching too wide or deep so that the photo cards would fit inside. Then embellish to your hearts content. I have two books. One very fat and one very skinny to 
Every year the boy scouts come by and sell fresh wreaths. They take orders in November and are here by the beginning of December. I didn't have any boy scouts this year and so bought my wreath from Costco. I love supporting organizations that do most of the work themselves.
I love having lit candles around at Christmas or most of the rest of winter too. Something elegant and warm about candles.
I really like the look of real garland but can't see using it in the house. So we place more fake stuff up. I think that I need to get holders like at weddings to hold the garland and poinsettias at the correct spot on the railing.
One of our favorite things is for the whole family to stand under the "kissing ball" and give a big group hug. The boys aren't for kissing so we kiss the tops of their heads. They do get really excited when I take the "kissing ball" out of the box though.
The angel came from a friend's mother. She made one for each person who came to her daughter's baby shower. It looks so elegant. I'd love to make a whole tree of just these beautiful angels
These leaves are made from window screen. Find a nice shape leaf. Place it on the screen and trace with a permanent marker. Cut out. Spray paint the leaf gold and then use glitter fabric paint and draw in the lines. We did over 100 one year for our church's women's meeting.
My Mom bought me these Santa ornaments.
And of course we have the traditional break-one-every-year glass bulbs.
Now for some of our other decorations around the house.
This is a Christmas moose that my mother made for us. It holds all of the Christmas letters and photos that we receive each year. After a little while I take the Christmas photos and place them in this album that I made. Cut some tag board or cardboard a little bigger than the largest photo card. Cut a sheet of paper 1 1/2" larger than the tag board. Then glue using "Zip Dry Paper Glue" (the best for not bubbling) the decorative paper over top, folding over the edges to the back. Next cut another piece of paper 1/2" smaller than the tag board and glue onto the back. Make 2 for each book (front cover and back cover). Punch holes in the covers. I used my crop-a-dile. I made sure that I wasn't punching too wide or deep so that the photo cards would fit inside. Then embellish to your hearts content. I have two books. One very fat and one very skinny to 
deal with both sizes of cards. I have these books sitting on our coffee table in the living room. I then alphabetize by family's last name and place their photo next to the previous years' photo. It is wild to see how much families change in the course of a year.
I buy poinsettia's every year. By the time Christmas is over the kids have broken most of the leaves off and they are dry. This year hopefully I'll do better watering them.
Every year the boy scouts come by and sell fresh wreaths. They take orders in November and are here by the beginning of December. I didn't have any boy scouts this year and so bought my wreath from Costco. I love supporting organizations that do most of the work themselves.
I love having lit candles around at Christmas or most of the rest of winter too. Something elegant and warm about candles.
These little houses have candles behind them. The only snow I'll get around here on Christmas.
I really like the look of real garland but can't see using it in the house. So we place more fake stuff up. I think that I need to get holders like at weddings to hold the garland and poinsettias at the correct spot on the railing.
One of our favorite things is for the whole family to stand under the "kissing ball" and give a big group hug. The boys aren't for kissing so we kiss the tops of their heads. They do get really excited when I take the "kissing ball" out of the box though.
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John and I received this very unique gift. It is a box of Frankincense and Myrrh's. The Frankincense is the white and the Myrrh is the dark reddish brown. If placed on something hot such as a stove and burnt if gives off a smell. I prefer scented candles myself. I like this because it gives a picture of what Jesus's parents received from the wise men.
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without our music. I by another disc every year to add to our repertoire. I love having the music on, a clean house and cookies in the oven. Unfortunately this happens only once a Christmas, kind of like a blue moon. The kid's rooms are for another post.
What does Christmas look like at your home?
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