It’s almost Christmas! Today, I thought we’d relax a bit, and I’d show you what Christmas around our home looks like right now. I walked around the house and snapped photos over the course of ten minutes, so most of what you’ll see today are those candid photos.
We’ll start in the music room.
Perhaps my most creative craft ever, in terms of upcycling, is the piano hammer Christmas tree sitting on our antique radio. It’s subtly festive, and most people probably wouldn’t realize what it is made from.
If you’re my piano tuner, though, this is the sort of decor that tickles your ivories.
He probably does think we’re a little eccentric since our house is the only one he’s ever visited that has a piano harp on the wall.
But look how that metal glows in the late afternoon! That’s one of my views when I sit down to play the piano, and I have zero complaints.
When I snapped this photo, the hymnal was turned to Away in a Manger. Did you know there are two variations (at least) to that song? I find it hard to sing along to many hymns as they are written because I’m not a soprano, but I still enjoy playing out of the hymnal at Christmas time.
Here’s how the side table in our living room looks on any given day in December. My Christmas cactus has tiny blooms, which feels timely.
My son does his homework on the living room couch, so I often find pencils in this area. I’ll probably miss this someday.
Every year, I pull out our stack of Santa’s Sleigh books. I have one for each of the states or countries my kids have lived in. They loved these books when they were little. The books helped them feel connected to the people and places we had said goodbye to each time we moved. I’m saving these books in case I ever have grandkids to read them to.
You’ve seen most of our living room on the blog already, but not every corner looks like Christmas threw up on it.
A single wooden tree adorns this table in one corner of our living room. I recently redecorated this spot and felt zero desire to drastically alter it. A reader sent me some dried lavender, and that’s happily displayed in the wall pocket.
I wasn’t going to display anything Christmas-y in the kitchen because the rest of the house felt pretty busy, but I’m glad I hung this wreath on the wall. It feels like it could work for winter, not just the holidays.
And winter was in full effect on the day I snapped this photo. Our deck resembled an ice skating rink! I decided I didn’t need to use this door on this particular day. I like my bones not broken, thank you very much.
Cold weather and the numbers on the calendar aside, it wasn’t quite feeling like Christmas time until this past weekend when Frosty the Snowman himself visited New Jersey.
We woke up to this magical scene. It was like living inside our very own snowglobe. Even the trees looked lovely.
Speaking of trees, have you heard of stick season?
I hadn’t until we moved to New Jersey.
It refers to the time of year in New England and places like New Jersey when the trees have lost all their leaves. Instead of a lush green backdrop, your view becomes dreary with brown and grey sticks as far as the eye can see.
Stick season looks a whole lot better with a dusting of snow. One of my neighbors said to me, “I’ve been waiting for this.” Same, dude. Same.
Now that it feels like Christmas time, the question is, am I ready for Christmas?
I think so! As the Chief Orchestrator of Christmas Magic in this house, I’ve discovered I enjoy the holidays much more if I’m not rushing at the last minute to “get things done.” I’m also much better at saying ‘no’ to things that drain my proverbial well dry than I used to be.
We have some fun things to look forward to yet this Christmas season, and I’m eager to soak it all in.
Are you ready for Christmas? Let me know! You can comment on this blog post, email me here, or reach out via direct message on Instagram or Facebook.
Happy Christmas!