I love to decorating the house for Christmas. I love the season, and decorating the house really puts me in the holiday spirit. I use a combination of traditional and modern Christmas decorations.

I love to use pretty green pine garlands on the banister. I have several decorations that I take out and put on surfaces all over the house, such as a contemporary metal Santa and tree.

I have sparkly stars that I like to drape around objects on the walls or underneath the mantle – I vary it each year. I bring out a beautiful crystal bowl that I use once a year for just this purpose: I get fancy glass ornaments and put 3-4 in the bowl, which I use it as a centerpiece on our dining room table. It looks very pretty. Read More »

I am a 36 year old woman who is happily married to a wonderful man and last year my husband gave me beautiful Kitchen-Aid stand mixer for Christmas.

I have wanted one for many years but they are very expensive so I could only hope to get one someday. We are on a very strict budget so I had no hope of getting one last year.

After eating a lovely pancake breakfast we sat down to open our gifts. I was thrilled with my new scissors and stocking full of odds and ends from the Dollar Store, a family tradition is going to the dollar store and filling the stocking till it bursts for under $15.

When we were first married we had a $10 Christmas where we each spent $10 at the dollar store on each other because that was all the money we had. After I cleaned up from breakfast, my hubby placed an enormous box in front of me, wrapped in 6 layers of wrapping paper, covered in dozens of bows and tied with about a mile of ribbon. Read More »

Some of my favorite memories of Christmas gifts are from when I was a child. My mother was a gift on her own, as she was born on Christmas day!

Every year we celebrate her birthday first, by having her favorite meal which is eggs Benedict with mimosas.

We would get up and open our Christmas stocking and then start making breakfast. My sister and I would prepare the meal, and then wake our mother up for breakfast, giving her the rare chance to sleep in.

During breakfast, she would open her birthday gifts. Once her birthday breakfast was finished, and the dishes were done, we would gather around the Christmas tree and each of us would take turns opening our presents. Read More »

Decorating my Christmas tree is like a trip down memory lane. Among my decorations are those that I have purchased myself, some which have been given to me by family and friends, and those most special, but unassuming decorations that were made by my child as he grew up.

While there are some ornaments I have purchased merely for their decorative quality, there are those which spoke to the child in me, particularly a Hallmark ornament of a girl gazing out a window in which the silhouette of a sleigh with reindeer can be seen. Read More »

Last year I was given, by my husband, a couple great gifts! He always has me create a list for him. It sounds silly for a 31 year old woman to make a Christmas list, but considering his memory its always a good idea.

I had the usually things on there (Starbucks gift card, books I like, theater season tickets). But when I found out that my favorite movie “Hairspray” was coming out on DVD before Christmas I crossed out everything on my list and put that I wanted the “Hairspray” DVD and soundtrack.

My hubby came through! On Christmas I opened a present and found the “Hairspray” DVD and a new hair brush! Read More »

My favorite Christmas song is Away In a Manger. The version I like the best from the many many remakes of it is John Denver’s version. This song reminds me of my father. Being very into music, and Christmas being his favorite holiday, my father has a large selection of Christmas music.

They are all usually very well known songs but versions from artists that aren’t as main stream. My father played it for me for the first time when I was little; maybe eight or nine. I fell in love with it instantly.

The simplicity of the song impressed me with the fact that there weren’t a lot of sleigh bells and still had such a beautiful melody. The words sounded like something a child would sing before bedtime and although I am no longer a religious person I still find myself humming this song at twenty-three years old. Read More »

It would be a rambler because of my health I need everything on 1 level and it would be in a very family friendly neighborhood because of my 10 year old son.

I would have a porch in the front and a large backyard so I could have a garden and my son could play safely.

It would be at least 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, a huge kitchen with an island because I love to cook.

A family room with a fireplace.

Ohh Yes lots and lots of windows so a lot of sunlight can fill the home. Read More »

I put up two Christmas Trees in my house. One eight foot tree in formal living room, and a six foot one in the den/kitchen area. Both of the trees are artificial, pre-lit, skinny or pencil trees.

The tree in the formal living room is the more traditional of the two and is decorated with mostly maroon, gold and silver ornaments, with maroon and gold ribbon wrapped around from top to bottom. There are some of the expected glass balls, lots of glittery ornaments in the shapes of stars or angels or snowflakes and this tree has a customary angel on the top of is.

There are also a lot of glass ornaments in the shapes of icicles, and angels and Santa’s. The other tree in the den/kitchen area is smaller and decorated with homemade ornaments and Hallmark Christmas ornaments. Read More »

The week before Last Christmas I came home telling my husband I wanted just ONE thing for Christmas, but I totally did not expect it, I wanted tickets to go see George Strait.

I looked at the venue and it was sold out, there were no 2 seats together, but my husband found a couple single seats available.

He got me a Ticket to see George Strait in Concert, but I didn’t realize it because he had put the ticket folded up in a CD book that he gave me. Read More »

I am now 24 years old and married and have a little baby. A couple years ago my husband (fiancé at the time!) bought me a watch.

I have always loved watches but they either always broke or I lost them.

He found me this gorgeous white gold watch , with most of the numbers (I hate the roman numeral kind!), and it has tiny diamonds on the right and left sides of the face. Read More »