Decorating for Christmas has been so fun this year. It's the first Christmas in our new home, so figuring out where things fit has been a blast. I've tried to keep the purchasing of new decor to a minimum - making a couple new things and getting some ideas of what I might look for at the after Christmas sales.



First, off, the tree. I did buy a new tree this year because our old one was pretty narrow. I wanted one that was just a little taller and wider, so I snagged this tree on super sale at Target one week. They had $50 off a $100 purchase. The tree was marked down from $127 to $105, then with the $50 off, it was just $55. Then I sold our old tree on the local Facebook for sale page for $30, so I came out at just $25 for a new tree! Pretty good in my book!





The pillow on the chair next to the tree is from Ann + Anthony. I won it in an Instagram giveaway last year! She has such great pillows, towels, and napkins. If you're looking for a gift, make sure to check her out.



I perched out Willow Tree nativity in the window on each side of the tree. The boys carefully set it up. No arranging by me!


The wise men are coming from the East, of course!



The snowman by the TV was a Goodwill find last year. I like decorating with snowmen because I can keep them around after Christmas for a while.

I had a specific place we hung our stockings at the old house that just worked, but this year, I needed to think of something new. Enter Pinterest. Russ has been so amazing at making my Pinterest Pallet Project dreams come true!  This was the inspiration for what he created. I adore how it turned out and the place I found to put it. The stockings are from Pottery Barn. Calvin's is lacking embroidery because they discontinued brown thread on their stockings. So, I have a place I need to go to see if they can embroider it.


The cedar chest is usually in front of the window, but we moved it for the Christmas tree. I perched a few cheerful snowmen that I've collected on a family heirloom wooden sled. All of them are pretty sturdy so the boys can touch them.


The little trees were a Christmas clearance find last year, and I almost forgot I got them!  I love the color they add to the end table.



The card wreath is a DIY I shared about a couple weeks ago. It has actual cards on it now, but I wasn't sure the senders wanted their cards featured on the blog.


I just had to snag this FaLaLaLaLa banner from the Target Dollar spot. It adds a little cheer where the boys hang their coats.



I've loved this ladder shelf and all the beauty it brings to our home's dining room. It was fun to switch out the Gs for some Christmas decor. The snowman was made by my niece. The mistletoes are Henry's and Wesley's daycare craft from two years ago. I added a cute snowman and kept the G that I love. The banner is a Target Dollar Spot find during one of my $10 at Target trips, too, from this fall, but I kept it up because I love it. I think I want to make something for Calvin, but I'm not sure if I want to recreate the mistletoes or do something different. Any ideas?



My second purchase this year was this Melissa and Doug Advent tree. I love that it's magnetic and that Henry loves to add the ornament each day.


In the middle of the table, we have a felt advent wreath that my mom got for us a few years back. This is the first year we're really using it. I found a nice, understandable devotional that we read each night at dinner.

This post was motivation for me to get out our snowflake dishes! We'll use them daily until I feel like we're sick of snowflakes for the season! Side note: my table doesn't usually look all pretty and staged. It's usually ridden with crumbs and toys. I do hope to dress it up like this for Christmas Eve and when we host Russ's family for Christmas.




We don't have a ton of decor downstairs, but the boys do love to play with the Little People Nativity. They also have a string of Christmas lights in their room and their little Christmas Pom Pom Trees they made!

So, that's the tour! We don't currently have a wreath on the front door because I used our wreath to make the card holder. I'm holding out on a new one until I have the time to DIY one or buy one that I love. No need to rush into it in my opinion.