Friday 14 December 2018

Christmas Decor

I thought I had started early this year, and in fact I did, but there are still bits and pieces that need doing in order to make the house fully Christmasy. Those outdoor Christmas lights? Two more strands died!! They were brand new! We won't get our money back due to no receipt (that'll teach me), but they will give us a credit for the amount. No problem, we will easily buy more items at the same store.

Here is my home, in pieces.


The village went up pretty early. No new buildings, just a different configuration.


On the next shelf up (same piece of furniture - which husband built) are some of my crocks, and some snowmen and little birds. The "greenery" comes from... (shh don't tell anyone) Dollerama! I thought it looked pretty realistic, even if it is plastic.



One more shelf up, is this Santa. I love it!! It looks hand carved, but isn't. With his spectacles and straight, slightly pointy nose, I imagine this Santa looks like what my father might have looked like if he had lived to be very elderly with white hair and a beard.


Tradition holds that son gets a nutcracker every year. We have many displays throughout the house. This is one top of the computer desk.


A collection of cookie jars (and one more nutcracker) sit on my windowsill over the kitchen sink. (No actual cookies in them!)


Some of my (and daughter's) Santa collection on a shelf in the den.


A few little Victorian children surround a music box that my mother gave me so, so many years ago. The little mouse figures "skate" on top while the music plays. Ears have been broken off, but it must be on display every year. When our kids were little, they would wind it up and watch the little mice spin around.


In the living room, I have my "gold" display. I love the figure of Santa on the reindeer. It is quite large. I draped little lights throughout and it looks very nice in the evening.


We purchased our tree a couple of days ago (real) and although it wasn't quite as tall as we would have liked, it is nice and full and smells heavenly. We decorated last night, put Christmas music on, and put the fireplace "video" on Netflix on the tv!


And finally, to round out the post, here is something I set up tonight when I came home from work: a hot chocolate bar. I want to add some peppermint sticks, maybe some Bailey's Irish Cream, or even peppermint Schnapps, some whipped cream...



Here's a nifty trick. Make yourself a cup of hot chocolate and put in a mint tea bag. Let it steep, add some milk, remove the tea bag, and voila - mint hot chocolate! Have a beautiful weekend, everyone!

44 comments:

  1. Love your displays. What a great idea to have a hot chocolate bar.

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    1. Thanks, it's something I've been pinning on Pinterest for a while now. It's not quite the way I want, but son was excited to see it!

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  2. I love all of your little houses. Mine have gone AWOL :(

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  3. Your decorations are beautiful, thanks for sharing!

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  4. Beautiful! So in the Christmas Spirit. I better get cracking on my Christmas things.......

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  5. My Rare One and I have a collection of nutcrackers too. They march down the basement steps to the family room, one per step. The two with the sequined uniforms? They're the gay ones!

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    1. Ha ha, we have one with sequins (didn't show a picture of all the nutcrackers) and a very sparkly silver one!

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  6. Of course I love the hot chocolate bar the best. But your collections are so festive!

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  7. Beautiful Christmas collections. Dollarama has some good deals (col). We saw some large & very nice nutcrackers at Buck or Two although I'm not sure all of them carry. Your "looks craved" Santa is that a Jim Shore one? Very nice who ever made. ... Mary-Lou =^..^=

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    1. After I read your comment, I went and lifted up my Santa. Yes, it is a Jim Shore one. Is that "a thing"? All I know is I love the details and his Scottish nose.

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    2. Jim Shore makes a lot of really beautiful Christmas items, his Santa's are usually the star of any display at the store - I like that his robes, skirt have a story within each. He also has a few Angels that are WOW. About 5 years ago he had a large cat sitting on presents wearing a Santa hat - I missed getting it by 10 minutes & I still look every year at church sales hoping that someone is clearing out. I would own more (or any for that matter) but they are rather expensive. I have my eye on one, hoping for just in time Christmas sale! Yeah Jim Shore is known :) =^..^=

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  8. Your home is very festive and The hot chocolate bar is my favorite!... Merry Christmas!

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    1. Thank you! Judging from the dirty cups that son has brought downstairs from his bedroom, it's his favourite, too!

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  9. Your decorations are beautiful! I especially love the village. You are SO ready for Christmas! I'll be right over for some hot chocolate. I'll even bring my own mug :)

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    1. You'd be more than welcome, and trust me, I have more than enough Christmas mugs!

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  10. I love your Christmas village! Our outside lights failed this evening, only been outside for a week.

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    1. Bizarre!! I've never had such bad luck with outdoor lights. We've had strings of lights for years, and husband was all excited because these were LED (he loves to even say 'LED', like it's the next best thing). Doubtful that they are the same make as yours, but ours were Noma brand, usually very good.

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  11. Jenn, my BFF put the same energy into transforming her home every season. She has retired and downsized, but there is no stopping her, still. I love you both, to bits!

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    1. Thanks, Joanne. I put a bit more effort into the house this year to negate last year's Christmas (best left unsaid), and because I'm having my family which will be a pretty big crowd.

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  12. I hope everything goes well to you in this year.
    As you know, Christmas is comming soon, you’ve already decorated for Christimas, right ? I also love Christmas.
    This year I’m going to put small a tree for Christmas in my room.

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  13. Hi Jenn :) I love your village!!! I'm a big fan of those Nutcracker pieces too, you have a nice collection of them. The cookie jars!!! Nice!!! I want them!!! :) Your tree is beautiful. Oh I love that idea of a hot chocolate bar, that's great! Add some Baileys to mine please! :)

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    1. The one cookie jar (the Santa) is old, the others are new and were gifts. One hot chocolate with Baileys coming up!

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  14. Lovely decorations.
    Love your displays.

    All the best Jan

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  15. Hi Jenn, nice to meet you! Thank you so much for coming by my blog. I am so sorry for what you went through! I hope you are well now!
    Your decorations and displays are amazing! So cozy! So beautiful! Love them all! Thanks for the mint hot chocolate! Yummy! Big Hugs!

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    1. Thank you so much for stopping by! Yes, I am very well now. All a series of unfortunate events. Hope you have a lovely Christmas.

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  16. Wow-- I am just oohing and ahhing over your beautiful collections. That one santa you said looked like your dad -- I think that's a Jim Something or other. I have some small ones he's done --that's a treasure. And I love the nutcrackers, too. And all your snowpeople, everything.

    I especially love your wood walls and how cozy and comfortable and just right everything looks in there. It reminds me a little of the cottage and my family room too. I bought this house because of the family room walls! Your village is really impressive, too. I have a big smile on my face and now I want to cross the border and sit in that terrific room and sip that good-sounding hot cocoa with you!

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    1. Hi Jeanie, yes, pull up a chair and let's have a cup. The wood walls you refer to are actually the back of the sideboard that hubby built for me. He was copying an antique one that we saw in Prince Edward Island (where they use a lot of bead board!).

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  17. Enjoyed seeing your decorations, Jen, and also the explanatiins about the collections. We also have a village which includes a train this year, and it runs too. Our tree is not a real one, but a 4-foot tabletoo one that sits in the middle of the village, a rather oversized village tree compared to the smaller trees throughout the village.

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    1. Our village has grown over the 27 years that we have been married. I would have even more, but not sure where we would set it up, as it is already almost too crowded.

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  18. Your decorations are wonderful! Your house practically vibrates with the holiday spirit! I love chocolate and mint of any type and in everything! Your tree is sublime!

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  19. I have that exact same snowman figurine with the birdhouse. Your decor looks lovely.

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  20. Your decorating looks wonderful, Jenn. Love the little tableaux in every corner. I cherish all my old Christmas things from my childhood, even the faded, and slightly bent fabric candy canes that I dragged back from Mum's when she downsized. So many ornaments have stories attached, don't they? Hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday!

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    1. Thank you, Susan. I do not have any family ornaments, unfortunately, but I am hoping to maintain the traditions that we've created as a family now. We joke about how we're going to divide up the "village" to our two kids when we downsize. Since son gets a nutcracker every year, when he does the final grown up move, maybe to a wife and family eventually, he'll be toting a couple of Christmas boxes with him! I always love reading your posts about your visits with and memories of your mom! -Jenn

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  21. How cheerful and charming all of your decorations are!
    Wishing you a merry Christmas!

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  22. Your home looks soooooo cozy, Jenn!!! I'll take one of those hot cocoas with Baileys please :) Merry Christmas!!!

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