It's Starting to Look a Lot Like Christmas

We've been having fun decorating the house for Christmas to suit the little changes we have made throughout the year.  

Here are our decorations from last year.

One spot we've tweaked  was in the sitting room.  The cabinets weren't here last year.

I started out with the vine ball sitting on the big old fat book, the small Christmas trees and the large vase.

It was OK, but last week, while in town, I came across some illuminated twigs and a couple of sprays of greenery.  They fitted perfectly in the vase, but the other side looked too low.  Let's add some more books, with gold detailing on the spine. Of course, there must be a stocking, this one made by my friend Loulee.  That looks better. 

Then, on the weekend, Mick and I were in town and one of the shops had a half price sale on all their Christmas decorations.  Enter a new Christmas wreath.  That will do nicely.  Hopefully, next year the desk will be replaced by a mantle piece and we can play some more.  We'll see how we go.

You've seen the twig tree, but here it is again.

The main tree is in the lounge room.  This room is pretty much the same as last year.  The tree can be seen from the street at night, as it has heaps of colourful lights.  There are so many memories contained in the decorations on show here.

We've had our Christmas mugs for quite a few years now.  Mick isn't so fond of them as they are a tad too tall to fit under the coffee machine, but for one month a year we muddle, because they are pretty.  This year I decided to add a few Christmassy tins for the coffee and chocolate.

Finally, our little kitchen shelf. Other than the Santas, this is all new.  This year is the first time I've seen the bottle brush trees in the shops here, after seeing loads on American sites.  I brought out my little Tonka truck that I've had since I was a preschooler, to carry the small one, then I found a couple of sweet white trees.  Thanks to Pinterest, I found a cute printable and popped it in a frame I already had.  (It conveniently hides an obsolete telephone outlet.)  I like the fresh, light look of this shelf.  

It seems a shame that it will all be put away again in only a short while, but it is fun for the short time all the decorations are on show.