Happy Christmas Week my friends!!!
I’m popping in to share an easy way to hang your Christmas cards,
if you are still decking the halls for this week’s celebrations.
When I shared our 12 Days Of Christmas Tour on December 5,
it didn’t fully represent our home at Christmastime, because a HUGE part of how I decorate for Christmas is by hanging cards that we receive. In fact I keep everything else pretty simple because the cards en masse become such a big, colorful and cheerful display all around our house.
In addition to displaying cards that we receive, I also hang our own family’s cards from over the years too because I love seeing the progression of my babies from one year to the next. I used mini clothespins to hang our cards from a fresh garland in our dining room bay window last Christmas.
Yesterday I got a decorating second wind and hung our cards from the stair bannister by taping ribbon to the back of groups of 3 or 4 cards and tying them over fresh white pine and rhododendron that I cut from the yard.
If you are using fresh evergreens around your home it’s better to cut them closer to Christmas anyway, especially if you’re are having guests and want them to look their best.
For some reason I find the white pine lasts a bit longer than other evergreens before it dries out and starts dropping it’s needles. Using green floral wire I made a very simple garland by attaching a few branches together, and then used the wire to attach to the bannister.
Then I added in the rhododendron clippings and did not try to make it all perfect.
I wanted an organic, natural shape.
I also tried to keep the bannister exposed so a person can actually use it
Oh how I love seeing these babies!!
This was the year of the new puppy.
And somehow here we are at 2014 and that puppy is now called a “senior citizen” by the vet,
and my babies are 16, 14 and 12. How did that happen?
My kids are not very enthusiastic about taking a photo for the Christmas card.
This year I got maybe three shots, one of them had Peter trying to escape, but I take what I can get.
Sean and Hannah picked out this card from Tiny Prints and I think they did a great job.
It is exactly what I wish for my whole family this year!!!
(I am already thinking that next year I’d like to reduce my Christmas to-do list and send out cards for New Years instead. Mostly because I came across this card and love it and need to use it.)
This little area of my home makes me so happy, I can’t even begin to tell you. Every time I walk through here (97% of the time with a laundry basket in my arms going up and down those stairs) I smile at these little faces that have made my world go round for the past sixteen years. And I think about how even though life is really (*really*) hard sometimes, it is also filled to the brim with love and humor and fond memories and so many blessings really, it’s overwhelming and makes me weepy with gratefulness and causes me to randomly grab babies that are now teenagers and say my thing,
“MOTHERS NEED HUGS”.
And they surely roll their eyes over my shoulder but they hug.
So, yeah.
Tell me, do you love the whole Christmas card thing too?
And do you plaster your house with them too??
And do you demand hugs from your offspring?
I’m signing off for the rest of the week but first
I wish you and yours a
VERY MERRY AND JOYFUL CHRISTMAS!!
You are what makes this little piece of the blogosphere so much fun and I thank you for taking the time to be a part of the SYL community.
Wishing you happy times with friends and family!
