It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

We have been in our new house for about 8 months and I LOVE IT! Of course there are rooms that are not anywhere near finished, but I know there really isn't a finish line when owning a home.

Come and behold him pa rum-pa pum-pum

What I have enjoyed is decorating for Christmas! In the old house, I had to cut down on the decorations over the past couple of years and leave some of my main players out of the line up. Now that we have more space, I can really pull out everything from the attic, much to my husband's dismay.

Some of my all time favorite decorations are my Lennox and Fitz & Floyd cookie jars. They are not only gorgeous, but they have a lot of meaning to me. The second Christmas of me dating John, Mamaws bought me my first cookie jar. It was the exact same one she bought her own daughter. I don't think she can ever know what that gesture alone meant to me. She continued to buy us one every single year until Lennox stopped making them. Then she bought us a couple Fitz and Floyd cookie jars. I used to have them set up on my dining room table in a quite elaborate display. Only problem, at the old house, I never went into the dining room. So this year I spread them out around my house to enjoy.

Here comes Santa Claus right down Santa Claus Lane

I bought new Christmas stockings last year for the family. This is something I have wanted to do for 9 years. John and I had the red stocking with the fluffy white tops, but I am a little OCD about things. I knew I didn't want to get 'real stockings' (ie. personalized ones) for the family until we were done creating our little family so they could all match. So once our sweet Luke arrived and we knew our family was perfect how it was, I bit the bullet and ordered our stockings. I can't tell you how many hours I spent searching for the perfect Christmas stocking. Obsessive....I swear... But I find them just perfect.

...and the stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

I also have a nativity scene. And, oh sweet baby Jesus..this is something you really just have to see in person. I LOVE (I mean LOVE) my nativity scene. John thinks it is a little obnoxious boarding on gaudy. Yes, you heard me. John Asbell called Baby Jesus gaudy. Feel free to judge him with judgey eyes next time you see him.

Silent Night, Holy Night. All is calm. All is bright.

I also got new wreaths for the doors. I only had one door in the old house and now I have two. Completely rational reason to buy new outdoor decorations, right? I knew you'd agree with me. 

Deck the Halls with boughs of holly...

And finally, my tree. My sweet little Charlie Brown tree. This tree will go down as one of the great compromises in the Book/Asbell marriage. I love a big huge fat tree. John likes skinny trees. We had a big huge fat tree for 6 years before it was finally time to send it out fake Christmas tree farm where old fake Christmas trees go to run wild and free. Since we were working with limited space in the old house John convince me (and I compromised on something I thought I would never compromise) to get a skinny tree. I was not a fan since day 1. But, I have cared for and loved that tree for 3 years. Now that half the lights are out (John is almost a macguiver when it comes to jerry-rigging lights!) and we have a bigger space, John has finally agreed this is the last year for this tree. Then, he too can go run wild and free on that great Christmas tree farm in the sky.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree