Jake and I needed some new decorations for Christmas this year. So we set a date to go shopping, mapped out the best route to hit all the stores we wanted, and then set a budget. Yes. A budget. For Christmas decorations. Because fortunately for me, Jake loves Christmas about as much as I do (which is A LOT), and if we didn’t set a budget for ourselves, we would go crazy. Well, I would go crazy. He’d just happily oblige. (Anyone else get irrationally excited at the thought of sparkly ornaments and festive holiday dishes?!)
Two days and about 8 stores later, I’d say we did a pretty good job, all while staying within the budget! (Ok, I might have pushed the budget just a smidgen.) A few highlights: a gorgeous reindeer candle stand from Tai Pan Trading, a glittery snowman from Pier 1, and Elf on bluray for 8 dollars at Costco. (No, not technically a decoration, but talk about a score!!) Quite possibly my favorite find, though, were these little guys:
There are a couple shelves in our kitchen that are purely for decoration, and I display some pretty pasta plates on them. During the fall, I mixed in some gourds with the plates and it looked pleasantly seasonal, in my humble opinion. But now that winter is here, gourds would no longer do. As soon as we started talking Christmas decor, I knew I wanted nutcrackers. I had a vision in my head, and I would not be stopped until they were found! Or so I thought. Nearing the end of our shopping extravaganza, I had found NOTHING. All the nutcrackers we saw were too big or too crazy or too expensive, not even close to what I had been envisioning. I had all but given up, and become incredibly grinchy. (Grinchy– (adj.) Displaying grinch-like attitude during the holidays due to lack of Christmas spirit.) Not even a White Peppermint Mocha could have cheered me up.
Until we walked into Crate & Barrel. We weren’t even going in to look at decorations, just dishes. And I was certainly not expecting to find nutcrackers. But we passed by a stand of ornaments, and THERE THEY WERE. It was like on TV when the main character has an epiphany and a light shines down from the heavens onto whatever it is they’re looking at. (Except this lighting was just nice pin lighting in the store. I’ve gotta hand it to whoever designs the lighting set up in Crate & Barrel.) Needless to say, I was pretty ecstatic. And so was Jake, because the Grinch had seemed to disappear. Although then I told him I would take the White Peppermint Mocha, thanks so much ;)
So in honor of Crate & Barrel saving Jake from the Grinch, I’ve decided it’s time for another giveaway!!! Leave a comment below telling me what your favorite Christmas decoration is, and I’ll randomly give one commenter $25 to Crate N’ Barrel :) Use it for Christmas mugs, use it for nutcracker ornaments, or even use it for 1/100 of a love seat! (Although I’d definitely use it on the ornaments.) The winner will be announced next Monday. Happy decorating!
Crate & Barrel may also be a sparkling memory in my head from our Christmas shopping. Only, sadly, decorations were not on our list. I’ll SO use a gift card on those ornaments! I think I have three favorite decorations that currently reside at our house. 3. The Christmas gnome from Denmark that sits high on my pallet shelf. His beard is so freakin adorable. 2. A “jane doll” that the mother of the sweetest little girl that I photographed a few years ago gave me when she passed away. 1. The sparkly gold ornament my hubs gave me for our first Christmas together. :)
I’m with you. I hart all things Christmas.
My favorite decoration is an angel inside a ceramic eggshell. It was given to me when I was in grade school by our neighbor. Can’t believe it has survived all these years!
I would say my current fave is hands down our “Black Dog Mistletoe Co. Smooch from a Pooch Guaranteed” painting! :)
My fav Christmas decoration is the Baylor ornament up on our tree :-) but I also bought a cute fiber optic snowman from Big Lots this year that is a close runner up!
PS I love the nutcrackers! How cute! And they aren’t big or freaky looking :-)
My Grandma and Grandpa, who have passed, had a stained glass studio and made me ornaments every year from when I was born on. My favs are the ones he made the year I was born. I also purchase one every year for Ryan and I to commemorate the year. 3 out of the 5 years we’ve been married, he has been deployed, so we can both be excited when he comes home from deployment to see which ones I’ve chosen that year. I love that man!
My favorite Christmas decorations are the paper scrolls hanging on our Christmas tree ~ wonderful writings of our family memories through the years!
my favorite decoration is our christmas tree. We cut it down ourselves every year, and I keep it simple and elegant. It’s always my favorite thing to decorate!!
My favorite decoration is definitely my ornament collection. I love that they all have stories and meaning behind them. Also, side note, can’t wait to register at Crate & Barrel! :)
My mom used to hand paint us ball ornaments with scenes and memories of that past year. She painted quite a few for each child every year, commemorating trips, weddings, school achievements, homes bought, etc. I have about 40 on my tree that reflect the 10 years of my life. I love them so much. :)
I’d have to say my favorite decoration is my Willow Tree Nativity set. I love how elegant they look on my faux fireplace mantle, not to mention the fact that they are a beautiful work of craftsmanship. They also take me back to when I was a kid and got upset when a stuffed sheep that was bought for a me at a yard sale and had no face. My aunt, the one who purchased the sheep, told me that that his being faceless made him all that much better because I could use my imagination and believe his face (or facial expression) could be anything I wanted. The same goes for my faceless nativity. I have always thought Mary looked a little too heavenly for having just given birth in a stable… Now I can imagine her looking the way I have always thought, a little worn out and all.
My favorite decorations are now those my kids have made! So cute to see Maddie’s nativity scenes or Andy’s Santa beard!
My mom has Christmas balls that have a recording of her kids when they were little. They are so adorable to listen to every year!