merry and bright in our happy housey!

[our christmas cards this year are probably my favorites that we’ve done!! [but !!! this one before we had maddalena!!] i’ve always wanted to do a christmas card with my casey boy in it, too, and i’m really thankful that i got the chance this year.]

[my little gold and white tree in the sunroom! i have big plans for a tiny fur tree skirt for her, but… haven’t gotten there yet. i also just really love the nativity snow globe we picked up this year.]

[the centerpiece i brought home from hillenmeyer christmas shop! see? gold sticks!!]

[memories of christmas past! i have all our past christmas cards on our mantle
in clear little acrylic frames that i maaay have accented in gold]

[friends’ cards from last year – i’ve loved looking through them again!]

[the little trees in the kiddo’s rooms make me SO happy!]

[magnolia swag from hillenmeyer! i love her. a lot.]

[i found these little sweeties for the little ones’ rooms,
but then i just really liked them on the table. :)]

[sooo obsessed and thankful for these seasonal, healing blends!!
we’ve needed them like no other around here.]

[a santa and gold sleigh set that came from my mom’s mom on top of work-in-progress cabinets from my dad’s family built in the early 1900s. keeping the past alive is so special to me.]

[i gave my homemade magnolia wreath a little bow for the holidays! and i might as well just mention that those leaves came from magnolia bundles i brought home from hillenmeyer last year!]

these are a few of my fav-o-rite christmas things!!

1. christmas tunes playing aaaaaaalll of the time! ella + charlie brown + harry connick are my forever favs… although i’m feeling super nostalgic today and we are playing amy grant christmas from when i was little. tender tennessee christmas! the only christmas for me. 😉 [except… i grew up with kentucky and pennsylvania christmases with my relatives, so those actually feel more normal. i digress!]

2. christmas cards!!! i love looking back at our old ones, designing our new ones, and i’ve started saving friends’ cards after the season is over and tying them into a little bundle to look back through year after year! everyone works so hard on their little masterpieces and i love having them as a holiday timeline of our loved ones’ lives as well as our own! i know everyone has their fav, but tiny prints [aff. link] is my go-to year after year… they even saved me last year when just days before christmas i tried to get mine last minute  from the local drug store and they turned out terrible. haha!

3. twinkly lights day and night!! they make me the happiest. especially when the house gets quiet and dark at night and all that’s left is the lights.

4. little baby christmas trees in the little ones’ bedrooms!! and my gold and white sunroom tree! trees, trees, they’re good for your heart!

5. GOLD AND WHITE EVERYTHING!! my favorite indulgence any chance i get, any time, ever.

6. watching my baby girl sneak a kiss from her daddy underneath the mistletoe! <3

7. so much cinnamon on my coffee every morning, oh my goodness gracious. i think i pour on more every morning. it’s good for you, too! and christmas mugs oooh, they are my favorite of all!! i’ll be honest, i don’t always put them all away after the holidays…

8. watching christmas movies with my loves! left on our list: polar express, home alone, and charlie brown christmas!

9. all the holiday smells!!! and oh, this holiday oil kit is hands down amazing. my mom had these blends last year, and i was so in love i made her share with me! this year, RMO sent me the set and hallelujah!!! not only do they smell flawlessly festive, but we’ve needed them like crazy, as the babes and i were so so sick last week. we’ve been diffusing around the clock, but i love to do that all winter, anyway! i can’t decide which blend is my favorite, but i never complain when my family’s health is legitimately benefitting from the house smelling like a christmas tree forest or a bowl of candy canes or holiday baking. [oils make a great last-minute gift, and RMO is wrapping up a huge sale!! you can still get them by christmas, too, if you order by the 21st and choose the appropriate shipping!]

10. luke 2:7-16! i still remember it from when we learned it in elementary school for our christmas program… and my sister and i don’t usually turn down an opportunity to give a little performance! 😉 many hand motions are, of course, involved.