My family and I are definitely not as gung-ho as we used to be regarding Christmas decorations. When I was little, we accumulated more ornaments than we had trees, arranged two model train tracks in the great room, and put up wonderful outdoor lighted figures (from Bronner’s, the world’s largest Christmas store!). But since we moved to a smaller house, with less people living in it, our Christmas decorations have become more focused on smaller accents.

A lot of the decorations that we use now were actually made by my mom the year Beth started college (her first as an empty-nester).

Wired ribbon can quickly make pretty decorations. It’s easy to shape the ribbon into bows, using thin pieces of wire to hold the loops in place.

I’m liking the unplanned juxtaposition between the old-fashioned toys and the high-tech “toys.”

For a simple way to lift your holiday spirits, add cinnamon sticks to a pot of water on the stove. The smell is divine!
Not a decoration, but one of my favorite Christmas traditions is mailing greeting cards! It’s just a small, but meaningful way to spread holiday cheer. I always hand-write them while watching Christmas movies or listening to carols.

This rendition of “What Child Is This?” by Andrea Bocelli and Mary J. Blige is one of my favorites right now. Their voices surprisingly go great together. (Don’t worry about the costumes, which seem out of place.)

My house is all set for Christmas. Now all that’s missing is the snow! At this point, it seems like all of the country has gotten some, except for North Carolina.