It doesn't really feel like Christmas to me until the decorations are put up, and I wanted to get right on that after we got back from Thanksgiving. Easier said than done when I'm working one to two extra days a week, and trying to look after a puppy at the same time!

But I did manage to get them up, and I like the way everything looks despite the fact that we're lacking a tree this year. (We decided a certain furry someone would eat it, and all the ornaments, for an afternoon snack...)

Here's what I have gotten to do this year:

The dining room area:

My sweet Mark, even though he pretends to hate Christmas decorations, helped me put up my little greenery on our banister :)

He is a good husband :)

Mark with the baby :)

I think that would be even prettier if it was framing a Christmas tree ... oh well, maybe if we're still here next year...

My pretty table - the color is terrible, but that tablecloth is a pretty bright Christmas red, not ugly burnt orange...

The kitchen:

My sweet little wreath (made by my mom) hanging on my fridge :)

Also made by my mom (I inherited a box full of Christmas goodies this year), these cute little cabinet hangers make my kitchen look so festive!

My collection of snow babies sitting in my kitchen window. Mark thinks they're creepy :)

My favorite part of Christmas, lately - my late grandmother's Christmas china! My sweet aunt was kind enough to let me have it - I may have to share it with Kelly and/or Brooke someday, but for now, I'm the only married female, and I get it all! It's BEAUTIFUL. 

I've always loved this china :) It makes it the season feel like Christmas to me!

The living room:
My only decorations, because this is where Luna hangs out the most, and is the most likely to try to eat things!

The downstairs bathroom:
I kept this pretty plain and understated, but I like the way it looks :)

 

The upstairs bathroom:

Our bedroom:

Pretty (but fake) candles in our windows)

And last, but certainly not least... my pretty wreath that I made for the door! I think it looks pretty good, if I do say so myself :)

Hooray, it's nearly Christmas! I love this season :) I'm even okay with the cold, for now...

Exciting news - today, while this post automatically is blogging (LOVE this feature), we're traveling to Atlanta for a short day-trip. We're going to IKEA for the first time, and I'm sure I'll be totally flipping out in a couple hours. We're searching for a new bookcase for our dining room to replace the ugly old winecart that we've had since we got married, and before that Mark and Andy had it, and before them somebody else - it's one of those thrice-removed hand-me-downs that needs to go away, plus we need the extra storage space that the wine cart just can't accommodate like a bookcase can. So excited!!

Happy Holidays to everybody!!