Tis The Season

As a blended family, I think it’s important that we come up with our own holiday traditions, and the only way I could set the tone for that was to buy all new Christmas décor.  Last year while the “cat” was away at the Utah/Notre Dame game, the “mice” went shopping at Taipan Trading to “play”. 

Since we are moving less than a week after Christmas, I wanted to keep things as simple as I can this year, but still have a festive atmosphere.  The girls wanted to help me decorate the tree, so I taught them how to stagger the ornaments.  It went up in a jiffy with all their help.  I didn’t even rearrange it after they were done.  They did such a fabulous job and with a little bit of teaching are becoming real assets to the family.  They even helped Grandma Carmen decorate her tree this year.  

 

The stockings are hung…although not by the chimney because there is not enough room for 8 stockings with a family this large!  I made nametags for the stockings and bought bells at the dollar store for a little added touch. 

Each year, I like to add something new.  This year I added framed ornament photos of the kids above their stockings for a little more bling.  Gosh, I love Hobby Lobby, which is where I purchased these frames (half off, only $2 each).

I have been asked if I keep my table set year round.  And the answer is “yes”.  I have had many dishes broken with the kids clearing off the table, but I have learned to buy an extras because I know from past experience that in a house with 6 kids, décor gets broken.  But I would rather have a space I enjoy living in than a sterile environment with everything put away just because I have children. 

This year, I fell in love with these winter plates that I found at TJ Maxx.  They go perfectly with my Christmas table scape!  And yes, one has already been broken.  I had to teach one child that when clearing the table, you can’t pick up the setting by the placemat to move it…

Harley followed me around today while I was taking pictures.    She likes to sit under the tree and, as seen here, play with the trim on the stockings!   She has enjoyed the Christmas decorations as much as everyone else!