While I love Christmas decorations, we don’t own too many, and since we’ve never hosted Christmas at our house, I haven’t ever had that urge to go all out.
But we do enjoy pulling out a few items that are special to us each year, so I thought I would share them with you. Keep in mind that most of these were either hand-me-downs, gifts, or items we collected at yard sales.
Sadly, we’ve never had a full-size Christmas tree since being married (I’m hoping to cut down our own next year), but I did snag this petite tree at a yard sale several years ago. This year it found its home as the centerpiece on our dining room table and we even splurged and bought some porcelain ornaments for it while we were perusing downtown shops in Indianapolis last year. They were on super clearance and I get all giddy every time I look at them. Since I tend to be a window shopper, Matt had to push for these, and I love that we picked them out together. Also, the rustic, textured garland was picked up in Shipshewana, which is a crafty Amish town in rural Indiana where we spent Thanksgiving with my extended family a year ago.
The garland on the mantel was stolen from my parent’s storage room a few years ago. Somehow I packed that puppy into my suitcase and hauled it back to Colorado on the airplane! A hint of greenery always makes the room feel cozier around the holidays.
Then there’s our open shelving, which tends to get a makeover as each new season rolls around. This year we housed our nativity scene—which was gifted to me by my parents over many Christmases—on the bottom shelf. This is one of my favorite pieces to rediscover every year. If you’re wondering what would be a meaningful and lasting gift for your college student, this is a great set to gift piece by piece.
And of course, we always have to find a spot for our other nativity scene, which is handcrafted from Germany and was gifted to me by the family I nannied for in college. When the four corner candles are lit, the fan spins! This is one I can’t wait to share with our kiddos someday.
Lastly, we’ve got ornaments gracing various knobs and baskets around the house. Many of them were gifted to me by previous students, which is usually always a fun walk down memory lane. One of my favorites is this sparkly reindeer.
Yes, it’s simple and not overly flashy, but it just seems to fit this year. We like being surrounded by meaningful pieces and not being stressed by the pressure that sometimes seems to come with the Christmas season. Most of all, we are reminded that Christmas is all about celebrating the birthday of our King. May we never forget to celebrate the true meaning of the season, and may it remain at the forefront of our hearts and minds amidst all the preparations of the next few weeks. We are truly blessed!
