Home for the Holidays...

Wow, so hard to believe that in LESS then 1 WEEK it will be CHRISTMAS!!! It seems like every December the time seems to sneak by quicker and quicker. Are you all ready for the holiday? I've been busy, busy, busy, as I'm sure you all have. This past weekend I hosted a Christmas cookie exchange with some of my closest girlfriends from church...It was a blast (Pics. to come). In preparation for the exchange, I was having a ball putting all the finishing touches on our holiday home. I absolutely adore seeing every one's homes all decked out for the holiday, so I thought I would welcome you into our holiday home 2010-

From the street, a shimmery snowman greets youWe didn't get around to putting up our icicle lights or many of our other lights...since D just had knee surgery, we figured it was better to take it easy, but next year ;)

As you make your way to the front door, you see the beauty of the Christmas lights sparkling on our tree (I've always loved homes that have large windows in the front and you can see the tree as you walk by...that was one of the things I was most excited about when we found our home 2 years ago...I could finally have our own tree planted behind the glass of our large living room window- I love it :)!

Please come on in
Dasher greets you in the entry (Dasher was a paper mache reindeer that has been collecting dust in our garage for about 4 years now..I FINALLY got around to dressing/decorating Dasher up this year with a fresh coat of paint, some vintage glass glitter, and some silk ribbon. Sorry it took me so long to get to you Dasher but at least you have a good home now...perfectly perched in the arch between our entry and living room

As you step inside, the dining room area is decked out in her holiday finest
The buffet is adorned
The kitchen is adorned with holly garland hanging from the pot rack
Festive platters are displayed and ready at a moments notice to be used to serve sweet treats and holiday cookies
The kitchen nook area is housed with holiday serving dishes, holiday favorite cookbooks, and any and everything gingerbread

Including this metallic tree :)
The family room is all aglow with a fire roaring (Ok, it's a fake fireplace but never the less it does provide a warm ambiance :) the fresh aroma of a real spruce Christmas tree (this is the 1st. year we got a real tree and I love it...I think this will be a yearly tradition now!)
The stockings are hung
Photos of Christmas' past and Christmas' present adorn the mantle; I have photographs of David and I with Santa Claus when we were young children as well as M's photo from this year.
My collection of Nutcracker's are housed on top of the armoire hutch (the perfect perch where you can look but can't touch, a must when you have tiny little curious hands in your house ;) HA!)

I love my collection of Nutcrackers displayed with my pointe shoes; I performed in the Nutcracker for over 13 years so it has a huge place in my heart and brings back wonderful memories of Christmas' past.
Our first real tree is perfectly perched in the nook of our family room
While our artificial tree is perched in the living room behind the large window
The manger is displayed

And the scripture advent I created this year sits right next to the tree- the perfect place to gather as a family to read the scriptures that tell the story leading up to our glorious Saviors birth on Christmas- the reason for this season!

As you make your way up the stairs, you can see the glistening of lights as they adorn the small tree in our study loft that is home to many of our favorite scripture/Biblical ornaments

While you are up there, If you peak into our lil' princess' abode, you will see her cute miniature pink tree all aglow

Or you may even see the lil' princess herself all adorned in her holiday best :)

Well, there you have it friends a little glimpse into our holiday home. From our home to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas

Love, The Mellstroms