Christmas Open House

Every year we have an open house to kick off the Christmas season. This year was no exception but the cleaning and decorating seemed to be a bit more crazed after being away at the beach with family all of Thanksgiving weekend! But somehow it all got done… along with all the cooking and baking and preparations. Whew!

Oh, and the new Christmas tree we bought from the neighbors before they moved didn’t help matters one bit! They told me it was a 9-foot pre-lit tree. Well, it is 9 feet tall. And it did have lights on it… Sixteen strings of mini lights intricately wound into all of the branches and NOT ONE OF THEM WORKED!!! NOT ONE!

It took nearly 3 hours to untwist them all from the branches! Oh, and it didn’t have a stand and jimmy rigging a stand for a 9-foot tree ain’t easy. Thankfully I have an uber amazing and handy hubby!

Here are some shots of our decorations for 2012… Every year they turn out just a bit different than the year before.

Most of these pics were taken the day after the open house. Except for the one of the pile of shoes. You should have seen it an hour later… it was GINORMOUS!!!

 the new tree just before the party started

Stupid tree! ;o)

Yes, the pile did get bigger than that!

Kitchen…  mostly retro stuff, including my grandfather’s Christmas stocking

 

Living Room… now that the walls are orange there are no more reds! Reds are not good!

Upstairs… the master bedroom got a new look this year, a comforter for the bed!

  

Entryway… I wish there was something new here (ie- floors and stairs and wall color) but there isn’t. :o(

Basement bath… I was so worried how my decorations would look with the new paint job. Luckily it still looks great!

The nativity quilt got a new home in the hallway…

The family room has a new look this year mostly because of all the furniture swapping…

Hope you enjoyed seeing our house!  Don’t forget to take time to relax and enjoy all your decorations with your family and friends!