We5Kings of Christmas...

Merry Christmas and welcome to everyone visiting from Show & Tell Tuesday!

So glad you could drop by! :)

I am so proud of myself for being an actual blogger and planning ahead. This also gave me a legitimate excuse to take all these pics especially since I seem to forget more and more where I put things every year! HA! Ever since I can remember, we've been taking pictures of our Christmas decorations. Christmas was every where at our house growing up and my mom would video tape my brothers and I giving a tour of our home and then send the tapes to our grandparents. (You are welcome for sparing you that kind of tour!)

I love this time of year - our home just radiates comfort to me. I especially love it at night...

Our front porch is such a modge lodge of stuff. That table is an old piece of woodwork my PaPaw made that I laid on top of an antique Singer sewing machine stand, the wire basket is a RoundTop find for $5 that I threw some prelit garland into last minute. My momma spoiled me with the snowmen sign that is just enough vintage to make me drool, we bout the JOY sign three years ago for Christmas card pics and the presents were a Canton discovery the year Radley was born! Whew. 

Oh - and I bought this bench at Walmart for $15 my sophomore year in college. You can't really sit on it, but it looks awesome. 

So come on in, drop off a letter to Santa, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy!

Most of things we have collected over the years have huge sentimental value. Our Willow Tree manger scene was a gift from my mom our first married Christmas. 

When you open our front door, the first thing you see is our tree. I love our tree and the story that she tells (and yes, she's a her). I also love packages wrapped in brown paper - we try to stay pretty simple around here. I also refuse to pay a ton of money for a tree skirt, so we just use table cloths. HA! Our tree has also decided to be slightly high maintenance which is why the extra cords for lights since the lights that came with it no longer work.

#thatmadethehubsterhappy 

I spend hours and hours each Christmas season sitting on our giant green couch, reading books, typing blog posts, addressing Christmas letters, watching silly movies, and snuggling with the kiddos. It is by far my most favorite place to be. Ryan and I have even been known to just camp out on the couch in front of the fire for the night. Many nights - because it is so cozy. :)

And if I'm not on the couch, I am in front of it with a cup of coffee and one of my favorite Christmas movies on repeat wrapping gifts. It is definitely my happy place - 1999 TV and all. 

As you round the corner you make your way into our kitchen, but first you have to walk under the homemade mistletoe. This is Emersyn's most favorite new addition to the decorations insisting that you kiss whomever walks underneath alongside you. She really wanted to catch Alfie smooching up her Barbie dolls. That girl. 

Our table looks much more festive than this picture makes it seem (ha!) maybe I really should invest in some drapes. Or new paint color. Or finish the bench. 

#additothelist

We keep this Charlie Brown tree around to hold all the homemade ornaments from the kiddos, the lovely musical toys from Gigi and gifts for teachers. 

#whatisSantadoingtoFrosty

#naughtyornice

#clearlynotaposedpicture

#thisisreallifepeople

One of my favorite things about our home was all the built-ins. I am a "stuff" girl... I have tons of it and I like cluttering up all my space. So I did not hold back this year on Christmas and got out more than usual. Each shelf holds a special trinket or memory... most of these are filled with things that were Fely's and remind me of how well she did Christmas. All of her cookbooks are on display alongside her Nutcrackers mixed in with family memories from my family like my Grandmother's village houses, pictures of the kiddos and special items my momma bought me over the years. 

I think it could stand some color but I like it just as it is.

When we first started putting up the decorations the kids convinced me to hang up this garland in the kitchen. When the overhead lights are off and all the twinkles are happening from the trees and garland, there is no more peaceful place to be. 

I maybe went a bit overboard at HobLob...

But I couldn't love this anymore. 

(Thanks, Momma!)

You round the corner and you are back to my favorite room.

A room that becomes the best place to build legos on Saturday...

or enjoy a movie picnic by the fire...

a room that stores so many precious memories while new ones are being made. 

A room that when I look up and see all that it holds, I pinch myself. It's not the largest house on the street, it doesn't have the highest ceiling or the fanciest flooring, but... 

this room holds all the Santa pics from over the years....

and our sentimental keepsakes. We got a snowman family as a gift the year Radley was born from one of my students so each time we added a kiddo, we added a family.

(There were slim pickings Emmy's year - but I do love that the brother is holding the baby).

 One year I will display EVERYTHING - and it will take an entire year to set up. Ha! Next to all my "clutter", I also have the "fancy" section of Christmas. I could not leave HobLob without that Santa, so my Momma spoiled me and bought him a few years ago. I added the glitter tree and Fely's angel plus my new favorite manger scene picture. 

And we of course have a third tree.. that you can see from the street and takes up so much room that we have to move the dining table. 

I love all the gold and glitter and I catch the girls just laying underneath from time to time.

It's filled our "fancy" ornaments - my current favorite being the cluster of 3 tiny birds. I keep all the  presents that leave the house here so they are easy to grab!

And we have tons of stuff to keep us occupied at home! Books, toys, and a ridiculous amount of Christmas movies. It's basically how we should live all year long. 

And I can't forget all the parts of the house that are tucked away... like the bathrooms and kids' rooms. Radley and Emmy picked out bathroom decor one year and they went with the blue reindeer. 

Each of them have their own tree and manger scene in their room as well. Plus we have a 4th tree in their playroom that I didn't photograph. Next year we're adding a tree to the garage so there is one in every window in front. We are crazy. And I love it!

#griswold

And I think that's it! What is your favorite part of the season? What makes your home your favorite place to be? And if you want more Christmas inspiration check out the link-up with Andrea!