Christmas Joy

I just love Christmas and as far back as I can remember it has always been a magical time of the year for me.  I commence my decorating mid-November and try to have at least a touch of Christmas in every room in our home.

Our 2011 mantel...love the glittery white 'Winter Welcome' banner I found at a wonderful country gift store, Alderberry Blum.



This little Christmas tree is one of the first items I take out for the holidays.  It was handmade  and given to me as a gift by my sister-in-law, Betty, who is so talented.  Can you believe the red and clear beads are all held together by safety pins which make up the frame for the crystal tree.  A small set of clear miniature lights are just tucked up through the bottom.  I love to plug it in and enjoy the soft light it creates.



This is our living room during the winter months with black & white accents and warm reds.  It's quite cozy with the lights turned down and the fireplace providing extra warmth.



I just love nutcrackers



Our Christmas Tree is very victorian and I love the creams, reds and golds.  Every year I think I will change the theme but I just can't bear losing this look.



Christmas at the 'Joys'





This pretty and festive floral provides a touch of Christmas to the main bathroom.






My daughter bought me this reindeer which is meant to go outside.  I opted to keep him inside and thought it made a great night light in one of the guest bedrooms.




Presents wrapped and used as a display in another room.  I try to gift wrap as I buy so I'm not overwhelmed with wrapping close to the holidays. I'd much rather be ready long before so I can sit back and enjoy our home without the panic of last minute shopping which some folkes love to do...I just don't get that!

I just had to get a tree put up here even though the room wasn't quite completed.  We painted just before Christmas and realized we need new furniture and accessories.  The purple and silver tree was quite pretty.

Our mantel with the hanging greenery, apothecary jars filled with glass balls and I especially love the gold, glittery JOY.

A close-up of our tree...I have so many special ornaments which have been gifts from friends and family over the years.  The cream and burgandy poinsettias are fitted over one of the clear bulbs and eminates a soft glow. 

Isn't the casserole dish festive?  It was a TSC purchase and comes with it's own thermal carry bag.  This picture was taken at our daughter's house. I brought along cheesy scalloped potatoes and a pineapple glazed ham for dinner.  The red Christmas tin contains homemade peanut butter fudge for Joel...he just loves peanut butter fudge!

Mmmmm!

This is Kristen's lovely Christmas Tree.

We can't resist buying ornaments of 'Joy'...our name is everywhere during the holidays!

I'm just crazy about this little old-fashioned drawstring bag Kristen found online.

Here is Kristen's simple yet lovely tablesetting...pine cones and greenery.



Silly son-in-law!



Our traditional Christmas morning cinnamon bubble bread.  We usually drizzle it with white icing.  I think we may have dumped this one out of the pan a little too early but it was still yummy!

Santa was good...there were six of us including my folkes who were visiting for the holidays and our daughter and 'son'.

Christmas Eve



Mr. and Mrs. Snowman are going on a ski trip...oh dear, they'd better move away from the fireplace!

I always replace the white floral with this lovely Christmas red...each petal has been lightly dipped in red glitter.

The pink shoe is one of my favourites...my dear friend, Elizabeth, gave it to me and I always ensure it is placed at the front of our tree.  The victorian cones and little tea sets were purchased by my sister who lives in Iowa.



I just love the pouffs of organza tucked in between here and there and the large oversized glittery branches, as well as the real candles which are evenly distributed around the tree.



Christmas tablescape...this is my friend's place setting and I've tucked a pretty glass ornament in her cup with a hand-painted blue bird which will look lovely on her tree.



Here's a closer look at our Joy...the white glitter pine cones were a half price find last year so this year I've tucked them here and there in the garland.

A cute little winter bird is perched on the garland.

Just waiting for our dinner guests to arrive.



It's Christmas day and the men are patiently waiting for the turkey to cook.

Silver and Gold

I think Candy Canes are so festive...I especially like them in the lovely mugs I found at our local Book and Bible House.  They have 'Jesus is the Gift' written on them and reinforces the message that Jesus is the reason for the Season!

Our simple black chandelier gets Christmatized!

Here's a closer look at my favourite Christmas mug and my homemade (pastry made from scratch) Lemon Pie.

A few glass ornaments added to the seashells for a festive touch.

Front entrance table

Yummy!

Purple Dragonfly from Pier One and glittery silver sprigs adorn this tree.

This sweet little snowman night light adds whimsy to a small powder room

Another guest room has a small tree with silver and aqua ornaments.

Fill an apothecary jar with anything and Voila! you have a decorative touch. 

Every year I end up buying more ribbon on clearance.

This is where my folkes will sleep when they visit over the holidays.

Battery operated candles add ambiance to a corner.

More Joy and there's plenty more to spread around!

You can't have too many pine cones and greenery...

Isn't this little elf adorable?  He does have a mate; however, he had a little tumble and his head sort of fell off...nothing that a little glue won't fix...I will get to it so the pair can keep each other company.

I have several of these on the tree - a gift from sister...they are so pretty!

Another favourite...the pink crystal snowflake...a gift from my sister-in-law, Betty.

This is a close-up of one of my whimsical serving dishes...I just love the little snowman family!



This clay bowl is more than 100 years old and sits on an antique chair in my front entrance...a few red glass ornaments are added for a festive touch.

I hope you've enjoyed dropping by our home during the holidays...I can't wait to decorate for Christmas 2012 and I already have a few new ideas in mind.