Our Christmas Den!

The den is done! My ONE clean room! Every year I tell myself I am going to be neat and tidy and decorate one room at a time without trashing the whole house while I'm at it! Oops....I did it again! It is HARD to be clean and creative at the same time!

I was up early this morning to finish up! I put the poinsettias in the big wreathes above the mirrors, cleaned the fireplace and built a fresh fire (it is cold in Texas! 40 degrees this morning!) poured my coffee and settled down to wait for Louis Dean to get up! He is normally up FIRST but this morning our roles were switched! That's OK. I took the time to sit back and enjoy my handiwork.

The Noel bell hanging in the top right photo has traditionally been the FIRST thing we would put up when we started our Christmas decorating. I bought this in 1965 and it has hung in my home every year. I have been in THIS home since 1967! I have done a little repair to it over the years but it remains my favorite decoration.

Summer and Jesse would jump up to ring the bells every Christmas season - year after year - until they were finally old enough to simply reach up and hang it. Then along came Amber and Benjamin - who did the same ritual. I miss having kids at home at Christmas!

Other keepsakes I will hang on to forever are these paper angels.

My friend and neighbor gave me one of these as I recall.

This started a tradition and for years and years Amber would give me a Christmas Angel. I have others displayed in different rooms but all have special meaning for me.

The red satin stockings go back years! I have given my children theirs to keep - except for Ben! I still have his! Years ago the family members wrote their names on the stockings and I then embroidered them. For some reason I have not added Louis Dean's name to a stocking but I am doing that SOON!

Opening our stockings on Christmas Morning at breakfast was a tradition we had when the kids were home.

Then for a year or two we did the stockings on Christmas Eve.

Now we tend to simply hang the stockings for display.

One room down......more to go!

The foyer and living room come next.

I bought a 25 foot live evergreen garland yesterday which I plan to use in the foyer.

I LOVE the fragrance of a Christmas tree as you come in the front door.

We plan to buy a real tree for the living room but that will have to wait until the decorating is done. That's the last thing I will add......so it will still look good on Christmas!

So MUCH to do!! I best get busy!

I think I will take Lucy on a nice long walk FIRST!