A Snowy Village Tradition

Every year I fuss a little about not having the time to do it all....

I tell myself the house is decorated enough without it....

Then I go down in the basement and begin rifling through boxes...

And each little building, from the antique shop, to the train station, to the toy store....

And every little figurine, from the sledders, to the kids on the playground, to the choir....

Bring a smile to my face and add a bit of joy to my heart...

Because this is part of our Christmas tradition.
Happy Holidays from my village to yours!

This post is linked to Blissful Whites Wednesday-the last of 2012.

My Holiday Home

Welcome to my holiday home!

These two garage sale finds always grace my foyer and I dress them for the season.......

My harp gets a little makeover as well with the addition of the We Believe banner and my victorian St. Nick....

My sweet little white tree was a new addition last year and is decorated with lace, strands of pearls, white frosted flowers and only handmade ornaments from my blog and swap friends....

Do you see one of your ornaments here....

or here?

I use a hatbox draped in a vintage shawl that once belonged to my mother as a tree stand.

As a lover of whimsy...

 nothing says whimsy better...

than my Christmas elves.

This is the big tree in the front room laden with memories of ornaments collected over the years...

the manger my grandfather made for me as a little girl always has a place under the tree.

This silver tray is an ever present vignette....

that also gets a makeover for the holidays.....

The feather tree in the dining room is decorated in silver tinsel....

and matchbox ornaments made by members in my swap group.

The antique ornaments in this vignette...

have been handed down in my family over generations.

I love this Santa....

and he dresses up a corner so nicely.

I have yet another tree, this one is in the dining room...

and decorated victorian style.

The fireplace gets a winter garland and wreath....

and you get a peek at what the mantle has to offer for the holidays. But I'll save that for another post.

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my holiday decor. As joyful as decorating and sharing is this time of year, I couldn't post today without expressing my deepest sympathy to the families affected by the tragic events in Connecticut. It's impossible to even imagine the heartbreak and sorrow so many are dealing with today and in the days to come.
Please join me in taking a moment to send healing thoughts and prayers. This senseless tragedy is another somber reminder of how fragile life is. Every day is a gift.