Christmas, in Slow Motion...

This December has been a very busy one for our family, and probably yours too!  I think it's so easy sometimes to get caught up in all of the "have-tos" so I've been trying really hard to just relax a bit.  I've made a Christmas "bucket" list, and I'm amazed how just having a list to work off of has made things a lot more enjoyable, and obtainable.   Am I totally weird when I say that having a long "to do" list has made me more relaxed?  It's almost like when the items are on the paper (and not in my head) I don't have to think about them.  Hah!

I've tried really hard lately to try to make the most of whatever "free"time that we do have, and whenever I'm left with a "wow, we have an hour where we don't need to be anywhere" I look at my list and see what we might be able to accomplish and check off.  I'm never usually this organized guys!  But I love it.  I think this might need to be a new goal for 2016!

A few more Christmas details from our house:

My new Christmas pillows make me soooooo happy.  I keep noticing the kids going over and squeezing Santa.

My kids love these little elves that they found a while back, and I find them cuddling with them at night in their beds.  So. So. Sweet.

This was the first time in 5 years that I hung up my grandmother's ornaments on our tree.  I love them.  It's so nice to have kids who are old enough to know not to touch them.

And because we have two trees this year (We got a new large artificial one, which meant that our old tiny one went to the kids to decorate).  My kids have loved decorating it with garlands, and popcorn, and pipe cleaner ornaments.  They are very possessive of their tree, and I haven't touched (our moved) a single ornament.  (Something that might be VERY difficult for me, given my sometimes OCD tendancies...Hah!)

I made wood house cutouts for the mantle.  My original plan was to keep them year round (without the wreaths) but I can't decide now if I like them enough.  What do you think?

Perhaps my favorite thing about decorating my house for Christmas this year though was hanging up all of my grandmother's old Christmas albums above our electric piano.  I have so many memories of playing these albums in her basement, and it's so fun to have them in my home.  

And I love the fact that this picture below totally wasn't staged.  Lu just sat down at the piano to play with her reindeer antlers on.   

From my house to yours, I wish you a very merry Christmas and holiday season.

Much love,

Jill