Holiday Decorating with Love

The holiday season is upon us and it was official as soon as Santa Claus made his appearance during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! I love Christmas. I always have and it's not because of the gifts. Actually, I love to give gifts! I love watching people open them and hearing their excitement over the items they just received. Sheer joy!!! I've always loved Christmas. Even with the hustle and bustle of the season, I feel like people are happier during this time of year. And Christmas Eve is the one day where there is true peace. At least that's how I see things in my tiny little world of elves, mistletoe and eggnog!

My husband and I are a blended family of religions. I am an Episcopalian and he is Jewish. And it's not an issue. When we got married, we were married by an Episcopalian priest who said that religion is not what breaks up a marriage. If anything, it is the least of marital issues. Generally, it's money, right? Anyway, when we started dating and we discussed religions, I was very upfront with him and said I wouldn't convert. And he didn't expect it. It wasn't completely about religion. The main reason was, I wasn't willing to give up Christmas! If anything, he has completely embraced the holiday and is the first to start helping get the house decorated!

But, even though I wasn't willing to convert, that didn't mean I wasn't willing to embrace Judaism. When the holidays rolled around, I asked him what he did to celebrate Hanukkah and he said nothing. That wasn't acceptable to me. I wanted to learn. He didn't own a menorah so we hit the stores in search of the perfect one. I was astonished at the fact that we couldn't find one! Christmas was brimming from every shelf but not one piece of Hanukkah gelt could be found! That was until we went into Bed, Bath and Beyond. They were the only store that had anything regarding Hanukkah and where we purchased our first menorah. We now own quite the collection, as well as other Hanukkah decor, since more and more retailers are including other cultures. It is so refreshing!

Based on that long winded story, check out the photos below and see how we decorate for our blended holiday season!

  

Remember this little table during Thanksgiving? Well it is the perfect setting for one my favorite displays. My mom and I saw something similar in a Mary Englebreit magazine. It is collection of antique bottle brush trees, chalkware Santa's and gold ornaments. Oh, and one awesome sled.

 

 

Our bar has always been the focal point of most of our Hanukkah decor. I love this large platter! I found it years ago and put it in the same place every year. The village menorah and tea light home are from Yankee Candle. I love the colors and vintage design.

The porcelain dreidels are scattered along the buffet so little hands can't reach them!

How sweet is McKinley's tree? It is made up of red, white and Santa! You should hear him say Santa. The. Cutest. Thing. Ever.

Another one of my favorites displays are these antique Santa mugs. They are just the sweetest things! And his crystal, blue eyes shine every day!

 

These window wreaths were a DIY project that I made last year. I saw something similar in a Martha Stewart magazine and thought "I can do that." My dad had the wreaths and I just added little berries that I purchased from Hobby Lobby. I simply cut small pieces from bundles and placed them through out. I used plaid ribbon and hung from the top of the windowsill. Super simple!

 

This is our menorah. The one we purchased together 12 years ago. I love it and treasure the memories we've had with it. I look forward to seeing McKinley's face when we light it this year.  

 

And lastly, the tree! I used to have a tree in every room. No lie! We haven't done that in several years but don't worry, we still have several trees around the house. What I miss the most is my Barbie tree! She was my tree in my apartment but once we moved into our house, she was replaced by our main tree in the living room. Barbie was moved to the den but alas, she hasn't made an appearance in a couple of years. Our main tree is nothing fancy. A hodgepodge of Hallmark ornaments that my mom has purchased for us over the years. There are bows, stuffed and wooden ornaments that my mom made for our tree when I was little and some ornaments that I've purchased for McKinley including one little Peanut, our nickname for him.  It is a tree filled with love!

 

How do you decorate for the holidays? Do you go all out like I do or keep things simple? I would love to hear your stories!