It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Wade house.
Just for fun, I thought I’d take you on a quick pictorial tour of my holiday decorations. So, come on in! [And be sure to stick around for info on my free Christmas story and a Christmas giveaway while you’re here.]
For the second year in a row I purchased my wreath from Home Depot for less than $20. Allergies prevent me from having a freshly cut Christmas tree, so I love having a wreath made of real greenery.
The view from the middle of our den to the back. We don’t have a mantel, so our stockings are hung by the chimney with care thanks to our fireplace screen. His Highness and I still have the hand-knitted and personalized stockings we received as kids.
I like to group odds and ends (angels, santas, a wooden Happy Holidays sign, and a moose wearing a fur vest) together for more impact.
We’ve acquired our ornaments slowly over all the years of our marriage. I wrote the year on the back of each one, so we take a trip down memory lane as we unpack and hang them.
Christmas ornaments are my favorite souvenirs! These are the ornaments I picked up on my travels in 2016.
My Department 56 Dickens Village (that I’ve blogged about in the past here) is arranged on my dining room table. It’s snug, but we can still fit plates in front of and behind the village when we sit down for December meals.
The German nativity pyramid in the photo above was given to His Highness and me as a wedding present. We were married in July. Though it seems strange to think of giving a newly married couple a Christmas decoration for a July wedding, this is my favorite (and the most enduring) of all our wedding gifts.
Elliott, our Elf on the Shelf, hanging out at my 7 year old’s Barbie house.
My kids are 16, 13, and 7 but they still LOVE these advent calendars with chocolates hiding behind each day’s door.
Thanks for visiting! Sit down a spell and let me serve you cranberry nut cake and cider before you go. Oh, and be sure to help yourselves to the below ‘party favors’….
Kindle users, I’ve made my Christmas short story, The Proposal, free for a limited time. It’s my gift to you. Merry Christmas! To be taken to the story on Amazon, click here.
A cold night in Texas, a dream of marriage, a happily ever after….
Single mom Amber Richardson spends every holiday season working to give her young son the best Christmas possible and striving to ignore the empty chairs around her table, chairs she wishes her mother and father and extended family occupied.
She’d hoped that this holiday would be fuller and happier than the rest. Her handsome firefighter boyfriend, Will McGrath, has brought immeasurable joy and love into her life. Up until recently, they’d even been talking about a future that included wedding bells. Lately, though, the wedding talk has been nonexistent and Amber can’t help but worry that Will’s starting to have second thoughts….
Until a fire station surprise brings very good tidings.
Several author friends and I have put together a 12 Authors of Christmas giveaway, which is open to entries until midnight tonight!
To enter the giveaway, click here.
The grand prize winner will win all 12 novels and a $50 cash card. The runner-up will win a $70 cash card.
Best of luck!
Are any of your Christmas decorations similar to mine? What’s on your To Do list between now and December 25th?
Becky Wade
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Between now and Christmas I still have a few more gifts to wrap and a few more cookies to bake! 🙂 thanks for the chance at this giveaway; it is very generous!
You’re welcome. I’m looking forward to baking Christmas cookies, Patricia!
I am at the Jesus Conference in Orlando, and sadly I did not get any of my decorations up before I left. I will be extremely busy when I get back!
It’s hard to fit everything in before (and after) traveling, isn’t it? I did my decorating while unpacking and recovering from our Thanksgiving trip. It was a bit… chaotic… there for a few days. Especially because my 7 year old decided to “help me” unpack the Christmas decorations. When she was done, it looked like a red and green bomb had exploded in my den.
We love to buy ornaments as souvenirs too! It is fun to have all the memories at Christmas!
Blessings,
Becky
Yes! I agree. It’s great fun to have memories tied to each ornament.
Thanks for a look at your decorations and the giveaway!
You’re welcome, Betty! Merry Christmas. 🙂
My thing is gingerbread houses. I have a several ranging from candles to villages to ornaments and everything in between. They are everywhere this time of year at my house. When I got engaged, my mother got us an ornament that had gingerbread people holding hands. That is my most favorite ornament. I just love gingerbread houses!
I wish I could see your gingerbread houses, Stacey! I’m intrigued by the idea of a gingerbread candle. What’s that? A candle that smells like gingerbread? Maybe you can guest blog for me in 2 weeks so we can all get a peek at YOUR decorations! 😉
I loved seeing your decorations, Becky! I’m slow getting to mine this year. My plan is to get all the boxes down this weekend then let my daughter (who finishes her first semester of college today) do all the decorating for me once she’s home. My schedule has been hectic this December so far, and thankfully, she’s actually looking forward to playing festive elf, so it will work out for both of us!
That sounds like a perfect plan, Karen! The whole college daughter thing really seems to have some benefits…
Very cozy house. Our tree is the same, decorations we have collected or made by my boys over the years. Cool idea to put the year on them all!
Yep, a lot of our ornaments were made by the kids. Those of some of my favorites. Merry Christmas, Jennifer!
Love your decorations. Mine tend to have a theme or color scheme. I was trying to think of a way to describe my favorite “style” to decorate for Christmas recently and I realized my “style” is rustic vintage with a little sparkle. Sounds odd, I know, but it works for me. 🙂
My husband’s grandmother buys ornaments every year that she places on her tree. Each member of the family has one that has his/her name on it. The ornaments are a different theme every year. After our Christmas celebration with them, we get to take the ones with our names on them home. She’s kept me in great supply of Christmas tree ornaments over the years between the ones with my husband’s name and mine and all those that belong to our children (we have 6 with one on the way!). AND as my children grow up and move out, I will be able to pass on to each of them the ornaments we’ve collected for them from Nanny over the years.
Time to finish up Christmas shopping and start wrapping gifts (and figure out a way to keep the wrapped gifts from being destroyed by our almost 2 year old)! We’ve already watched one of our favorite Christmas movies (White Christmas) so far this season and Elf is next on our list. Then on to the really fun part-spending time with family and friends we don’t get to see often enough!
First, I love the sound of ‘rustic vintage with a little sparkle’! Second, I’m a huge fan of your husband’s grandmother’s tradition of giving ornaments to the members of her family. Not only does that strategy make shopping manageable for her, but you’re all receiving a meaningful keepsake each year. Awesome!
Thank you for the story! I’m here via a friend’s tweet and look forward to getting to know your books. What do I still have to do? ALL THE THINGS. I haven’t even made the list yet, never mind checking it twice…I’d rather read, though.
I’ve got a couple more Christmas cards to write and gifts to wrap. The most important part of to-do list is done: mailing packages to my parents back in England, and getting my international Christmas cards out.Amazingly, it took only 4 days for my mother’s package to reach her in northern England.
My husband and I also collect ornaments from places we visit. We usually get the ones that are of those places, so our tree has numerous lighthouses and other historic buildings on it.
I have more shopping, lots of wrapping, baking, and helping the kids make some crafts.
Becky, you home is beautifully decorated! I’ve finished Christmas shopping. Gifts need wrapping. My Christmas is usually quiet.
Blessings to you and your family!
My decorations are a bit different More Kid Friendly and On My to do calendar is Everything I have done Nothing Yet UGH Thanks for the giveaway
Looks great, Becky!