“But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”
Isaiah 64:8
Hello sweet friends! It seems that each month just slips away so quickly. One week from today is Thanksgiving! I can hardly believe that everywhere I look the Christmas season is already upon us. With Thanksgiving being late this year, many have already decorated their homes for the most wonderful time of the year. This is particularly true with bloggers. My Renaissance Man put up our tree in the dining room on Monday, but it remains bare. Whirling around in my thoughts all at the same time are the plans and preparations for Thanksgiving and decking the halls. Whew, I am already tired! Over the past several years I have slowed down on purchasing any new Christmas decorations. I have boxes and boxes of ornaments, baubles, and collections, so why do I need to add more? But, each year I attempt to give a new look to my favorite collections.
Porch decorating is always a priority! This fresh wreath last year was a nice addition.
Our most used entrance, the kitchen porch has welcomed a quartet of carolers for the past couple of years. They are Ella Mae approved!
The saga of the nutcrackers, where will they stand guard this year?
What will land on the painted chest in the foyer? Will it be one of my Mother’s handmade creations or one of many collections?
One of the most asked about…the large nativity has found a home on the hearth. I am thinking of placing it somewhere else this year. What do you think?
A few years ago we decided to purchase a slim tree to place beside the fireplace in the family room. Our large tree had become too much of a burden, but this smaller one is a perfect size for this spot!
The coffee table often changes during the season, from a sleigh filled with ornaments…
…to red velvet fudge and espresso…
…to a fresh arrangement served up with a baked tart and apple cider…
…and the beauty of a flickering candle!
Up close with a large Radko nutcracker music box, one of two given to me by a special friend! He moves around from year to year, but I already know where he will stand this year.
I love using fresh fruit on the dining room table or a side table; festive and simple!
The ambiance of a Christmas tablescape…
…a vignette placed on a bookcase or tabletop…
…my favorite Santa (made by my Mother) residing on the secretary!
The nativity is getting old (just like me) and has a few broken fingers as you can see. Wrapping and storing the pieces is quite the chore!
The sweet gingerbread house may or may not show up this year.
Unboxing Christmas is always bittersweet, with so many memories attached that often bring a few tears. Thank you for sharing in our everyday living, for your visits, and gracious comments. Wishing you a joy-filled day!
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Imparting Grace, Calypso in the Country
Just beautiful! Your Nativity is amazing! Love it!
Thank you so much Lynda. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you for taking us on your Christmas memories tour of your lovely home. Happy Holidays!
Thank you Gail and it is my pleasure. Happy Thanksgiving!
Pam, your treasures are beautiful, especially those your mother made! I can relate to wanting to keep the old but with fresh placement. That’s exactly how I do with my Christmas decor. This year I gave one of my daughters my taller tree and am going with a tabletop just for the ease of handling and storing. Everything I kept will need to find new placement in our loft, shuffling a few times before I’m satisfied, I’m certain. It has begun!
I know you will have fun decorating your new home, Rita. I hope you will do a tour! Have a wonderful weekend.
Hi Pam, I love a look back and peak at all your Christmas treasures. I have visions of sugar plums dancing in my head but have yet to start decorating yet…I can relate to being tired already 🙂 Fall was late arriving and love this last week before Thanksgiving when we focus on family and food before the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Happy Thursday ♥
Thank you Mary! I do love Thanksgiving…the family around my table and food abounding❤️
Oh the magic of it all. Everything sparkles. Christmas is all about celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior and we do it big. The more the merrier. And you have the gift of grandchildren with their wide open eyes and excitement and wonder. That’s why we keep on carrying on the traditions of bringing out the old and adding the new even in our old age. Praise the Lord!
Thank you sweet Alice. Yes, we certainly love seeing the wide-eyes of our girls! I guess we will continue as long as we can, and I hope that is a long, long time! Blessings always
Pam, these are such beautiful treasures! I, too, have started pulling out all of my decorations. I have even played a little Christmas music, because I love it so! I’ve also had a few tears, as well. A song or treasure brings back a flood of memories of loved ones who are no longer here. I’m sentimental to a fault! I can’t wait to see what you create with your pretty treasures! I know it will be gorgeous! Happy Thursday, sweet friend!
Thank you Shannon. I know you are missing your precious grandmother and it is always hard during the special holidays. Sending you love and extra hugs sweet friend!
I love decorating for Christmas. I use to love seeing my grandkids little faces when they came to my house. They are all adults now but they still help decorate my tree. Putting everything away after Christmas, NOT my idea of fun!
How special Nancy that your adult grands help decorate your tree, I just love that!
Is your Nativity on the hearth safe from little fingers? I place my favorite up high and rest easier. Love my grandsons and don’t want to stress when they are in my home.
Hi Vicky, the Nativity is very heavy, so little hands can’t pull it off. Happy Thanksgiving!
What a marvelous look backwards. You have so many beautiful treasures. The Sunday after Thanksgiving is my target date to pull everything out. I have collected Santas for years and have many that were gifts from my mother and dear friends, so there are always lots of sentimental tears. The only new addition this year will be a tabletop dachshund tree in honor of my Rosie! I’ve been picking up dachshund ornaments all year, so I’m excited to put it together!!
Thanks so much Roxanne. I know your Santa collection is so precious. I can’t wait to see your Rosie tree, I know it will be adorable! Happy Thursday my friend!
What beautiful treasures. They are such memories for you and your family. I am in the process of getting Christmas out and about the house. I like to have it mostly finished by Thanksgiving, as you have said, “The months slip away so quickly.” I do so love your large nativity. It is beautiful on your hearth, but I know it will be gorgeous wherever you place it. Enjoy these days before the holiday rush begins.
Thank you dear Sandra, it is hard to figure out new ways to use old things. Happy Thursday!
I can relate exactly to what you’re going through! My house is a jumble of mixed up holidays right now! I rarely put things in the same place year to year, except the Christmas tree has a permanent place in the foyer, the center of our house. You have so many beautiful pieces and collections, and it does get harder and harder to lug things out every year. With the ages of your grandie girls, you won’t have to worry to much this year about where you place things, but next year the little one will be mobile! I rarely let myself go shopping these days for fear of buying things I don’t need! I know your home will be beautiful whatever you decide to do 🎄
Jenna
Thank you Jenna. EM doesn’t bother anything, but little one is crawling everywhere, pulls up, and might take a step or two anytime. Let’s just say she is an explorer🤣
It is so easy to get caught up in the spirit if you go shopping. I am so tempted to buy things I don’t need like another set of dishes. Happy Thursday my friend!
Oh, I didn’t realize she was crawling, wow, time flies!
Jenna, she made a step yesterday and fell. She is not quite 8 months. EM was a year old when she started walking
Oh no, that’s going to be challenging if she starts walking so early! I was thinking she was 5-6 months, time really flies!
Such beautiful Christmas inspiration! I love that you have your Mom’s handmade treasures and you use them in your Christmas Home. Sweet memories for you and yours. The Nativity is stunning. Looking forward to your new additions. 😊
Truth be told… Christmas is up at our Arizona home. I went about it slowly this year and it was so relaxing. We are having many guests over the next month… so having it up already makes less stress for me later.
Happy Thursday!
Thank you my friend. You will be in PA for Thanksgiving so I know you had to deck the halls early!
Such pretty Christmas displays!
Thank you Penny!
Pam, Your Christmas decorations are beautiful. Your Mom was so talented & I know they’re special treasures with wonderful memories. Your nativity scene is exquisite! I love your slim tree. I agree that the larger trees are no longer a priority in our home. We’re looking forward to seeing your placement of your Christmas treasures. It’s inspiring! I try not to buy more Christmas baubles each year but somehow I always find something that I just can’t leave behind! HomeGoods is a blessing & a curse! Lol Next weekend is when we’ll begin Christmas decorations as I can now more fully function with unwrapping all the Christmas treasures & memories that are attached to them. Happy Thanksgiving sweet friend ❣️ Clara
Clara, dear friend I am so happy you are healing with your hand and shoulder. But take it easy and take your time with your decorating. I so wish I had a Home Goods close by, but I am afraid I would spend way too much. Blessings my friend and wishing you a most wonderful Thanksgiving!
Everything is beautiful and inspiring! I’ve never decorated before Thanksgiving but this year I might since I will not have any company. However, my head is spinning with things to do. I feel so blessed!
Have a beautiful day special friend!
Thank you Bonnie, you too!
I love reviewing earlier years to see what I might want to use — or not — this year. I do love that wreath above the pink church, Pam. It’s especially beautiful.
Thank you so much Jeanie!
What a beautiful tour and certainly makes me want to put out precious collections. I like your idea of moving things to different spots. Like you, I have stopped adding new items. Your Mother’s handmade decorations are great treasures. Beautiful, inspiring tour.
Thank you Dianne. I know how much you love and cherish your mom’s lovely things!
You have such lovely treasures, Pam. I see a lot of work in your future 🙂
Amalia
xo
Thank you Amalia!
You must see my blog post today. I am not ready to even think about Christmas decorations yet. But, you have so many gorgeous items from which to choose and so many amazing creative ideas to implement. I suppose if we were home to enjoy the whole month, I might feel differently about doing a lot of decorating, but that is the way it is for us and we wouldn’t trade being with our family in Indiana for Christmas for anything. So, I will look forward to seeing what amazing feats you perform again this year.
Enjoy your family Libby, that is what is the most important! Blessings always❤️
How amazing and magic…Everything is so inspiring!Hugs!
Thank you sweet friend❤️
Oh, sweet friend! I know what you mean. There are so many emotions at this time of year. Thinking of Christmases that have passed and all of the ones we have lost along the way. I am trying hard to focus. We got our Christmas tree up, and we are now in the midst of getting it decorated. I am SO grateful our dear boy is still home with us, and we can share these times together. Life flies by so fast and is ever-changing, but God is our constant stay through it all. As I looked at your beautiful blog just now, I was freshly amazed at the talent you have for arranging things just as they should be. Everything in your home is so lovely and warm and inviting! My opinion is to leave the nativity where you have have been placing it. It looks SO pretty against the backdrop of the fireplace! God bless you abundantly as you prepare for the time we celebrate Jesus’ birth!
Cheryl, I hope to get my dining room tree decorated today. I don’t like mixing Thanksgiving and Christmas, but there isn’t enough time since I keep my littles three days a week.
God is the same, and that is a great comfort. Thank you for your sweet sentiments my friend!
Our gardens and landscaping were pruned down and cleared today in readiness for the annual
exterior decorating the weekend after Thanksgiving. After the out of town guests leave that week, the bins come down and the interior production begins, a bit modified this year. Please
let the Nativity set rest in its traditional place, Pam. It’s beauty is the focal point of that room. The wreath with berries on the mirror is perfection…is it still available, do you know? How dear
that the work of your beloved Mother’s gifted hands are placed throughout your home to remind
the family of the love and care she provided from her heart. Lump in the throat kind of remembering. Thank you for this lovely memory tour, dear one…just the incentive we need to
dream up our own version of Christmas at home.
Mary, thank you sweet friend for your beautiful sentiments. I hope you will send photos of the exterior of your home when you complete the Christmas decorating. Do you begin the interiors after you finish outside?
I thought I had changed my mind about the Nativity, we shall see.! Blessings and enjoy being the gracious innkeeper!
All of your decorations are beautiful! Seeing your photos and reading your Christmas memories makes me want to pull out all of my decorations.
Thanks for your visit Michelle. Happy Thanksgiving!
As always, stunning! I, too, see so many gorgeous ornaments but I am through with Cmas deor at this time in my life. I have more than I need and will continue to use these in the coming years. I’ve had more Cmas decor over the years than the law allows but now I just do “touches of Cmas.” It’s easy to put up and easy to take down. Makes me happy. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
So many beautiful decorations! I haven’t begun decorating yet (my adult children want me start earlier than I do!). Seeing your photos inspires me to get started! (And soon as my Thanksgiving company leaves,that is!)
Thank you Stacey, wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!
So very beautiful. . . wish I could see it all in person; it looks so inviting!
Thanks so much for joining the Grace at Home party at Imparting Grace. I’m featuring you this week!
Thanks so much Richella!
Perfect and gorgeously decorated for the Holidays. I’m trying to finish my house too.
I love the part on the fireplace and the lovely manger. Every detail and wreath is beautiful. You have great taste !
Happy holiday season dear friend.
Thank you Fabby, you are a sweetheart. Wishing you the most joyous a Christmas season!