Our “Christmas Wonderland”

I love Christmas decor. Seriously, our house completely transforms at Christmastime. And, the biggest fan of the change is my hubby! He can’t wait to see our house turn into a “Christmas Wonderland!” {his term!} … So…here is a sneak peek into a few of my favorite spots this year. Thanks to Mammer’s help, things are always a little different each year. And, this year, I had two little boys that appreciated it as much as the rest of us. Matt got me the “Soccer Mom” ornament this year…and Quinn made us the other at school. I love them both…
       
This was my favorite little spot this year. {It looked so much better in real life!}…I loved the sparkly postcards in the garland…the cute ice skates and my sweet Santa picture, of course…    Our dining room tree and Quinn’s little “Charlie Brown tree”… 
  
Quinn’s growing Nutcracker collection…and it grew by THREE new ones this year. WOW!!!…
Nash’s room had sweet little touches…
I loved my mantle this year. I got this new sweet print loved it so…I feel like it depicts what it was really like more than any picture I’ve seen before.

Here is our advent tree…
And, last but not least, my Santa mug collection.
Here’s the story…
When I was a little girl, my ballet teacher used to give us these each year for Christmas. And, since Matt and I got married, I’ve slowly added to the collection. I love how unique they all are and it’s fun to search for them at antique stores.

Well, last year, when Matt was so graciously putting all of the decor back in the attic, I heard a crash. And, I went out to find all of my Santa mugs in tiny little pieces. I was devastated.

So, I assumed that I would never have my sweet collection again and pouted about it off and on all year.

Then, when Christmastime rolled around, my mom wondered why I didn’t just start again. Strangely enough, I hadn't even thought to do that…but, was so excited. And, when we were in Abilene for Thanksgiving, my sweet husband took me around to different antique stores and added 6 to my collection! I was elated!!!

Just look at how full my collection is again. And, a few of them were able to still be displayed despite their broken handles…

But, one of my sweetest memories from this Christmas came when Quinn and I were going to downtown McKinney to take some Christmas card pics for some friends. As we were driving (just the two of us), he said, “Mommy, this is a date!” My heart swelled. 

When we arrived downtown, we had a few minutes to spare and walked into a little nearby shop. Once inside, we saw TONS of Santa mugs. And, after seeing a few, Quinn found this one…
…and he said, “I want to buy this one for you TODAY, Mommy!” My heart swelled again. So, I have him my card and he proudly paid the lady for it.

Needless to say, my Santa mugs are now safely stored in a kitchen cabinet!!! And, I can’t wait to get them all out again next year.

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I must admit that taking it all down is a bit overwhelming, but I love the month that I get to enjoy it. It’s such a happy & magical feeling!