Day 893's holiday decorations

Christmas really brings out the traditionalist in me. All I can picture when I think of decorating is lots and lots of evergreen, so to Lowe's I went (twice) to collect the trimmings from their Christmas trees.

And, of course, we had to have a real Frasier Fir tree. There is always a moment during the process of getting it up (and straight) and of winding what seems like a thousand lights around it that I see the value of a pre-lit tree, but after it's up, it's totally worth it. The tree is decorated with all glass ornaments -- my small collection of Christopher Radko ornaments, and the random assortment that we've collected in the last few years. This year we added a blown-glass garland from Restoration Hardware (bought at 80 percent off at the outlet!). I love it and wish I had bought a couple more strands! I put the bells I bought after the holidays last year to use as the topper.

I have a weird obsession with hanging wreaths over mirrors, so I made a simple Fir wreath for the one in the dining room. I've got some paperwhites that I hope will bloom the week of Christmas, and I put greenery on nearly every other surface I could think of -- can't get enough!


I reused the moss wreath I made last year, and added some juniper and Magnolia leaves to the garland for more texture. Last year I used a red ribbon, but I swapped it for green since it faces the one in the dining room.


Outside, a lit garland of Fir and juniper hangs over the door and the big wreath. I originally wanted to put the bells on this wreath, but just couldn't get it to look quite right.


At Wes' suggestion, I used some of the leftover greenery to decorate the mailbox. It's kind of wild-looking (Wes calls it the Christmas peacock) but think it's festive! Are you all decorated yet? What's your philosophy?

I'm going to try something new and link to a few holiday decorating parties. If you are here for the first time, thank you so much for visiting, and I'd love to "meet" you in the comments. Check out these ladies for a ton more holiday inspiration: Southern Hospitality, Hooked on Houses, The Inspired Room, The Nesting Place.