2012 Christmas Home Tour

So I know it's almost a month late, but I've finally uploaded all of the photos of our Christmas decorations. Just be forewarned, this is gonna be a loooong post.  I had originally planned on posting about each vignette separately to avoid a ridiculously long post, but yeah, that didn't happen. So without further ado, here is our 2012 Christmas tour!

Let's start outside.  I focused less on the yard and more on our small porch.

I kept my same wreath and swag, but this year I bought more garland, strung some lights through it, added bows, and hung it above the door.  

I reused my Fall lanterns, ditched the pumpkins, and filled them with extra ornaments. 

This little mailbox was a super clearance find at Michael's.

Instead of keeping my flower pots up, I wrapped some boxes in colored paper and stuck them on the shelves.  

I also added a wreath to the front of the house.  It was a plain wreath that I decorated with lights and ornaments, then hung from my bedroom window.

I always decorate the garage with garland and small wreaths, but this year our red bows were in pretty bad shape so I switched them out for these bigger bows:

The trees outside always get wrapped in lights and that's about it as far as our outdoor decor.  I always focus more on the inside of our house.  Speaking of which, lets move inside and talk about each room.

I usually do not decorate in the kitchen, but Eva and I had put together a gingerbread house so I decided to display it with the jar of peppermints I received from my husband's grandmother.

The only other Christmas-y thing I added to the kitchen was this printout from Make, Bake, Celebrate (you can find the printable here), which I put in a silver frame from Marshall's.

Our kitchen nook didn't get too many changes, the only thing I did differently was the centerpiece.  I ditched the ornament filled bowls and simplified things with these mini gifts and glitter pine cones, displayed on a leaf shaped tray that I picked up a few months back at Home Goods:

I reused the same garland and bows for the bay window.  This is the only indoor garland that I don't string lights through, mainly because there isn't a convenient power source nearby to plug them into (sorry for the bright picture, I didn't realize how much light was coming in through the bay windows).

As you can see, I added a few hanging ornaments to the light fixture just to add in some color:

One day we woke up to Hokie Dokie hanging out on the garland :)

The living room wasn't supposed to have a tree this year, but Wal-Mart was having a ridiculous sale on fresh trees, so I made a last minute decision to get a small one.  I'm not crazy about cutting down trees, but I thought it would be nice for Eva to have a real tree at least once:

Let's play 'Where's Sarge?' have you spotted him yet in the photo below? The black dog is Chica so keep looking!

I kept the same stocking holders from last year, except this year I made a stocking for my mom (she nagged me until she got her way :)) 

I wish I could have a TV-free mantel, but I don't think the TV is going anywhere, wah!

I always hang lit garland with bows and I've had this one for at least 7 years. 

The biggest difference in this room was that it no longer fit our tree after I added the window seat in the corner.  It did however, fit this tiny tree, which I perched on top of an end table.  

If you think back to December, you may remember our card display, which is also in the living room. 

Moving towards the front of the house, our stairs saw a few changes.  While they still got the lit garland, I changed out the old handmade bows for bigger, brighter, red ones.  I also hung stockings for my sisters and brothers in law from the railing since our mantel was already full.  

With the lights on during the day:

Next to the front door I propped up a small wooden sleigh I found on clearance at Michaels.  The original plan was to stain it and add a cute vinyl saying, but I never got around to it :/

The entry way table was changed up just a tad since I couldn't find my nativity scene.  I usually display it there, but when I unpacked everything, it was nowhere to be found.  

I did, however, find this adorable sleigh on clearance at Hobby Lobby.  Then I filled it with tiny presents and added a Santa ornament that we've had for a few years:

I've had these guys for about 7 years as well:  

I love them.  I think my husband and I bought them in Kentucky.  Hopefully they last forever :)

I put this wreath together last year and used it again in the same spot.  It was a plain wreath, I just strung lights through it and added a bow.  

The biggest change this year was the newly appointed dining room.  In 2011 it was a toy room and the only holiday decoration was a tiny Christmas tree for Eva full of princess ornaments.  

In 2012 we got rid of the toy room and added a dining set, so it was a blank canvas come holiday time.  

I started decorating by moving my favorite picture to the top of the china cabinet, which I decorated with lit garland.  

This room has the window that faces out to the street, which is why I wanted to move my tree here.  

The toy storage thing-a-majig displayed some old and new items. 

The 'Merry Christmas' is from Hobby Lobby (50% off).

I stuffed our little chest with pine cones and empty gift boxes from the Dollar Tree:

That sums up our daytime holiday decor, but you get the real holiday feel at night when the wreath and garlands are all lit up:

We had a wonderful Christmas and hope you did too!