Christmas Bells Are Ringing...

Let the Christmas music play, the bells ding dong, the hot cocoa simmer and the decorating commence! Christmas season is here and I am having so much fun decorating and shopping despite financial woes and constraints! This year is all about being thrifty and creating the most Christmas cheer with the least amount of doe. Being that I'm pretty much a cheap-skate year round, this hasn't been that much of a challenge but it sure has been fun!

The inspiration for our entry way came from Martha Stewart a couple of years ago. I took my boys on a walk and collected some branches for our entry way tree. I had saved some cards from the previous years, cut them up and turned them into ornaments. I love it with the pops of color from the Charlie Harper illustrations in the background.

Next up, The Dollar Tree. That's right...Dollar Tree. If you've never been there, you really must check it out. They have great stuff year round and when my boys do something super sweet or loving out of an overflow from their heart, they get a buck to buy any toy they want here. It's awesome. I found these little silver Christmas trees for $1.00 each. How awesome is that? Mix in a couple of branches and pine cones from outside with a few Christmas balls from the local thrift store and voila!

Nothing too special here - just our little Charlie Brown Christmas tree. But, here's what I love about it...almost everything on it is unbreakable! Most of the ornaments are felt or crocheted. It's perfect for my little one year old who can't seem to keep his hands off it! The other special thing about it are the Anthropologie ornaments that I've been collecting since Jude was born. Each one commemorates a special moment from that year.

For a little more sparkle, I love hanging Christmas ornaments from the chandelier above the dining room table. Some are from the local thrift store and others were on sale last year after the holidays for 75% off. Ka-ching! Love the bling bling when the lights are one and the candles are flickering!

I'll post more Christmas decorations from the house next week, as I've decided to do a little something in every room of the house this year! Whew, almost done!