The Christmas Tree Shuffle

When we first moved into our house finding a place for the Christmas tree was easy. We had very little furniture so every room was a potential site. Today, however, things have changed. Over the past nine years our house has slowly filled up and for the first time ever, we had to move furniture to make space for the tree.

Last year, you may remember our Christmas tree was in the dining room (picture below). This location made the outside of the house look pretty as the tree was visible through the front window. The inside was a little different story. Although it was in a convenient spot, the tree was hard to enjoy as it was not in a part of the house which was used often. This year with the addition of the buffet and extra chairs, the dining room was no longer an option.

So where did we put our tree? Ironically, right back in the very spot we placed the tree for our first Christmas in our house – the family room.

We have less seating now but the trade-off of seeing the tree all day is well worth it. Having the tree in the family room makes the entire house more festive. I think we have found a permanent home for our Christmas tree for years to come!

So, where do you place your Christmas tree? Have you tried different locations in your house or do you always put your tree in the same spot?

Hooked on Houses
Met Monday
The Nester Christmas Tour

Christmas at Mom's (part 1)

Happy December!

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday, filled with friends, family, and good food!

I had what you might call a "working holiday," but I wouldn't have it any other way! My dear mother is in very poor health, so while I am with my parents, I try to do all the things she can't do any more. In particular, this Thanksgiving break was the time for me to do the Christmas decorating!

....and my mother doesn't believe in doing anything half-way....

EVERY surface in five rooms gets decorated. My parents have been living in that house for about 40 years now. There are a LOT of surfaces!

And my mother has also collected a LOT of Christmas decorations. When I was a little girl, we had one deep closet dedicated to Christmas decorations. When the children moved out, my mother also commandeered the basement bedroom...and not just the closet! There are decorations stacked in boxes in a heap on the floor, and wreaths in bags hung all over the walls! And last (but certainly not least), several years ago my Dad put up an 8' x 5' shed specifically to hold more Christmas stuff! Suffice it to say, decorating my mother's house is not a task for the faint-hearted...or time-pressed!

There are three bookcases in the hall. One of them gets a simple garland and a stuffed snowman and penguin (this was probably the last one I did, actually, and I may have been getting tired ;-)).


The next one is little more elaborate: two garlands, and more stuffed snowmen! Oh, and a couple of candle holders with berries.


Some are focuses less on cute-sy, and more on the reason for the season.

I love the gorgeous pink and silver poinsettias.

This gorgeous bookcase is in the living room. It has these amazing spindles on the back and sides, that you can't see right now! The tall glass candleholders are hand-etched with pinecones. Two bronze deer, more garland, some snowy pinecones and sprakly poinsettias complete this vignette.


This antique cabinet in the entry way gets gussied up with crystal and glass. There are reindeer, polar bears, and skating snowmen!


More to come!

Link Party No. 32!

It is the time of year that things get busy and crazy sometimes, if we are not careful. I am not an exception either. I feel like the things I need to do are piling up, calendar filled with parties, functions, and get-togethers. There are so many projects that I was supposed to finish this year... really? It is December already?! Hopefully I can share the project that I am working on (or at least have been trying to the last week or so) soon.

Meanwhile, if you were able to work on some projects, I would love to see them! Here are the rules:

1. Please post something YOU made. It doesn't matter if it is crochet, quilt, clothing, anything would be fine. I want to see it! If you use someone's idea or patterns please give them the rightful credit.

2. Link to your specific post, that way it is easier for everybody to find and read it.

3. Please grab the "Tea Rose Home" grab button, and link back from your post. If you can mention the party in your post or place the button on your side bar, that would be great! I want more people to have a chance to come and show off their creation.


<br /><a href="http://tearosehome.blogspot.com"><img border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462799092490427250" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 126px; height: 160px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuoA01dPDcxCv9Ku09VYtszSXA0_T7FXqIzGCrwEgkVFc0iH6Odrctb37Xnb2X1S-la8wBXHBzIAuYLRqt-QdLdVoVbXgOK8JmMJuJJddy66mk2pygB_tIigOtSDA50N0l7LEbzg3Ii-M/s200/GrabButtonLinkParty.jpg" /></a><br />


Thank you all for linking, I hope you can go through this busiest time of the year safely and enjoy every minute of it!

P.S. I'm trying something new with the link party; you can now add a picture!