Christmas Tour-ish Part Two

If you are just getting here and are wondering what a "tour-ish" is then catch up here!

Today's tour-ish is of the Family Room and Kitchen. 

We got our decorating completed early for a little gathering that Mollie and I co-host each year. We have a "Get Merry with Mimosas" brunch on the first Saturday of December. It kicks off the season in a good way - with family and friends, motivates us to clean and decorate early, lets us spend time with people who get busier and busier as the month goes on and results in us being less hurried later on. Our decorating is completed - and let's face it, if the party was later in the month I'd be decorating up to the last minute!


A little bonus to this "tour-ish" is that we had
 a very unusual, unexpected 8 inches of snow in the South. 
So, probably for the first time ever, I have snow pictures at Christmas!!

This is a LOT of snow for Georgia. And rare in December!

(The huge Sycamore in the backyard after dark on Friday night!)

So it was very pretty outside. And quiet. Not a creature was stirring.

Now back inside:

Here is the Family Room full of friends at our Get Merry with Mimosas Party!
(and that weekend it was 68 degrees!! Then snow the next!)

(Cute girls but please notice I painted my ugly fireplace brick white and it looks so good!)

This room is not easy to photograph. 

The morning light is very bright as you can see and then it's dark by noon :(

We brought our trees back from our Thanksgiving trip to VA.

They look smaller in the "wild." :)

This one is pretty big - we had to trim. A lot.

Last year we only got lights on the tree before our Mimosa Brunch

 and never went back and added anything else!

This year we got glass ball ornaments on it!

Notice how fabulous they look with animal print.

#animalprintisaneutral

Maybe next year we will get to the "family" ornaments we have collected through the years. #goals

The tree is really the main decoration in our family room each year. 

We do have fresh greenery and palmetto fans on the mantle
 and a few things tucked here and there.
 But not much.
 So much daily living goes on in there that there isn't room for much more!

(FYI  I talk about drapes for the family room all. the. time.  So far - nothing)

(Early Christmas present - blue and white garden stool from my hubby.

Opened early so I could have it at our Mimosa Party!)

The kitchen is fairly minimal as well.
 I use wreaths to give the kitchen it's Christmas cheer.

And we have a second tree on the back porch 
with lots and lots of colored lights in all shapes and sizes. 

Anything goes back here :)

A jingle bell wreath on the back door get a lot of movement so lots of angels get their wings...

"Every time a bell rings an angel gets her wings."  ZuZu Bailey  It's A Wonderful Life

Please excuse the tarped-for-Winter furniture outside on the porch.

 I should have uncovered it for photos but you know, life.)

(I recovered my chairs before the Mimosa party! I love this fabric, Ming Dragon I believe. It was supposed to be used in the last One Room Challenge but got scratched at the last minute. Perfect on these chairs!!)

 I love wreaths and bows and they do not usurp counter space
 so that works in our busy kitchen.

Bowls and bowls of Christmas candy are a must. 

Speaking of busy- my stove top is never, ever as clean as I would like during the holidays 
so I have a quick fix! 
I have a cookie sheet with really cute "faux" gingerbread men on it! 
I actually made this for a Junior League Christmas Showhouse 
that I was part of a few years ago. 
It comes in handy though!

That's about it for our Christmas "Tour-ish." So, we wish you a merry Christmas from our house to yours :)

#hohohomerrychristmas