Holiday Decorations

I “met” Aleeza by finding her beauty videos on YouTube. She’s not too far away from me, as she’s located in Toronto. I usually live vicariously through her expensive taste and haul videos. Love them. Aleeza was also doing Project 10 Pan and reminded me that I should do it too. You can check her channel out, and she also blogs and is on twitter. Aleeza must know that I’m incredibly into Nutcrackers this year — check out her favorite decorations below! Love that she personalized the little tree with my name, awww!!

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  One of my favourite things about the holidays is decorating the tree. I love shopping for new ornaments, especially at Crate and Barrel. There are always new ones every year (and also some classics).

 

1. Metal Bow Ornaments
Normally, you would find these on a gift box but they look even better on the tree.

 2. Wooly Winter Sport Penguin Ornaments
Who doesn’t love penguins? Especially after the Happy Feet movie. These fun-loving penguins are enjoying some of the fun activities of Winter.

 3. Tree Ornaments
I love the spirals of sparkling gold wire. The swirling shapes decorated with glitter and beads double as a placecard holder. It’s perfect for the table or the tree.

 4. Nutcracker Ornaments
The Nutcracker is the epitome of holiday entertainment. Seeing these stalwart wood soldiers painted in candy-striped color schemes make me nostalgic for Christmas.

 5. Silver Frame Ornaments
These mini keepsake frames come in several shapes. You can hang photos from the tree or set it upright with easel back. These also make great gifts.

6. Snowmen with Snow Ornaments
Glass snowmen bundled up in festive winter hats and tinsel scarves, which also double as a snow globe.

What ornaments are gracing your trees?

xo,

Aleeza

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Erin’s guest post

Erin is a great blog friend of mine who I’ve known for years, she’s got the greatest New York accent I’ve heard. You can find Erin blogging over at Butter and Whiskey, where she posts about her (omg adorable) son, and hubs. You can also follow her on twitter! I have definitely watched The Christmas Story (Ralphie and his Bunny suit) already this Christmas. It’s the most hilarious Christmas movie and I love watching it each year. Elf is another huge favorite of mine but I’ve only seen it a few times! So, thanks for your post Erin :) Hope everyone is enjoying their Christmas holidays!

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Generally, I crave novelty; always looking for the latest and the greatest. However, the holiday season always turns me into a traditionalist. I cannot wait to put the Christmas tree up, hang lights outside the house and bake more cookies than I could possibly give away. I am not kidding when I tell you that I have been listening to nothing but Christmas music since Thanksgiving!  There are a few traditions that I look forward to every year. My parents shared them with my brother and I when we were young and I look forward to passing them on to my children!!

My favorite of our traditions is the Hallmark ornament. Every year, from birth until now, my mother has gotten one for each of us. We were allowed to pick out whatever  one our little heart desired. I always thought it was nice and fun but I never truly appreciated it until a few years ago. My husband and I were getting ready to decorate our first Christmas tree as a couple and had picked up my collection of ornaments from my mother. It was so wonderful to open the box and reminisce about my childhood! It started out with a crib, a couple of cute birds, Santa on a computer, several years of Barbies and it ends with my undeniable obsession with the Wizard of Oz. I picked out a Dorothy ornament last year. Again.

I love to drive around the neighborhood and check out the Christmas lights. I can remember being eight years old, driving around Queens with my cousins, packed like sardines in the back of a station wagon. Now, we live in the suburbs and everyone has their houses decorated, one brighter than the next.  I love it! On our way home one night, my son was in the backseat OOHing and AHHing at any house with lights. We ended up driving through a handful of neighborhoods to check them out. We found one that rivaled the Griswolds; there was not one dark spot on their house. Perfection!


Last but not least is Christmas pajamas! Fuzzy, flannel and festive. I wore footed pajamas for as long as I could. I think I cut the toes off so that I could wear them even longer. I break out the pajamas on Christmas Eve and might wear them again around the New Year, but then they’re gone. Back to the bottom of the drawer until next December. It’s easy to find kids pajamas with Santa or Snowmen on them. It’s not so easy to find the adult version. BUT I DID IT! I found a long red one piece. My husband doesn’t know it yet, but that’s what he’s wearing to bed on Christmas Eve! The Ralphie bunny suit crossed my mind….I swear it did!

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