2009 Christmas Tour Of Homes

First, let me just say I this tour is much, much happier than last year's. I am LOVING this Christmas, but know that next year will be the best one yet and I.CANNOT.WAIT!!!! I also want to take this time to once again thank the Catoosa County Fire Department. As you will see as you take the tour, most of my decorations survived our fire. Even more impressive is that they moved our tree around and did not break one single ornament (although I cannot say the same for the movers. :(

Welcome to our home! Please take off your coat and stay awhile!

Last year we had old fashioned C-9 clear lights on the house and it was so beautiful, but Michael hasn't had the time to put them up this year and honestly we are a little nervous they may have been somewhat of a lightning rod! Ha! This year we went simple with our doorway decoration, wreaths on the windows, and candles in the windows.

Since I have been a slacker blogger over the past few months, I missed Lianna's door tour, so I thought I would include it here. I have two lighted trees, lighted garland with brown, green red, and gold ornaments around the door, and a 36" wreath with red, gold, and green ornaments on the door that I made last year. I had to do some SERIOUS touch up work after the fire, but it was mostly intact.

As you come in the front door you will see my ornament wreath on the wall to your right in the foyer. I love my crushed one from last year better, but still pretty happy with the way this one turned out.
My foyer opens up into the living room and you see my tree as soon as you come in. I LOVE MY TREE. I love everything about it, the type branches, the ornaments, the size, the topper, EVERYTHING! It is a perfect display of my taste and personality. It mostly has red, gold, brown, and apple green ornaments with a lot of keepsakes thrown in. I collected Hallmark Barbies for about 16 years and most of those are on this tree (for now, if God blesses us with a daughter next year, they will be passed down to her next November!).

My mantle has lighted garland (because really, why put up garland if it isn't lit?! The more lights the better in my mind! Ha!), red/green/gold ornaments, and two large silver candlesticks that have big pillars that are white with red/green/gold stripes. I got the pillars at JCPenney last year four days before my fire and they are PERFECT! I also LOVE my stockings. I got them at Ballard's last year and we lost Spencer's somewhere between the fire and now and I'm a sad about that. :-( This year I am going to order one more for Baby Ledford and another one for Spencer right after Christmas.

I have a glass bowl full of green and brown ornaments on my coffee table.

In our room I decided instead of just doing a large vase filled with brown, white, and blue ornaments like I normally do, I would get a small white tree. I think this tree turned out really cute, don't you? I am planning on moving it to the nursery next year.

I also LOVE getting Christmas cards. I always put my picture cards on the refrigerator and the other cards in a "box" that looks like a present on my coffee table.

This is my Santa cookie jar and monogrammed "L" plate I have on my island. I also have my Southern Living Christmas cookbook out because what self-respecting Southern girl doesn't have one on display?! :-)

This is the wreath I made last year after the fire that was supposed to be a gift, but once I finished, I loved it so much I decided to keep it! Oops! Ha! It hangs in my dining room between my china cabinet and windows.

I have this lighted ornament tree on my dining room table with red beaded placemats and my Christmas salad plates displayed. They were my Christmas miracle last year. When I set out my Christmas decorations (10 days before the fire) I decided that I would place my Christmas china on the table and thought, seriously, what was the worst that could happen, Spencer doesn't get near the table and we don't have kids! Ha! Well, a few weeks went by and I was looking at pics of my Christmas decorations and realized they were on my table...that the ceiling fell on! Since the insurance company packed our house, I didn't know if they made it our not. When I unpacked, I had all 12 in perfect condition! So, they are my own little Christmas miracle! Ha! (but don't think I wasn't a little nervous to put them out this year! Ha!)

That concludes our tour. I didn't do as much this year because honestly, I just don't feel like it. Be sure to come back next year as I plan to go all out and start super early (totally against my principle to decorate before Thanksgiving, but it will be Baby Ledford's first Christmas and you better believe Santa will think he is at the North Pole when he comes to see him or her, or that his/her mother is crazy and spent way too much time/money/effort decorating, but who cares!!!!!!!)