Many of you may know when it comes to fall and Christmas I go all out. I mean ALL out! My design style goes from Industrial Farmhouse to looking like the fall aisles of Hobby Lobby. Then it goes from fall to a house so full of lights and decorations that would put the Whos of Whoville to shame.
This year was a little different when it came to decorating, because we are still working on our house, but I have been able to help my grandparents, parents, and In-Laws decorate their homes and it has been so much fun!
Even though this years decorating wasn’t as explosive, I am still going to talk about what I would normally do in my own home..cough*cough* we put up five trees each year and I still have a goal to find a new spot for an another, while my husband slowly dies on the inside…Even though he puts up a fight with the number of trees, don’t let him fool you he is right there next to me, while I tell him he is fluffing the tree wrong. hahaha! but for real..extreme OCD happens when decorating for any season, let alone Christmas.
So, here are our 5 favorite things to do throughout the Christmas season:
1. Decorating Party..Up in Here..Up in Here!
If you are laughing at the title, thank you, because apparently if you sing this for three hours straight everyone you live with will want to hit you right upside the head with the biggest ornament they can find.
Anyways, this day is the kick-off to Christmas for us. We plan an at home date night that involves all three Santa Clause movies, Chinese (no idea why, but this has been a tradition Seth and I started since our first Christmas together. lol) a massive amount of Pillsbury sugar cookie dough, Redi-Wip, sparkling Apple Cider, Peppermint Hot Chocolate, and Coffee. I am here to tell you, if you try this at home you will gain five pounds and go into a food coma.
So, while we are watching our favorite Christmas movies and overindulging massive amounts of sugar…we are setting up all of our decorations. Seth is in charge of pulling out all the tubs and hanging up all the light on the walls of the house. Yes, you read that right walls, we outline all of the walls in our main living area with lights. While he is doing that, I am fluffing the trees and having a breakdown because I cannot get the tree just right..lol..I then chug some hot coco, to untangle my tinsel, and get back to work.
After all the trees are up, Seth and I will hang up signs on the wall, set out our Christmas village, hang our stockings, and then last, but not least, we set out our manger scenes. I have loved setting up the manger scene since I was a kid, so this is always extra-exciting (especially, when you have a Charlie Brown manager scene as one of them, you get to set up.)
This is one of our first trees we had!
2. Christmas Movies, Cookie Dough, and Peppermint Everything Whenever Possible.
Whenever we have downtime during the most wonderful time of the year, we watch Christmas movies. And I mean all the movies…Santa Clause, Home Alone 1&2, The Grinch, Charlie Brown, Christmas Vacation, Jingle All the Way, I’ll Be Home For Christmas, all the cheesy-ness on Hallmark, any new Christmas movie in theater, and we even watch the first Harry Potter because of the Christmas scene. We are movie lovers, so this is easy for us. We of course usually have cookie dough and anything peppermint within arms reach to complete and get the full effect.
I get my love for Hallmark and Peppermint drinks from my momma, so I had to throw in a picture of us. 🙂
3. We See All The Lights!
You say Christmas lights?? We are there! Every year we drive around town and look at lights. We go around the neighborhood and then we will drive through the fairground because every year it is set up with a drive through light show. We also go to parks and walk through them to see all the shimmering lights, and being the animal lovers we are we go and walk through different zoos to look at all of the pretty lights and possibly to catch a glimpse of any animals that might be out. While looking at the lights, it is always best to add Christmas music (if you are in control of it) and a hot cup of Coffee (of course) 🙂
4. Give, Give, Give!
I love giving gifts! And just giving in general. If I hear a bell ringing when I am walking in somewhere, you better believe I am going to put whatever spare change I have in that red bucket. Christmas Shoeboxes?!? Sign me up! Angel Tree?!? Of course I will buy a bike for the little girl who has always wanted one. It is just in my nature to give. I love watching people open gifts I give them, because I know they are going to love it. Because I remember them saying 6 months, 2 weeks, and 4 days ago that they have been wanting that new cookbook Joanna Gaines published. Don’t get me wrong I loved being surprised by a gift someone has given me, but I bust at the seams when I know I am getting something for someone they have been wanting. I love making dreams happen for other people. I especially love buying for my husband, who actually will know about the gift before he actually gets it, because more than likely I will have told him immediately after, “You are going to just love the gift I got you!” What I love even more…he is the same way! So, sometimes (actually all the time) we are opening our gifts a month before Christmas.
5. Christmas Eve Service.
Going to Christmas Eve service at our church is like walking into the ending scene of Christmas movie. The lights are dimmed, everyone is holding a candle, Christmas Hymns are being sung and it is just so beautiful. Sadly, the meaning of Christmas gets lost in the hustle of bustle of everything. So, while I am in the service listening to the music with my family, I feel relaxed, loved, blessed, and so thankful. Thankful for my life, but most of all thankful for the birth that we are celebrating. The birth of our worlds Savior, Jesus Christ. Gods only Son, who he sent down from Heaven to live, die, and rise again just so we could live with him forever in the Kingdom of Heaven.
So, that is just a few of our favorite things. If you ever want to know more or see more of our crazy adventures. Follow me on Instagram @mrskylieowens I would love for you to follow our journey. It gets a little crazy, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I hope everyone enjoys this Christmas season. Don’t forget to kick back and drink something peppermint! 🙂
Much Love,
Kylie
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