Decking the Halls

In our house, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is for Christmas decorating (Saturday is for football). My favorite 2 things are the tree (of course) and the mantle. We are fake tree people (don't judge) and the first order of the day is hauling all 9 feet of it from the basement. The hubs loves this part. Branches hitting him in the face, me yelling at him to watch the walls...it's the best. But then, voila!, plug it in and instant Christmas. 

I love unwrapping all the ornaments from the tissue paper. I always forget how pretty they are. A few years ago I started collecting nice blown glass ornaments. I usually buy one or two a year because, well, they aren't cheap. But they are so worth it. They really are so much more detailed and vibrant than those you find at the mass market stores. Don't get me wrong, I have those too. Here are a few of my favorites...

In honor of Rufus, our Chihuahua.

I love Tourist Santa.

If you are wanting to invest in quality ornaments, here are a few of my favorites. Also, eBay is a fantastic resource.

www.kurtadler.com

www.glasswareartstudio.com

www.christopherradko.com

My mantle is very traditional as well. I found this beaded fruit at Michaels years ago and I looooove it. It's held up surprisingly well. They don't make them on sticks anymore (big bummer) but you can still get the fruit. I'll cry if they stop making it.