Christmas....A Look Back!

I hope each of you had a very merry Christmas!  We certainly enjoyed ours with my family in Mississippi.  It is so good to gather together and celebrate the season.  This December flew past so quickly!  Does that mean we were busy and having fun, or that I am getting old? I am going with the former!!

Our sweet elf, Cooper, appeared after Thanksgiving. Seth was thrilled!!  I know one day he will think he is  too old for some of our traditions, but, until then, we still have fun with Cooper!  The first year that Cooper was with us he actually wrote a guest post on my blog.  You can read that here. 

Like all good elves, Cooper loves sugar!! He left Seth a healthy breakfast one morning. 

Seth was thrilled to find out he was on the NICE LIST!!

Before it is too late, I wanted to share a few pics of our home decorated for Christmas.  I love to decorate each year.  Some years I am in a "less is more" mood.  This year; however, we decided to do two trees.  We did our traditional tree in the family room - I am still enthralled with red and green for the holidays. In the sitting room our tree had a natural theme with lots of owls, birds, pine cones, and an antler or two.  This was our only tree last year, but I truly missed my collection of Radkos and other precious ornaments from years past. So... this year we did both of them.  (And a small tree in our son's room.)

Also, I have to confess, I almost did not do a Christmas post. When you follow some of the fabulous blogs that are out there you  may (okay, it's me!) feel insecure.  There are some seriously BEAUTIFUL homes out there that are completely DECKED for the holidays.  But, I read a wonderful post by Rhoda of Southern Hospitality.  In it, she spoke about this exact feeling. I realized I was being silly.  So here is our home - it is not perfect - it is probably not our forever home, but we are blessed and I had fun decorating for our family.  

This is our sitting room tree - simple and rustic! 

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Owls and birds and acorns, oh my! 

I fell in love with this little family of deer when I saw them at 

Mistletoe Marketplace in Jackson, MS. 

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care! 

A beautiful nativity scene has a place of  honor in our sitting room. 

 It is topped by a simple boxwood wreath. 

I have had my Christmas dishes for quite a few years.  The pattern is Hollylujah by Gail Pittman.This year I began collecting Fostoria crystal. These juice glasses were a recent antique store find.   

A simple centerpiece completes the tablescape.  

This is our family room tree.  I love it because it is filled with ornaments that we have collected over the years.  It brings me so much joy to hang these ornaments each year.  I also love to find one or two perfect additions each Christmas season.  This year I added a wonderful Etta Bee Pottery Santa Claus and a precious Ole Miss ornament!  Hotty Toddy!  The picture does not do it justice. I am working on my photography skills. 

Two small additions to my Radko collection. 

Of course Seth spent lots of time checking out the presents. 

Also in the family room is our Show Village (by Dept 56).  My mother purchased  my first piece - a Starbucks Coffee Shop - many years ago as a Christmas present. 

Seth's favorite pieces are the tiny bicycle and tricycle. 

It really is the little things that I enjoy pulling out each year:  I love my Happy Everything cookie jar that my Daddy gave me last year.  It is all decked out for Christmas.  

I love this cross stitched Merry Christmas picture that Jon and I got many years ago.  

These poinsettia pictures belonged to my mother.  This year I brought them to my home - with my father's approval, of course! I love them!!  Who says you can only decorate the outside of your doors?  This leads to our patio and backyard.  It deserved a festive touch that we could enjoy each day!

Soldiers stand guard in the hallway.

A sweet Santa music box and a reminder to remember the reason for the season.  

Happy Birthday, Jesus! 

Ahh... A cozy spot to sit and relax after a day of shopping! 

Thank you for visiting Buttercup Bliss!!

Lisa

I am sharing at the following wonderful blogs: 

Feathered Nest Friday @ French County Cottage