Christmas is our family’s favorite time of year! The abundant joy that only Christmas can bring, the happiness felt in the hearts of so many, homes smelling like gingerbread cookies and holiday fruit cakes, Christmas treasures out from their slumber for display, and spreading the good cheer in the hearts of men is what Christmas is all about!

After a house fire took our home, our pets and all of our earthly possessions in 2001, many new Christmas decorations were given to us by my parents, neighbors, friends and family, but one item is especially dear to me.

This beautiful manger was made by my family when I was a little girl and sat under our family tree during my childhood. My father made this manger out of a wine crate and we helped picked the grass, dry it out and glue it onto the manger. Each year we would take a special trip to the Christian store to pick out a new piece for the manger. This is one of my most favorite childhood Christmas memories and I am delighted to now have our family manger displayed in our home. One year my parents came to visit and my Dad went to the arts and crafts store to give each piece a little freshening up. He painstakingly went through each piece and touched up any chips or scratches and now the set looks just like it did when I was a child. This piece and all it represents brings me great, great joy!

Our family always decorates our home together the weekend after Thanksgiving, and once everything is displayed and all of the empty boxes are back up in the attic, we all gather around the Christmas tree usually listening to Christmas music while sipping a Christmas mug of hot chocolate with a big dollop of my Peppermint Whipped Cream! Christmas makes everyone feel like a kid again!

Outside of the home

Now don’t be shy. Y’all come right in! We’re so glad you stopped by! We typically begin our Christmas decorating on the outside of our house. Two handmade Christmas wreaths hang on our wooden doors. I also made two extra wreaths for the inside of the doors as well. (Thanks Mom and Dad for all of the wreaths you gave us!) I decorated my wreaths with a mixture of natural and sparkly materials, so the wreathes would shine against the wooden doors during the day when the sun hit them as well as in the evening hours. The warm glow of electric candles in the windows and a vignette by one of the doors welcomes everyone.

When you first enter our home, my dear friend Mary and I set up my favorite vignette. A homage to Christmas times past features our bronze easel holding a beautiful portrait my parents had done of our boys many Christmases ago. Under this vignette are gift-wrapped boxes with Christmas toys seated on top of each just waiting to be played with again

We really enjoyed decorating our family Christmas tree this year and I bought two new ornaments for the boys. Amanda, the young woman who stole, not only my son Nate’s heart but mine as well, joined us to decorate making it extra special. What fun we had! Here are the ornaments I surprised them with.

We purchased a second of the same ornament for Amanda’s family’s Christmas tree which both Amanda and Nathaniel helped decorate the next day!

Alex’s ornament this year was adorable, too!

How cute is that?

This is our fireplace in our great room and that little guy by the hearth is Tommy. He’s my buddy! My oldest son Nathaniel and I have made a game out of this adorable snowman. Nate likes to take his head and hide it in unexpected places when I’m not looking, so when I least expect it, Tommy is gone, at least a part of him. We’ve had fun with this little game over the years! Everyone once in a while I can be heard saying, “Nate!” Tommy someitmes shows up in my soup pots (without soup in them of course). As tradition would have it, Nathaniel played his little game while Amanda was here and she chased him around the house, giggling as she ran, until my little Hermione retrieved my Tommy for me!

My Christmas Village

Over the years my children and hubby have purchased pieces for a Christmas Village. These pieces were given to me each year throughout my boys’ childhood. Love you guys!

My dear friend Mary

When entering our home, my good friend and incredible designer Mary Accardi of Collaborative Designs, surprised me with an afternoon of decorating. Being that the formal dining room is one of the first rooms you see when entering our home, Mary really went over the top and did such a lovely job – what a gift! Thank you so, so much, my dear friend!

Doesn’t the table look amazing? How does she do that? Here’s a picture with my woven tablecloth on…

and here’s one with my gold place mats…

Mary decorated our chandelier with copper and colored Christmas balls, beautiful ribbon and laurel leaves from our yard.

This vignette Mary created on our buffet table features two beautiful angels Mary gave to me. What was extra special was that Mary has the same set at her home.

I think one of the most creative, whimsical and beautiful things Mary did was the vignette of Christmas trees in the corner of the dining room. This photo does not do these justice. They are truly a sight for sore eyes. The warm light of these trees call you into the dining room as if to say, “Come, sit and relax!”

I first met Mary when organizing a home makeover for Hayes Place, a battered women and children’s shelter. I asked several designers to come into the home and “adopt” a room. These amazingly generous designer’s had agreed to use their own time and money to decorate newly renovated, but totally blank spaces. I was blessed by many lovely individuals during this renovation, and Mary was the designer who took over the kitchen – in my opinion – the most difficult room in the house. My friend and our custom builder, Bob Donalson of RCD and Associates genuinely and wholeheartedly executed a beautiful custom design for kitchen and Mary brought his hard work to life! What I didn’t know at the time was that Mary had recently become a widow. After caring for her ill husband for some time, Mary thought that this project would help her concentrate on someone else in a positive way helping her as she grieved the death of John. No one told me about Mary’s loss until the last day of the renovation. I was preparing for an open house for all of the builders, the decorators, and the home improvement stores who gave so much of their products to us and any one who had anything to do with this amazing project. I was at the home setting up for the party when Mary walked in with a beautiful oil painting. This oil painting had obviously been the inspiration for the entire kitchen. It was a painting her husband John had done before he passed away. It was at this moment when Mary told me about John. The spirit of giving and love from so many people made this renovation possible and Mary and I have been very, very close friends every since. That was three years ago.

In addition to the beautiful set of angels, Mary gave me an absolutely adorable Christmas lamp that John had made. This is the most adorable Santa lamp I have ever seen and Mary was so kind to leave something John had made with me! I will truly treasure it for many years to come.

In our keeping room with have decorated the chandelier with red and gold Christmas ornaments that sparkle in the light.

Adoring birds as I do, I have used red cardinals in this part of our home. Of course the two cardinals facing each other in the centerpiece represent my hubby and I! I love you, honey!

One of my favorite places to be…our keeping room.

When I was a young child, my grandmother Isabel gave me my very own little Christmas tree and the decorations for my room. How I loved that tree! After the fire, my parents purchased another tree for me. Hanging on this tree are the beautiful, shiny red apples that hung on our family’s Christmas tree during my childhood.

I also adore the little snowman family and bright red sled my parents gave me years ago.

and now my Gingerbread Family..well, does it get any cuter than this?

Mom and Dad gave me those, too! One year Mom and Dad gave to me a beautiful set of 6 carolers. I lovingly display these carolers in my windows with a little red berry wreath.

This adorable snowman was made by neighbor and matches perfectly with the pretty Christmas tray my parents gave me years ago!

Speaking of carolers, be sure to stay tuned for Friday’s post. Our family is hosting a Christmas Caroling Food Drive and I don’t want you to miss it! Would love for you to post your Christmas pictures on the Cooking with Elise facebook, too!

Thanks so much for visiting. We’re so glad you stopped by! Don’t be a stranger and be sure to stop in again! Love and hugs to all. Wishing you a season of joy, peace and happiness from our family to yours!