Christmas decorations

I love looking at Christmas magazines. Every year I bring the same stack of magazines out and look through them, oohing and aahing over all the creative decorating ideas. Some times I actually create them for our home. Like these wreaths. It's a simple idea. I found some inexpensive berry wreaths at Joann's and the perfect red and white ribbon. Or so I thought. Once I got it home and hung, it was just too stark for the green cupboard doors. Even with the garland and lights on top, it still just didn't look right. A friend and I were contemplating this problem when she said, "I have just the thing!" She went out to her car and brought in this berry vine that I added to the garland and lights and it finished the look. Now when you look at the cupboard, you don't just see the red berry wreath, but rather it is blended in with the berry vine above. I love this look.

A new addition to my Christmas decorations is The Village. I've always loved the cute, little cardboard village homes from years past. My village isn't vintage, but they are precious. I got these from Room Service Home. They're not small but about 10" high, but are a perfect size for the large cabinet I have them on.

What I like about these village pieces is that you can put a string of lights inside the homes so colored light shows through the windows.

As you can see, I love twinkle lights this time of year and will include lights in most of my decorations. There's just something magical about them. Plus, they brighten our otherwise dark and dreary winter days.

Ho ho ho!