Happy Holidays everyone! I hope everyone had a nice Christmas! As my title implies, we stayed home, and didn’t have any company this year! I still did all the usual decorating and baking, I just didn’t have many people to admire it! Ha ha!

You might have noticed the absence of a mantle or decorating blog like last year’s Holiday Home Tour , but everything was basically the same so I didn’t see the point in doing it again. The joys of a new house….the first year is an exciting adventure in decorating…subsequent years is just a repeat since you know where everything goes! 😉

There were a few changes and additions this year though. For starters, my mantle was different.

I tried to simplify it and just put the lights, swag garland, and the stocking holders. My poinsettias hadn’t fully bloomed yet, so I swapped them for a new sled and some new Santa’s from last years After-Christmas sales!

Then I finished each end with these awesome candles holders we got in Germany last year! I love them!

The corner shelf unit got a make-over too.  Most of my candle holders ended up here, along with a faux chalkboard sign that I just printed out! 🙂

Once again, our card tree runneth over with all the wonderful cards from our family and friends! So much so, that I had to start putting some on the mantle, the tv stand, the console table…everywhere! 🙂

And although I absolutely love the pictures we get ever year, I am so glad that some people still believe in sending an old-fashioned holiday card! There really is nothing like a beautiful card with a hand-written note to say “I thought of you and Merry Christmas”! (Yes, I am aware that we sent picture cards this year, but I’m going to stop that shit right away!) 🙂

Yum!