Haven’t blogged for a while since my busy season (photography wise) has wound down. I thought it was about time to post something more personal seeing as how I’ve been really terrible about that. I think I should add “Blog More Personal Photos and Stories”  to my very long list of resolutions for the new year.

The Henry Household has been known to keep a tree up so long that by the time it makes it to the curb, all but three needles remain on it’s brances. No doubt I get my Christmas Decorating Tendencies from my mom who always left them up well into January for us to enjoy.  We usually had at least three trees each year. Now, she has a huge old home where she sports 9 themed trees! I’m not that bad, but this year my girls each got a pre-lit pink tree to put in their room.  And, I usually have at least 2 other real trees each year. This year I’ve been  thinking about all of the variations in family traditions and decor at Christmas Time and about why I choose what I choose. I think the way I decorate at Christmas says a lot about me, my home, my personal style, and the things I love. So, I thought I’d share them.

Most people can’t say (or wouldn’t admit) that they chose their home because they could picture it decorated for Christmas when they walked in. Much to my husbands dismay, that’s pretty much how I fell in love with my 100 year old home. When we bought it, the ceilings were coming down, and it was filthy and smelled like animal urine. Still, when I walked in and saw the room pictured below, I knew that my Christmas Tree would look beautiful in it. And, I am not afraid to admit that I chose to paint it blue so that it would match the tree. I love my home at Christmas, it’s the one time of year that I forget about everything that needs to be fixed or updated and just enjoy.

Every year Erik and I have this debate about our tree. I want it as tall and wide as we can get. Afterall, isn’t that what 9 ft ceilings are for?  He always wants to go shorter to avoid having to trim some off when we get it home. One year I listened to him and I was so disapointed. This year I got my way!

Part of my Christmas obssession is collecting vintage decor.  In general, I gravitate toward anything mid-century.  I spent a lot of time with my grandmother growing up and have so many memories of her home (that never changed.)  That is probably why I find so much comfort in items from that era. I vividly remember her old christmas ornaments, and I have a weekness for ”Shiny Brite” glass balls. They can be found pretty cheap at little thrift stores if I’m lucky, or for a bit more on ebay if I’m looking for specific ones.  None of my vintage goodies are worth a lot, but they make me pretty happy.

I also love pink, and pink and blue combos. I pretty much consider pink a neutral (think about it, it goes with EVERY color.) I know they’re not traditional Christmas colors but, again, saw a lot of it mid-century.

“Shiny Brite”  goodness.

My vintage card wreaths make me happy too. Some of them have messages in them and I love to look through them and think about the happiness that the greetings brought to their receipients way back when.

O.K., so my dining room was not actually painted for Christmas (eventhough it is green.) It was painted to match my grandmothers dish set that we use at Thanksgiving.  But, I think that my vintage table cloths go pretty well in there.

I also love my little vintage Japanese angels and Christmas girls.

Kissing Angels were so mid-century.

My stair railing is the perfect place for me to hang more shiny briteness.

This year I wanted to add some of my old Family Christmas photos into the mix. Can things from the 80’s now be considered “vintage?” If so, some of these are vintage photos. lol.

The second tree. Our living room is not so vintagey.

The second tree was the girls tree. My sister in-law and brother in-law and their 2 girls are here. They did not get to decorate their own tree this year, so they brought some of their ornaments and all four girls decorated the second tree however they wanted.

I thought it would be fun to have them string popcorn and cranberries for garland. I think we may do this every year.

My girls new pink trees that were waiting for them Christmas morning. Beginning to pass the torch.

I’m planning on leaving my Christmasy goodness up as long as I can.