Decking the Halls - Baby Style

This post is for Chon, my partner in creative distraction crime, who asked how my Christmas decorations came out this year. I'll admit, my friend, it was tough to get it all done, and it is an abbreviated version of last year, when I went all out. The decor is also punctuated with a new element this year...baby gear!

Here's the tree, with about 25% of my ornaments left off. I just got tired. The tree does still look plenty full. I guess I have a lot of ornaments! I went future baby proof crazy and cut silver thread to hang all of my ornaments so I could eliminate the wire hangers for next year, when they could be more of an issue. You can see the two teal bins that now sit under the purple chairs which hold blankets and toys in an attempt to keep our small living space neat, at least when we have company. You can also see a hint of the garland in the opening to the dining room, which I kept simple this year, without the lights and ribbon. 

My snowflake wrapping paper stayed up on the the cabinet for the entire year. The colors work so well with the room, that people are kind enough not to notice the snowflakes in the middle of the summer! I'm working on a more long term solution to hide the mess behind that glass door. The shelves are much more accessorized this year than they were last, something I manage to do when I went on leave before Luigi arrived. You can see one of his activity gyms in front of the fire place, currently a permanent fixture in the room. 

Here's the mantel on the fireplace, without the lights and ribbon of last year, but with the addition of Luigi's new stocking. We went for a child theme, instead of blending in with ours, but I love the way the lime green ad the top, and the blue behind the snowman work well with the scheme of our room in general. Of course, it's hard to see how lovely the mantel looks with our favorite swing (one of the only places we get naps right now) blocking the view. 

Here are the shelves to the right of the fireplace, looking quite similar to last year. I finally found a photo for the purple frame. Now I need to frame some photos of Luigi to add. 

And lastly, the dining room, looking very similar to last year as well. My wrapping paper/contact paper place mats held up well enough to be used for another year. Of course, one of the chairs is missing from our table. You can see it in the back with Luigi's seat strapped on. We love this seat by the way. It reclines enough for new babies, so he can always join us as the table. As he grows, we can add the tray, and tilt it more upright. 

So, there you have a little tour of of my simplified Christmas this year. I have to admit, it was hard to motivate to get any of it done, but I love this time of year. It is a time that sparkles all on it's own, and we know that I am in search of new sparkle these days. And since it's Luigi's first, though he'll never remember, I couldn't not do at least a little. We did leave out the outdoor lights in favor of more family time on the weekend. He'll never miss those (even though I do!) 

What have you all done to sparkle it up for the holidays? For those with kids, how has your decor changed?