Christmas Decorations Time

I've been hearing Christmas music since the end of September, preparing for The Singing Christmas Trees and am excited that the rest of the world is finally on my page of decking the halls and going on sleigh rides.

As much as I love Halloween and Thanksgiving, nothing beats the tradition of decorating at home for the Holidays.  This year we decided to keep it simple, but fun.

You may have picked up on the fact that Scott and I have a decorating sense that you wouldn't necessarily find in a Martha Stewart Magazine.  We like fun & funky colors and prints and share a love for a contemporary dream home made up of unique furniture and pieces.

With that said, I get little approval for anything in the country chic category, so I welcome you to a fun and contemporary Hesington Christmas Decorating Party...

Mini Christmas Trees:

We got the set of teal and mint green mini trees from Urban Outfitters in the After Christmas Sale in 2009.  Last year we decorated them with the mini ornaments, also from UO, but this year we added the mini strands of lights which Scott picked up from Michaels. I LOVE these little guys.

HB&SH Stockings:

We got everything you see in this picture a few years ago from Target.  My favorite part about them is the HB & SH initials, which are really crystal lettered broach pins:

I love the funky JOY & NOEL stocking hangers, also from Target:

Oh, yeah...by the time I got finished taking photos around the house Scott added some white Christmas lights to the fixture.  I thought it turned out pretty cool:

Candy Cane Trees:

Now, this "believe" sign might have been pushing it for Scott's taste, but I fought for it (and won).  I found the sign and the red and white tree cones at Stein Mart last Christmas.  The cones actually came in a set of 3, but I'm still debating on where to set them up.

For now, they're on top of the aquarium.

Kitchen Stuff:

It doesn't take much to add a little holiday touch to your kitchen.  Just like my Fall Decor, I headed to Home Goods to find this set of hand towels for $5.99.

There's nothing more pleasing when you're washing your hands than to smell a seasonal scent.  This Wish Peppermint hand soap was only $4.99 from Home Goods.  It is surprisingly strong, which makes it refreshing...and addictive...believe me! :)

We always display colorful or seasonal napkins in our contemporary napkin holder from Ikea.  They have tons of bright and fun napkins there, but for the holidays I found a the "Plenty for All" Raindeer napkins, again from Home Goods.

We also put our "H" napkins on top, which was a present we saved from Christmas last year.

Lights:

Every time I turn around Scott finds more Christmas lights to put up.  Here you can see our curious kitties scoping out what's going on out on the balcony...

And, of course more lights:

 

Creative...yes...but I'm still not sure about that one.  I love the candle holder though, which was an engagement gift from Pier 1 Imports.

That's the majority of our Christmas Decor, but keep an eye out for even more coming soon!  I'll leave you with a sneak peak at our first Hesington Family Christmas Tree:

Questions:

• Do you prefer a contemporary or more country decorating theme?
• When do you normally start decorating for the Holidays?