Christmas on the Outside 2013

(Update:  We won!)

Our house was nominated for a neighborhood lights contest this year!  I am just so excited to have a house to decorate!  Really missed owning my home.  

 

Our decisions for this year's outdoor decorating were made for convenience and yes, elegance.  I wanted to make sure that we weren't going over-the-top (Ashley says, don't make it look like someone puked Christmas on your house, mom) and Bob wanted the convenience.  

We chose real roping, the kind Bob's dad always did at the house when he was growing up.  Bob says he remembers helping with the roping and how much he loved the smell!  We also went with a real wreath and I am so glad we did.  The wreath smells so good when we are at the front door, clean and crisp and cold!

The infamous Santa, the one that took a dive in the front lake last year, is on the porch beside two matching evergreen trees.  The trees light up, and are circled with plaid ribbons.  The pots on the front porch are filled with greens, gold ornaments and red plaid ribbon.  The yellow chairs on the west porch are filled with greens and gold ornaments and a cute sign that points to the North Pole.

 

Between the two andriondack chairs is a red sign advertising skating at the pond...but really, the lake isn't ready for skaters yet! 

We recently had a lovely tree planted out front, so I decked the trunk with plaid ribbon, and added a touch of ribbon to the end of our handrail.  

But my favorite favorite favorite piece is the Santa and sleigh made for me by Diane at Simplymade Marceline.  She is a master vinyl cutter!  It is placed in the glass above my front door and is simply the most fun thing to look at!  

In the square windows by the fireplace, the four windows upstairs, and the three north windows we have single branch candles glowing in the dark. We placed three full sized trees in various windows of the house.  You can see the living room tree down stairs to the left, the upstairs tree is in the window in Ashley and Eric's room and the third tree is in the dining area, facing west.  These are intentionally part of our outdoor decorating plan, helping illuminate the inside as well as the outside!

Hope you enjoyed our tour of the house for Christmas!  Merry Christmas, everyone!