Christmas Decorating Archives - Northern California Style

I’ve been going as fast as I can this week. Got almost everything done except for a few little bits.

Here’s a little of the simpler variation I did on decorating this year.

I loved this herringbone ribbon so added that to the front room where we have white brown and some black. My bells from last year are mixed with my usual hodge podge and cuttings from outdoors.

Loved the trees in these wooden pots from Trader Joes this year. I bought one for this room.

Two more in my powder room.

I stole this idea from my friend Leasa and added some festive bits to the soap dish.

These vases now have the Starry String Lights from Restoration Hardware wound to the branches.

I also used the timed Restoration lights on the living room mantel.

(These are on sale right now and work great in summer around umbrellas!)

I wanted to keep it light and bright in that room which is darker.

The boyz helped with the tree.

I had some fun wrapping with this ribbon I found at Cost Plus. Wish I bought more.

I love adding little ornaments to a package and tags you make yourself.

I also made sure to do some shopping in town. As much as I like going online and to places like TJ Max, I know our small businesses can’t stay here if we don’t shop. I was surprised how many cute gifts I found at all prices when I spent some time in our cute Los Gatos downtown.

This bakery, Icing on the Cake, has so much besides their wonderful cookies and cakes. You will certainly get inspired by all the unique items that functional and also fun.

I love to see how friends decorate as well.

I was lucky to experience some Swedish hospitality at my friend Catrin’s house. Love the simple and elegant beauty of her home and Scandinavian holiday look and yes served saffron buns too!

My friend neighbor Kim and I made these door banners with moss.

Her version (above), came out the cutest.

She also has a great collection of cloche jars and they look charming all together.

Kim created a runner with this beautiful paper held down by gold wasabi tape at the edges. It came out quite glamorous and pretty with mercury glass, hydrangeas and poinsettias.

They had their vintage Christmas music albums out at Kim’s. I love it!

I know I have mine somewhere… Taking up garage space as my husband would say.

Another talented girl, my friend Meilei made me this darling painting that is in my entry.

So many people are crafty!

I also got this cute pig and toffee from another pal.

Then another very gifted friend Lori, made us amazing homemade toffee.

I like how she festooned it with sage from her herb garden! I still have the bunch hung by my pots and pans and it smells very good.

We squeezed in a batch of Ethel’s sugar cookies!! You know the ones from that old Betty Crocker cookie book? Today we may make more as they are gone already.

Last night an annual dinner was held by another friend. I loved Jen’s pretty table with real holly and pinecones and just a hint of sparkle.

Jen makes an amazing kale salad that I will share in a future post. It features those Meyer lemons that are coming up all over here in Northern California right now. Sunset Magazine has a whole lot on Meyers in the January issue.

I bought myself an early Christmas gift. Isn’t it hard when you are out shopping to be good?

You see so many deals on things.

So far I love this book, in the 5 minutes I have had to read, with it’s diverse, mainly California homes, especially Donna Dixon’s and Windsor Smith’s.

I will be at my parent’s for Christmas with my whole family for once and I am really excited.

I hope to do some nature hikes and more together time with our boys.

There are so many nice friends out there reading and leaving notes.

I’m grateful to you all for being here!

Happy holidays to you all!

Kim

I’m so excited.

School is finally over and today we head up to San Francisco with the family for some holiday fun.

Pears are good decor, no?

The past 2 weeks have been non-stop baking, shopping, Christmas card-writing, get-togethers and helping study for finals.

I loved it, but there was literally no time to blog and so much to chat about!

I’ve bedazzled the house as much as I can. I prefer less glitter more greens, but I did have my moments.

Loved our wreath from my son’s Boy Scout Troop.

Got the tree home. Wonderful having big boys who can help out.

Nutcrackers are present and accounted for.

The boys decorated the tree and it’s a bit, shall we say, slapdash?

I don’t have the heart to change it.

I’ve become a fan of good enough. Makes life a lot simpler.

That so wasn’t the mom I was 10 years ago. Cards and trees had to be just so.

The best part of getting older is you get wiser!

The preschool ornaments are out and that’s what matters. 🙂

I feel so blessed I cannot complain about any of the holiday busyness.

Added a few bits and bobs here and there…

Got my wrapping area all set a few weeks back.. Love having a space just for that.

The kids and I made these peppermint stars and wrapped them with some ivy and twine for gifts.

I discovered a new cookie recipe that was a hit and super easy too.

White Christmas Dream Drops won Sunsets best cookie in 2011. I see why. Recipe here.

They are like baby pavlovas…So addicting!

Please don’t judge my stained cookie sheets. I’m lazy and grateful for parchment…

My grandmother would never tolerate the look of them…I know they need elbow grease.

Looking through my recipe binder….

Is this a metaphor for my life and ADD or what? I’ve been collecting recipes for 17 years and this is what I have. I couldn’t find the right recipe to save my life.

I did have a wonderful time looking through it.

Then I opened my mom’s Betty Crocker Cookie book and jumped down that rabbit hole. What a trip. I loved this book as a kid and spent hours dreaming of making the wonderful creations.

Each page and it’s drawings are imprinted on my brain. Seriously.

I see now why my mom said no to some of the cookies I wanted to make.

These bells look like a ton of work..

We did make chocolate chip cookies so many times I never need a recipe.

We also made Ethel’s sugar cookies. I always wanted to make Mary’s instead.

I liked the name Mary a lot better than Ethel.

Mary’s were made with confectioner’s sugar, which I have never tried.

Ethel’s are just so good though.

Anyway, I started having holiday flashbacks..Christmas songs will do that to me.

I love so many, my personal playlist has 90, but there are tons of great new songs too.

One of the clearest Christmas memories I have must have been around 1973. My grandmother came by during Christmas break and brought us a record player for my brother and I.

It was one of those housed in a suitcase like box with the speakers built in. She also brought us two new Christmas albums.

When I think of it now, that was a fun Christmas thing for her to do.

I received this one:

That’s why I know every word on this. Wonderful collection of songs too.

Even if you are not an Elvis fan, you will love his renditions on here.

My brother Peter got this:

He ran upset to his room. I get why.

Sorry, Elvis always trumps Perry in the cool department…

And what can I say? I was a girl and older, of course Elvis should have gone to me!

I cannot help loving many of Elvis’s versions like his White Christmas and Why Can’t Every Day Be Like Christmas? That one really gets to me.

Kinda nerdy ha?

Today, my favorites are John Lennon’s Happy Christmas and Sinatra’s Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Elton John’s Step Into Christmas, Sting’s Gabriel’s Message, and The Carpenter’s There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays.

My kids love the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack with the Vince Guaraldi Trio. All these just get better over time.. Oh also like the Celtic Christmas station on Pandora.

I try not to listen until 2 weeks before. Then I make everyone sick by playing my favorites and any Christmas station non-stop.

So if you are still reading…:D, what traditions and songs are you looking forward to?

Something about the holidays makes so many memories flood back to me.

Love that.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday and or break wherever you are in the world!

Kim

How fabulous is this dress?