It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Happy solstice! This is the day every year that I try to cut myself some slack and allow myself to [mentally] cross things of "the list" that simply aren't going to get done before Christmas. *sigh* One thing I can never compromise on, though, is preparing the house for the holidays. Here's what we've been up to in the Baker household. I think it looks quite festive, if I do say so myself.

There's a story behind this Spry can! At the ballet studio, Ashley has gained the nickname "Spry" and my sister found this fabulous vintage vegetable shortening can, filled it with flowers, and sent it backstage to Ashley during the Nutcracker. Love the color and the cute little man on it!

The big boot is new this year. I bought it at the Girlfriend's Christmas Gathering at the Olympia Fairgrounds in November from the wonderful gal who owns "The Rabbit Shed."

Shi-ny bright! Love these colors of these little vintage balls and the funky pipe cleaner snowflakes, too!

These sweet flowers are a compilation of the many stems sent to Ashley backstage. So pretty together.

This is a gorgeous Nativity given to me a few years back by my mom. It holds tealight candles and is so pretty when lit.

My sister and I teamed up to make this banner last year. It was a super fun experiment. We assigned each person half of the letters and then we each made two banner pieces of each letter and shared them with each other. Now we have matching banners reminding us to "be good for goodness sake!"

Our local Thriftway sold these strange vintage sodas this summer. The one I'm using for a bud vase here is "Americana Cherry Cola." Perfect for the kitchen window. I made these curtains out of an old tablecloth.

I had to make my own wreaths this year because we didn't sell them as a school fundraiser. For some reason, I just couldn't bring myself to buy one at the grocery store! But I HAD to get the classic front door photo again.

My friend Keenan gave me this "second hand" holly. He had a party at his house and I was admiring how he decked the halls. I asked him where he got his holly and he brought me an entire bag the next day! It has AMAZING berries. It's not Christmas without holly! I had enough for a big bouquet by my bed, too.

I love getting Christmas cards! (I'm still working on mine but I'll get them done. I'm NOT crossing those off the list. I won't!)

My sister made this for me several years ago. It's an elaborate paper-crafted advent calendar. I've tucked some of my favorite photos in it. Every single one makes me smile.

Merry Christmas to all of you. Thanks for taking time to peek at my blog!