It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas

Hi everyone! Hope you are enjoying the wonderful Christmas season. I can't get enough of Christmas Music and the fun decorating books and magazines that I dig out and look at over and over. I have to get going on my cards! I plan to take the girls' picture tonight in front of the tree. It's bitter cold here in Chicagoland!!! But inside it's warm and homey. Here's what's been happening in the Handley Bungalow during this wonderful season:

Homemade Gingerbread House - from a kit - sort of lopsided! The girls did this last weekend when we visited our cottage in Lake Geneva, WI...my hubby had to split a bunch of wood. Great weekend because this week they had a HUGE snowstorm there!

Our Tree - the kids had so much fun decorating it! I need to take a better picture of it. I used some grapevine on it this year. I really like it!

Christmas songs on the piano...getting ready for their Holiday Sing performances. Here's "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer'! We've been also reading Rudolph books from when I was little. My mom saved all my Christmas books! So fun to read! We have a ton of Christmas stories.

Drinking Hot Chocolate - complete with marshmellows! Little Elizabeth loves to stir it up herself.

My entryway. The plaque has some lyrics from the song "I'll be Home for Christmas" - I got it at the Summer Sidewalk sale at the local Hallmark store for 75% off! I bought my sister-in-law one, too!

Some antique candleholders I inherited from my aunt. I think they're really old and some sort of Swedish decoration.

I dolled up my chandelier in the dining room. I added live greenery, beads and hung some antique glass ornaments on it. The wreaths in the background are vintage from my mom's house.

Coming in from playing in the snow! Elizabeth has been looking forward to making snow angels for weeks! So much fun!

Dover likes playing in the snow, too!

I found this old sign at an estate sale last summer. Cute! It's big, too. I wonder where the previous owners hung it. Maybe for a Christmas Party!

The mantle all fancied up for Christmas and Santa's arrival! I need to take a picture at night. You can't really see all the twinkling lights!

This is "Little Red" - he's our "Elf on the Shelf" - also we were able to send "Little Red Jr." back with Little Red to get his "magic" back. Now they BOTH leave at night, give a report to Santa, then return each morning in a different spot!! It's fun to look for them in the morning!

I like this Santa - I don't know why my camera took a blurry shot of him! Aren't vintage Santas sweet! I have a photo of my mom on Santa's lap - taken sometime in the 1940's. I also have a vintage postcard Christmas card with a little girl and Santa. The girl is sitting on a horse!

Snowsuits, Mittens, Hats, Boots, all over my house.

A chocolate Advent Calendar! Santa's coming soon! Isn't Christmastime magical! Blessings to all! Enjoy this wonderful time. Take it in. Don't work too hard! It's easy to become distracted from the beauty of the Season with so much going on. Love, Ann