I love Christmas! I always start decorating in October... My friends think I am crazy, my husband knows I am crazy, and I love all my fellow festive besties who look forward to my annual Christmas post each and every year!
If there is anything that 2020 has taught all of us - it's that normal really is ONLY a setting on your dryer! So grab a cup of cheer and scroll through the Merry and Bright Pink Christmas here at the Alford house.
"It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving." Mother Teresa
Welcome to our Living Room...
This is our main hub.
Settle on in, the couch is comfy, the laughs are free, and crazy is guaranteed.
We LOVE our new tree! We usually put up a 9 foot green tree each year, but different times call for different measures. I won't lie though at first when we opened the box... Well, you can see below. We all kinda gasped!
However, once lit and in the perfect spot the color is very soothing, relaxing, and my manly man even snuggles in his chair each evening with a glow of pink! ;)
The link is below if you would like to brighten your space. Warning: Does not come pre-lit. I used 9 boxes of 140 count lights with white wire to achieve the desired brightness. (not that it needed any help on the bright side)
The link is below to amazon where I purchased it - $124.99 - came in less than three days. Pro: Great quality. Con: No lights!
She is gorgeous! What should we name her? Vote here!
Complete with my favorite, little recliner tree side. This is my morning and evening quiet place.
Now on to my husband's favorite Christmas decoration - the garland on the mantel.
He has seen our mantel garland decorated many colors and with an assortment of jewels over the years. While the tree is my favorite, I love that he always comments on the mantel. But I am not dumb, it frames the tv - his most favorite item in the house.
So.... Enjoy the football game in the background as you scroll :)
Here is without ribbon below - I flip flop each year - looks great either way. Most people are partial one way or the other.
I use ribbon from Michaels. I always use a coupon or go when it is on sale. Full price $9.99. One roll does the entire mantle.
Black and white...
Mantel garland I spray painted gold - see below. You can get the spray paint at Lowes or Home Depot. The starfish are from Oriental Trading - $7.99 a dozen. I already had some from years prior, I bought three more dozen this year, spray painted them, and then I hot glued them to the garland. They are easy to remove if you change your theme next year and they dry super fast here in the south (NC).
Here is the gold spray paint I used for the garland for the mantle.
Here are some added touches of Black and White :)
Black and White ribbon is from Walmart along with the small black signs that say Joy to the World, Merry Christmas, Peace, and Season's greetings. The white spiral ornaments are also from Walmart.
I also added these red and white large ornaments as well - Walmart :)
Need more of the traditional red and white colors? Here is red and white plaid garland (from Walmart) added to the decor.
Join us at the Table.
Mom's main hub... My view up the stairs and out the front door, both main gateways for my teens! ;)
This is where I sit to write most of the time. I have an office and a favorite chair in the living for my quiet time but my dining room is where I feel most inspired. We rarely eat here and it is in a great location for surveillance when you have teens. So I pretend I am at the beach drowning out the chaos and tap away at the keys.
Add in my Orchid (from Home Depot) and my greenery - I have become quite the plant mom in the last year. Planter box is from Home Goods my favorite store - pandemic has helped me save quite a bit of money in that area this year.
"Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a bit more!" Dr. Seuss
I added garland to our window this year and spray painted wreaths that I already had with the same color paint that is on the starfish. They turned out great! I hung the wreaths in the windows - it added a great pop of color!
I always put a white tree in our dining room. It has our UNC Tarheel ornaments, beach themed ornaments, and the true meaning of Christmas ornaments. Jesus, the Tarheels, and the beach - doesn't get much better!
And did I mention the dining room is the gateway to the teens? Jesus takes the wheel!
"He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree." Roy L. Smith
*Extra: Here is our dining room tree last year - Manager theme.
Welcome home!
Our foyer...
"At Christmas, all roads lead home." Marjorie Holmes
This is my foyer tree. Many of you may notice it from many pictures during 2020. I moved it to my living room when COVID crazy started. I did have to re-decorate it about a month ago - the lights could no longer shine bright in 2020!
I will include before and after pictures. It is amazing the difference a few decorations can make! All items used to decorate the tree are from Michaels - I bought this tree and the ornaments last year.
Deck the Halls!
Our Hallway...
"I hope it hits you as soon as you step in the front door, the feeling of Christmas, it's what's in store!" Amy
"Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are things we can't see." The Conductor, The Polar Express
This small pink tree is new this year (linked below) and the garland is from last year.
I love how this lights up some of our most favorite memories throughout the years. It's a great reminder in the hustle of day to day life that the people right here matter most.
*Extra: Pink tree with added red and white ribbon.
Who else is grateful we have almost survived 2020? 2019 was really tough for our family, we fought a huge cancer battle with my husband and we were eager to start afresh in 2020. But life has a way of calling the shots, doesn't it?
As you close 2020, spread some cheer, go against the normal a bit, and love those who give so much to you each and every day!
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" Luke 2:14
Click Below - Psychologists Confirm People Who Decorate For Christmas Early Are Happier, So Now You Have Justification:
Have a Very Merry Bright Pink Christmas!
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