Christmas Tour of Homes

It's time for Nester's Christmas Tour of Homes and the Home Tour at Kelly's Korner. Thanks so much for coming to my house!

Here's what you'll see as you approach the front door:

A close-up of the wreath:

I have an artificial wreath that I use every year. I just beef it up with clippings from our Christmas tree and from the yard, as well as a few red berries. This year I added an ornament as well:

Off to the right is the sitting area of the front porch, all gussied up for Christmas. Earlier this year I made Autumn Leaf pillows out of drop cloths. I updated those pillows for the season by putting a Christmas ornament on the reverse side:

Now come on in! When you open my front door, here's what you'll see:

I just love having a foyer. It's so nice to have a place to welcome guests into our home. The antique dresser holds my antique Christmas angels and some of my favorite magnolia leaves:

And the stairway is a happy spot with its lighted garland:

Just to the left of the front door, you'll find my husband's study tucked quietly into a corner. I keep the decorations in here pretty simple--just a bit of holiday cheer to complement the stone fireplace:

To the right of the foyer is our dining room. Since this room is red, it takes quite naturally to Christmas decor, so it's one of my favorite rooms to decorate for the season.

My Christmas centerpiece was nearly free. I simply used ornaments that I bought after Christmas last year and placed them in the footbath that usually holds plants on this table. Look how the ornaments sparkle in the candlelight:

The china cabinet holds Lenox plates I bought in the years of each my sons' births. They're from Lenox's "Trees Around the World" series.

My primitive sideboard holds one of our creches along with an angel and the Christmas carol plaque I crafted last week:

The tea table holds a pretty little pitcher that my sweet husband bought me last Christmas. Doesn't it look pretty holding grocery-store lilies and some Christmas greenery?

And then to the living room, which is the site of the family tree:

Ours is a sentimental tree, full of ornaments collected over the years. I've given each of our boys an ornament every year, so when they leave home, I'll need to get new ornaments to fill in the spaces now filled by their collections.

As for the fireplace, it's the spot for our stockings. I don't know if I'll let the boys take their stockings with them when they leave home or not. . . maybe I should keep these and fill them for the guys every year!

Later this week I'll post some photos of my kitchen and back porch. They're all dressed up for Christmas, too. I wish I could have each of you sit here at the counter and drink a cup of coffee with me. But this virtual visit is the next best thing, isn't it? Thank you so much for stopping by!