Christmas at the White House

 

Magic is in the air at Christmas time, and the decorations have much to do with setting that mood.  A friend of mine and her husband were among the fortunate ones who were selected to travel to Washington D.C. this year and help decorate the White House for Christmas!  She said it was one of the most marvelous experiences of her life.  These photos are from HGTV's website -- there are many more there, if you want to take a look!

 

 

The secret of decorating effectively is in the details!  

As you know, I've been on a kick to clear out the clutter, having read "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up."  Once I complete the rounds of getting rid of my excess stuff, I will be doing what is called "The Realtor Walk-Through." My goal is to go through my home room by room, repairing anything that needs repaired, touching up paint, and so forth.  Of course, the 4'x4' hole in my family room ceiling is a good place to start!  Hopefully that work will be done next week.  In the meantime, one of my medium sized trees in the side yard keeled over in the wind, roots and all, Christmas Day.  Not exactly the Christmas tree we were looking for! My gardener is coming today to finish removing that. 

I don't have any big redecorating or remodeling projects in mind, but do plan to freshen things up and create little vignettes to honor the collections, flowers, and objects that bring me joy.  Here is a nice beginner's article about creating vignettes from Home and Garden TV:  Tips for Making Beautiful Vignettes.

Are you inspired, too?  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!  I certainly did.  My girls were home, we attended the church Candlelight Service, moved by the beauty of singing "Silent Night" as we held candles aloft.  Then it was home to cook favorite foods and open gifts.

Don't you love this large, beautiful Christmas box?  

My sister Chris sent it to me, and look what is inside:

 

Steel blue Egyptian Cotton sheets!  It's hard to capture the true color here, but they match the leaf color in my bedroom's vintage wallpaper perfectly.  Now I'm really eager to get started!