For weeks now, I've been watching amazing crafty and talented bloggers share pictures of their amazing homes, decorated perfectly in beautiful coordinating colors. They're BEAUTIFUL and inspiring.
But that's not my house.
Like I mentioned here, I let the boys decorate the tree this year. For most of my childhood, I was the only daughter of a single mom, so our tree every year was PERFECTION - all the ornaments matched, centered around a theme, glowing with white lights. We spent HOURS shopping for the perfect ornaments and decorating our tree.
Our tree now is not at all like the ones my mom and I created growing up. The lights? Colored, and are actually just a big outdoor lighting net placed on our indoor tree. The ornaments? Not at all matching, some are semi-broken, and many are homemade. The garland? Hand crocheted by Riley at age 6. None of those things matter at all to the boys. They LOVE the tree. They love that they can run up to and give it a hug. They love that I'm not constantly telling them not to touch it. They love that they feel like THEY are creating part of the Christmas magic.
(I know some of you have seen those photos before, but they are so sweet that you're going to see them again.)
The boys wanted lights outside - not only did they get them, they got sequined reindeer too (yes, really).
And here's something you probably don't know about me. I collect Santas. I love everything that Santa represents - the magic, the giving, the joy he brings to kids. I. Love. It. All.
Some of my Santa collection lives on the mantle (and if I'm telling the truth, they live there year round, regardless of the season).
There's disco Santa.
And Snowglobe Belly Santa.
There's Handmade Vintage Santa on the left, and Driftwood Santa on the right of Disco Santa.
I picked this one up in Germany while traveling there in high school.
We've hung our stockings...
And if you're wondering why there are six stockings, it's because I still hang my mom's stocking, even though she passed away five years ago. While mine and the boys have toys and Santa Claus on them, hers has an angel on the front. Fitting, I think.
So, the moral of the story here is this: Holiday decorating doesn't have to be perfect. Not every home is as perfectly decorated as the ones you see on television, in catalogs, or in the blogosphere. Even though my house might not look like it's plucked from a catalog, it's perfect for US. Letting the kids do most of our decorating, and filling our home with the spirit of Santa is what works in our home.
Now I'd love to know, how do you spread real cheer with your holiday decorating? Show me with your photos! Click "Add me" in the Cheer Tree below to upload your holiday decorating photos and share them with your Twitter followers and Facebook friends. Be sure to click on "Special Offers" to unwrap the hidden coupons and deals exclusively from Sears. Keep checking throughout the holidays--new deals are unlocked every day! For all your holiday decorating needs and solutions, don’t forget to visit Sears and discover real deals, real cheer!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sears. The opinions and text are all mine.
