If you can’t tell, I love Christmastime and everything that goes with it (esp my birthday in the beginning of the season), so it shouldn’t be a surprise that every year I count down until I can start putting up some decorations and making a mini winter wonderland in my apartment.

My mercury glass candle holders were the first to go up, mainly because they had been sitting on my dining table since I made them.  I filled the bottom with cranberries, got some taller white candles and wrapped some rope around them, for good measure.

Rollene gave me this glass she got from Italy when they lived there as my dad grew up.  The story behind it is hilarious, so I was thrilled to have it passed down to me.  I’ve just had a starfish in the top of it, but to spice it up for the holidays I put half a strand of lights down it.  Honestly, I think I’m going to leave the lights in it year round now.

Then it was finally time to get the Christmas boxes out from storage and start unpacking.  Yes, Cleo has a stocking (with her picture on it) and yes, Hunter now has a Clemson stocking above the fireplace. Luckily there’s my Georgia Tech one to even it out 🙂

Next was the tree!  I have a 4 foot tree which fits nicely into an apartment, on top of a table.  It’s decorated with an assortment of blue / silver balls from Target, seashell ornaments I made last year, starfish, ornaments from traveling (like the buoy from Maine this year), rope garland and an orange starfish on top!

The exciting part is that Cleo hasn’t knocked the tree or any of the ornaments over yet.

I decided to pull our my little 18″ tree that used to be in my room growing up and put it up in my bedroom.  Instead of ornaments, it has sparkly icicle looking things and just a star on top (my desk that it sits on it is already crazy enough so it needed to be simple).

That’s it so far for the holiday decorations, but my newly re-done Christmas wreath and a centerpiece that revolves around wine should be finished soon!  What are your favorite holiday decorations?